Data Stakes – Giving Data a Voice in Higher Education

In this episode of Data Stakes, host Debbie Phelps explores how to transform high-level institutional strategy into tangible daily practice. She is joined by Dr. Callie Holden (College Director of Strategic Planning and Grant Development) and Misty Tollett (Director of Strategic Planning) from Ozarks Tech, a two-year technical community college in Springfield, Missouri. Callie and Misty share the journey of building Ozarks Tech's integrated planning model—a streamlined approach that brings student learning assessment, departmental planning, program review, and budget requests into one cohesive, user-friendly cycle. They discuss the importance of democratizing campus data, proving that you don't need complex dashboards to tell a compelling story, and explain how the planning team partners seamlessly with Institutional Research to drive data-informed decisions. To wrap up, the guests highlight the invaluable professional development and networking opportunities available through MidAIR (the Midwestern Association for Institutional Research) for higher education data professionals. In this episode, we cover:

• The Integrated Planning Model: How to consolidate conflicting timelines into a single, complementary 3-year cycle.
• Data for the Masses: Moving away from complicated charts to accessible, 10th-grade reading level data points that help every department see their story.
• Budgeting with Purpose: Why every budget request must directly tie back to a departmental or institutional strategic goal.
• IR & Strategy Collaboration: How planning departments and Institutional Research (IR) can split the data puzzle to better serve the campus.
• MidAIR: Upcoming virtual and in-person conferences, resources, and community support for IR professionals in the Midwest.

Back by popular demand! After the massive success of our first AI-focused episode, the Data Stakes podcast is returning to the world of Artificial Intelligence—but this time, we’re peeling back the curtain on what actually makes these systems work. In this special roundtable episode, host Debbie sits down with three key members of the Datatelligent (DT) team: Founder and CEO Larry Blackburn, and Director of Product Development Robert Miller, who helped kick off our popular AI series earlier this year. We’ve all heard that AI is "intelligent," but without the right environment, it’s often just guessing. In this episode, titled "Context is the Real Intelligence: Why AI and Humans Both Depend on It," we explore why context is the bridge between a "hallucinating" chatbot and a trusted business tool. In this episode, we discuss:

• The Human Shorthand: How our shared experiences and "organizational knowledge" allow us to communicate efficiently, and why AI lacks this by default.
• Context Engineering vs. Prompt Engineering: Why the future of AI isn't just about asking better questions, but about designing better information environments.
• The Semantic Layer: A deep dive into how tools like Snowflake allow institutions to build a "map" that keeps AI accurate and grounded in reality.
• Security & PII: How to maintain strict data privacy and guardrails while still giving AI the access it needs to be useful.
• Building Trust: Why providing institutional definitions is the only way to move from AI skepticism to AI adoption in Higher Ed and beyond.

Whether you’re an AI enthusiast or "AI hesitant," this conversation will change how you think about the data you feed your systems. Because at the end of the day, meaning doesn't come from words alone—it comes from context.

In this episode of Data Stakes, host Debbie sits down with Peyton Snively (Director of Student Life at Cowley College) and Eric Burr (Hope Squad Advisor and retired Chief of Police) to explore the growing mental health challenges students face today. From the peer pressure of middle school to the unique struggles of international and non-traditional college students, the stressors are real and mounting. Discover how the peer-to-peer suicide prevention program, Hope Squad, is empowering students to recognize warning signs and support one another. We also dive into how Cowley College uses targeted surveys to track student well-being, the negative impact of anonymous social media apps, and how fostering a true sense of belonging is the key to driving student success.

Higher education is facing unprecedented shifts, from shifting enrollments to financial strain and job insecurity. How can institutional leaders stay calm and strategic when the pressure hits?

In this episode of Data Stakes, Debbie is joined by Dr. Telletha "Tee" Valenski, Campus Director at San Juan College West and the recent Kirtland Educator of the Year. Dr. Valenski shares her deeply personal journey—from a 26-year path to earning her doctorate to surviving a near-fatal battle with COVID-19—and explains how these life-altering experiences shaped her philosophy on financial preparation and leadership.

