Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Tracy Lorenz, CEO & President of Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts. Todd and Tracy discuss the benefits of online culinary and pastry arts classes. The Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts is the only accredited institution in the United States to offer fully online diploma and degree programs with hands-on industry externships.

Topics Discussed:

• How Auguste Escoffier disrupted the culinary model and proved that effective vocational education can be delivered online

• Ways to create a 1:1 learning environment online, which is often cited by students as a reason for selecting the program at Auguste Escoffier

• The current demand for chefs and the desire for credentials in the restaurant industry

• How to take advantage of the scale of online education to provide affordable training

Guest Bio

Tracy Lorenz has more than 20 years of leadership experience in higher ed, including both online and campus-based operations. Currently, Tracy leads her team as the CEO and President of Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts to provide fully online, accredited culinary and pastry programs for adults.

Prior to joining Auguste Escoffier, Tracy served as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Western International University, where she later stepped into the role of President. Tracy has held a variety of key executive roles at Career Education Corporation where she led operations, strategy and development, as well as investor relations and corporate communications. Previously, she held positions at McDonald’s International and KPMG in finance and accounting. Tracy passed the Illinois CPA exam and received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Master’s of Strategic Management Degree from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Ryan Craig, Managing Director of Achieve Partners. Todd and Ryan discuss the crisis of affordability and employability in higher ed, along with higher ed's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and academic integrity.

Topics Discussed:

• The combination of student loan debt, lack of degree completion, and underemployment are a warning sign that higher ed isn’t working as it should

• How a shift in the labor market impacts the ability for many to get good first jobs

• The importance of teaching the skills that employers are looking for and funding innovative new models that are not “education up”, but “employer down”

• How the Talent as a Service model creates a faster and cheaper pathway to employment

• The benefits of an immersive, practical experience paired with online learning

Guest Bio

Ryan Craig is the Managing Director of Achieve Partners. He is a prolific writer, known for his work as a Senior Contributor at Forbes and for his blog, Gap Letter. Ryan is also the author of two books. His first, College Disrupted: The Great Unbundling of Higher Education (2015), focuses on how he sees the future of higher education: in online degrees that unbundle course offerings. His second book, A New U: Faster + Cheaper Alternatives to College (2018), highlights bootcamps, apprenticeships, and more.

Prior to Achieve Partners, Ryan led the Education & Training sector at Warburg Pincus where he was the founding Director of Bridgepoint Education, one of the largest online universities in the United States. Ryan received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University, and his law degree from the Yale Law School.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Zvi Galil, creator of the Online Master of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Computing. Todd and Zvi discuss the launch of this program in 2014, which is regarded as the first affordable, fully online MOOC-based master’s degree in the United States. Zvi disputes the premises that we should be afraid of online, and that in-person teaching is superior.

Topics Discussed:

• The impact of the first MOOC-based degree at Georgia Tech, and how it opened-up a larger, global market

• Opportunities for universities to deliver online degrees at a fraction of the cost and to a larger student population

• The expansion of high-quality and low-cost MOOC-based degrees into the undergraduate realm

• How success was driven through the board of trustees, critical faculty, and an investment from a corporation

Guest Bio

Zvi Galil is the creator of the Online Master of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Computing, who The Wall Street Journal dubbed “The man who made online college work.” Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, he earned BS and MS degrees in Applied Mathematics from Tel Aviv University, both summa cum laude. Zvi later obtained a PhD in Computer Science from Cornell University.

In 1982, he joined the faculty of Columbia University, served as the chair of the Computer Science Department in 1989-1994, and became dean of The Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science in 1995-2007. In 2007, he returned to Tel Aviv University to serve as president. Zvi then took over as the third John P. Imlay Jr. Dean of Computing at Georgia Tech from July 2010 through June 2019.

He has written over 200 scientific papers, edited five books, and has given more than 150 lectures in 20 countries. Zvi has served as editor in chief of two journals and as the chief computer science adviser in the United States to the Oxford University Press. Recently, he was named one of the 10 most influential computer scientists in the last decade by Academic Influence.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Angela Kersenbrock, President, Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA). Todd and Angela discuss the importance of community colleges offering baccalaureate degrees and how the CCBA supports this mission.

Topics Discussed:

• The dynamic and critical relationship between higher ed and industry, and the communities that they serve

• How the CCBA is supporting institutions and associations with efforts to increase the number of states allowing community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees

• The impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on those without baccalaureate degrees, and how legislators, industries, and communities are responding to this impact

• The concept of family-sustaining careers and innovations on the horizon for community college baccalaureates

Guest Bio

Angela Kersenbrock is currently the president of the Community College Baccalaureate Association. An accomplished educator with experience at the associates, bachelor, master’s, and doctoral levels, she recently retired after 34 years at Seminole State College in Florida. There, she was a tenured faculty member, department chair, dean, and the associate vice president of the School of Business, Health, and Public Safety.

Angela holds a doctorate degree in higher education and public policy and is a masters prepared registered nurse. She has been involved with workforce education programs, having developed almost 30 different degrees and certificates, as well as several baccalaureate programs, including business and information management, nursing, health sciences, and information systems. She has also led partnerships between multiple stakeholders to gain regional approval for baccalaureate degrees.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Dan Avida, CEO and Co-founder of Engageli. Todd and Dan discuss how the pandemic highlighted the need for more engaging online learning.