Together, Debbie and Tee discuss why preparation isn't pessimism, but rather a form of self-respect that allows leaders to pivot instead of panic.

In this episode, we cover:

• Proactive vs. Reactive Leadership: Why the best leadership is calm, strategic, and focused on foresight rather than fear.
• Financial Literacy as Professional Literacy: How understanding your finances gives you more confidence, control, and options in an unpredictable job market.
• Career Resilience: Navigating non-traditional career paths, staying coachable, and remembering that "titles are temporary, but skills are transferable."
• Creating Student Opportunities: Tee’s work in building community-driven pathways, including connecting community college students to summer internships at Harvard.
• Advancing Two-Year Colleges: A look at Tee’s new role on the executive committee for the Council to Advance Two-Year Colleges and the importance of evaluating institutional systems.

How do you go from a drum major to a Vice President? In this episode of Data Stakes, host Debbie Phelps sits down with Dr. Melanie Jenkins-Simpson, the Associate Vice President of Institutional Research at the University of Alabama, to map out the road to leadership in higher education.

Together, they explore the evolution of the Institutional Research (IR) field—from printing spreadsheets on green bar paper to the modern demands of data science and business analytics. Dr. Jenkins-Simpson shares her personal journey and offers actionable advice for professionals at every stage of their career, emphasizing that while technical skills get you in the door, soft skills and "staying in the know" help you rise.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Educational Path: Which degrees matter most for leadership (and why Computer Science is the new frontier).
• Soft Skills for Data Pros: Why a sense of humor, communication skills, and policy interpretation are just as vital as statistics.
• Professional Development: How to utilize resources from the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) and the importance of volunteering.
• Navigating Change: Preparing for the "enrollment cliff" and the future of data governance.

Join us to learn how you can carve out your own path and become a legend in the data field.

Is higher education fully tapping into the power of Artificial Intelligence? In this episode, Debbie sits down with IT executive Robert Miller to cut through the AI hype and explore "Agentic AI"—highly focused, specialized tools designed to solve specific campus challenges.

Robert explains why the future lies in Augmented Intelligence, not just artificial intelligence. Using real-world examples from university research to radiology, he breaks down how AI can amplify human expertise rather than replace it, and why the "Human in the Loop" is more critical than ever.

Key Takeaways:

• The "Secret Sauce" for Higher Ed: Moving beyond generalized chatbots to targeted Agentic AI.
• The Augmented Expert: How AI eliminates manual data coding so graduate students and faculty can focus on high-level analysis.
• Mitigating Risk: Why clean data and data professionals are essential to avoid the "Wild West" of unchecked AI adoption.

In this inaugural interview, host Debbie Phelps sits down with Leah Ewing Ross to discuss how the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) supports data professionals at all stages of their careers. They explore AIR's "Data and Decisions Academy," which offers a range of professional development opportunities, from holistic management courses to skills-based workshops for those new to the field.

A major theme of the conversation is data culture. Leah emphasizes that building a data-literate campus goes beyond just the data office; it requires empowering faculty and staff across the institution to use data effectively. They discuss the "Data Literacy Institute," where cross-functional teams from institutions learn together to create a shared language and understanding of data.

The episode also covers advocacy and policy. Leah explains AIR's role in representing the data community in national conversations, including their recent work with the Washington Higher Education Secretariat and their rapid response to new federal requirements like the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS).

Key Takeaways:

• Professional Growth: AIR provides resources for both technical skill-building and leadership development.
• Community & Networking: The importance of finding a network of peers to navigate challenges and share best practices.
• Data Literacy: Strategies for moving data out of silos and making it a shared asset for the entire institution.
• Advocacy: How AIR is advocating for data quality, transparency, and feasibility in national policy discussions.
• Future Outlook: A shared hope for 2026 that the data community will prioritize collaboration and grace over competition.

Welcome to Episode 00, the official kickoff of the Data Stakes podcast! In this brief introduction, host Debbie Phelps sets the stage for our series, sharing our mission to give data a real voice in higher education and what you can expect from the show.

Consider this just the beginning—we have a packed schedule of great episodes coming soon, featuring expert interviews, real-world success stories, and deep dives into institutional research. Subscribe now so you don't miss a single insight!