Topics Discussed:

• The need for engaging synchronous tools in online education and ways to improve asynchronous learning

• The shortcomings of traditional teleconferencing tools like Google Meet, Slack, and Teams

• Ways to improve engagement and collaboration between instructors and students to help drive quality outcomes at scale

• How to address inclusivity, equity, and diversity through platform design and functionality

• The future of the personalized learning journey, machine learning, use of data, dashboards, and AI

Guest Bio

Dan Avida has been working in technology companies as an executive and/or board member for over three decades. Several of these companies have scaled from a small founding team to over $100M in revenues and valuations of over $1B. He started Engageli in 2020 with wife and Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller, Stanford emeritus professor Serge Plotkin, and former executive at 2U and Trilogy, Jamie Nacht Farrell. He earned his B.S. in Computer Engineering from Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, summa cum laude.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Shai Reshef, President of University of the People. Todd and Shai discuss how University of the People provides tuition-free online education to qualified individuals regardless of geographic, financial, or societal constraints.

 

Topics Discussed:

• Maximizing open-source technology and resources to increase access to affordable, quality education across the globe

• Disrupting the industry with a low cost, tuition-free model powered by the support of 25,000 volunteers

• Leveraging peer-to-peer learning and instructor supervision to achieve scale while maintaining course quality and a 14:1 learner to instructor ratio

• Ensuring learner success through a unique admissions model and individual support throughout the learner’s journey

• Collaborating with global universities to provide increased access and pathways to higher education

Guest Bio

Shai Reshef is the President of University of the People, the world’s first non-profit, tuition-free, American, accredited online university, dedicated to opening access to higher education.

An educational entrepreneur, Shai Reshef received a PhD from the Open University and has more than 30 years of experience in international education. From 1989 to 2005, he served as Chairman of the Kidum Group, a for-profit educational services company. Starting in 2001, Shai also chaired KIT eLearning, the online learning partner of the University of Liverpool and the first online university outside of the United States.

Shai is a member of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration; being named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business; selected by OneWorld as one of its ‘People of 2009;’ awarded an Ashoka fellowship; joined UN-GAID as a High-level Adviser; presented at TED; granted an RSA Fellowship; selected by The Huffington Post as the Ultimate Game Changer in Education; nominated as one of Wired Magazine’s 50 People Changing the World; and selected as a Top Global Thinker by Foreign Policy Magazine. Recently, he was awarded the Prince’s Prize for Innovative Philanthropy by Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Dr. Scott Ralls, President of Wake Technical Community College. Todd and Scott discuss the importance of apprenticeships and how they benefit both students and employers.

Topics Discussed:

• The reason community colleges are America’s opportunity colleges

• The ways the Biden Administration could impact funding for community colleges

• Why apprenticeships are considered the gold standard of workplace learning

• How the WakeWorks Apprenticeship Program provides individuals with on-the-job training while also working towards a college degree

• How education impacts economic mobility

Guest Bio

Dr. Scott Ralls became the fourth President of Wake Technical Community College in April 2019. Before coming to Wake Tech, he served as President of Northern Virginia Community College from 2015-2019, President of the NC Community College System from 2008-2015, and President of Craven Community College in New Bern from 2002-2008. He has also worked for the NC Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of Labor.

He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Distinguished Public Service Award from the North Carolina Chamber, and the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina’s highest civilian honor.

Dr. Ralls earned his bachelor’s degree at UNC-Chapel Hill and master’s and doctorate degrees in Industrial and Organization Psychology from the University of Maryland.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Manoj Kutty, CEO and Founder of GreenLight Credentials. Todd and Manoj discuss how GreenLight is putting the student first and setting them up for future success through the secure storage and sharing of lifelong verified credentials.

Topics Discussed:

• The growing need for verifiable digital records of lifelong learning

• How blockchain technology can secure student records

• The appetite for a common language when evaluating credentials versus degrees

• An employer’s role in the accelerating trend of verified digital credentials

• COVID-19’s impact on the adoption of this technology

Guest Bio

Manoj Kutty is the Founder/CEO of GreenLight Credentials and a leader in ed tech for the past 28 years. He founded LoudCloud Systems in 2010, a competency-based learning platform with clients in North America, Australia, and India. In 2016, LoudCloud was sold to Barnes and Noble Education. Kutty then served on the leadership team to transition and integrate LoudCloud into the digital business. From 1993-2010 he was the President of Tata Interactive Systems, one of the world’s largest developers of custom e-learning products and services. He serves on several Boards, including the Dallas Education Foundation and the Center of Brain Health at UT Dallas.

Todd Zipper, EVP and GM of Wiley University Services and Talent Development, welcomes Paul LeBlanc, President of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). They discuss how SNHU reimagined affordability and accessibility to drive quality outcomes for more learners.

Topics Discussed:

• Implementing systems and processes that work specifically for the online learner

• Rethinking the delivery of programs to be more experiential and project-based

• Using competency-based education to deliver learning in equitable ways

• Building a learning ecosystem that accommodates true lifelong learning

• Creating short, affordable, skills-based offerings applicable to in-demand jobs

Guest Bio

Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc is President of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). Since 2003, under Paul’s leadership, SNHU has grown from 2,800 students to over 170,000 learners and is the largest nonprofit provider of online higher education in the country. Forbes Magazine has listed LeBlanc as one of its 15 “Classroom Revolutionaries” and one of the “most influential people in higher education.” Washington Monthly named him one of America’s ten most innovative university presidents. His book, Students First: Equity, Access, and Opportunity in Higher Education will be available later this year.