IngenioUs

When UMass Global Chancellor Gary Brahm was studying biology as an undergraduate at California State, Northridge, a career in higher education was not on his radar. Life intervened and Brahm went on to pursue a remarkable career in higher education, culminating in his spearheading one of the nation's most innovative transactions on behalf of college-going working adults: the affiliation of Brandman University (where Brahm served as Founding Chancellor since 2007) with the UMass system to create UMass Global. At Brandman University, Brahm is credited with building a 'totally student centered' institutional culture and instituting innovative best in class practices for adult working students resulting in impressive student success outcomes by nearly every measure. In our conversation, Chancellor Brahm shares the back story behind this groundbreaking affiliation and unpacks the secret sauce for his institution's singular success in supporting working adult students.

When John Fry assumed the presidency of Drexel University in 2010, he set out to transform the school into a private research university with a strong public purpose — an institution that harnesses its strengths to serve its students, its neighborhood, city and the nation. And he made it his mission, and the mission of the school’s 26,000 students to be what he called “the most civically engaged university in the nation.” Fry’s success on both fronts is transformational.

Under Fry’s leadership, Drexel has set a national example for the execution of public-private partnerships, and become a powerful force for economic development in Greater Philadelphia. What’s the end game? According to Fry, he is driven by a deep and personal mission to spread the word about how anchor institutions can do a world of good for the places that are around them. In the end, Drexel’s commitment to inclusive growth is fundamentally about education.  To hear him tell it, the most important work happening at Drexel right now is the faculty-led initiatives bringing together teaching, research and civic engagement.  Sounds like a win-win all around.

Aging and longevity experts suggest that the notion of a 150 year life-span is closer than you think.  In fact, according to this week's guest, some have suggested that the first people to live this long have already been born.  How do we prepare today's college students for a future where the average working life potentially spans 100 plus years and has no beginning, middle, or end?  That is the focus of Dr. Michelle Weise's newest book, Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don't Even Exist Yet.   In this episode, IngenioUs host, Melissa Morriss-Olson speaks with Dr. Weise about how our current education system is poorly equipped to educate workers for such a long journey and how we must design a new learner-centered ecosystem to meet the needs of a new generation of workers.   Contemplating a shift from the educational all-you-can-eat-buffet of college and university to an “as-you-need-it” approach to delivering education, Weise explains why and how worker education is overdue for momentous changes.  According to Weise, for colleges and universities willing to adopt a long life learning strategy, the benefits for students as well as for the workforce are substantial.

One effect of the pandemic has been the transition to remote work. Knowledge workers have discovered that "working from anywhere" means seeking out places with affordable housing, lower cost of living and better quality of life. Small towns, secondary cities and rural areas are in a position to attract talent to their 'Zoom towns' by adopting a talent magnet strategy. 

According to historian and futurist, David J. Staley, college and universities that are located in these 'Zoom town' regions have an unusually compelling and timely opportunity to pursue a strategy that could reap significant benefit for years to come.  In this episode, Staley gives us sneak peak into his upcoming free Leading Edge Thinking in Higher Education webinar scheduled for April 13th at 1pm -n 2 pm (ET).

Dr. David Staley, Ph.D. is associate professor in the departments of History, Design and Educational Studies at the Ohio State University. He is an Honorary Faculty Fellow in Innovation at the Center for Higher Ed Leadership and Innovative Practice (CHELIP) at Bay Path University, and was recently named a Fellow at the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University.  He is host of the "Voices of Excellence in the Arts and Sciences" podcast. In addition to his written work, he has designed and curated both online and physical exhibitions and has published numerous visual compositions in digital media. From 2003-2008, Staley was the Executive Director of the American Association for History and Computing (AAHC).

Register here for the April 13th webinar: https://www.baypath.edu/events-calendar/details/universities-as-talent-magnets/2022-04-13/

Looking for an opportunity to make a real difference?  Meet Dr. Diya Abdo, Guilford College (NC) English Professor and Founder, Director, and President of Every Campus a Refuge (ECAR), the nonprofit organization she started which has revolutionized refugee resettlement.  By leveraging the sizable resources of college and university systems to host newly arrived refugees at no cost, ECAR offers refugees the potential for a stronger, more dignified landing in the U.S.  A second-generation Palestinian refugee born and raised in Jordan, Professor Abdo understands well the challenges faced by those who have been displaced.  A recipient of the J.M. Kaplan Fund’s Innovation Prize (2021) for her groundbreaking work with ECAR,  Dr. Abdo believes that college communities are uniquely suited to help and that the potential benefit is vast--both for refugees and for the sponsoring institution.  "If just 10% of America’s universities hosted one family of average size, that would provide supportive integration to 20,000 refugees over a short few years—and forge a hopeful resettlement model grounded in the practice of radical hospitality," according to Dr. Abdo.   Want to learn more?  Contact ECAR here and start the conversation about how your campus might get involved.

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In his latest IngenioUs blog post, historian and futurist, David J. Staley proposes a new higher education model that validates the importance of the learning that happens outside the classroom.  Imagine "Side Hustle College." a place where a small number of academic classes is augmented by a rich array of experiential learning opportunities.  At "Side Hustle College" suggests Staley, students and faculty would work closely together on projects resulting in job readiness enhancing skills and experiences.   

Mark Scheinberg is undoubtedly one of New England's top educational entrepreneurs.  Scheinberg, who essentially built East Hartford Connecticut-based Goodwin University from scratch, has emerged as a leading voice on adult education and workforce development in his region.  He has made several big moves recently including the transition from Goodwin College to Goodwin University and his recent  $32 million purchase of the University of Bridgeport.  The University of Bridgeport acquisition gives Goodwin a substantial statewide footprint and opens up wide ranging opportunities for program expansion.

In this episode which is the second of a two-part conversation with Scheinberg, we learn more about the University of Bridgeport acquisition.  We also get Mark's take on what leaders need to stay focused on these days and why he so enjoys mentoring emerging entrepreneurs.

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In this IngenioUs Mini episode, Dr. Lauren Way interviews Ruffalo Noel Levitz Vice President Julie Bryant about student success essentials.  Despite performance-based funding pressures on the rise, data show that half of new college students will not graduate. And despite the knowledge that it's more cost-effective to retain students than to recruit them, many campuses still focus more resources on the latter. How are motivational assessments, satisfaction surveys, predictive analytics, and strategies for success best leveraged? 

As the featured presenter at our March 15th free Leading Edge Thinking virtual webinar, these are just a few of the many important questions that Julie will address.  Listen in to Dr. Way's interview for a sneak peak into the interview and for Julie's thoughts about the essential components your campus wants on its radar to improve net revenue through student success and completion rates.  Register here for the webinar.

When in 1982, 24-year-old budding entrepreneur Mark Scheinberg paid $30,000 for the little-known, for-profit business school Data Institute in Hartford, CT., little did anyone imagine how the story would play out. Over the ensuing 40 years, Scheinberg has led an extraordinary transformation.   A transformation signaled by a name change—first to Goodwin College and then Goodwin University, a change in legal status—to nonprofit, and, with the recent acquisition of the University of Bridgeport, a substantial expansion of the institution’s offerings and footprint.

Goodwin University has clearly come of age. In the first of a two-part episode, we get Mark’s take on the school’s remarkable evolution including the essential strategies and key decision points that help explain the success. We also get a window into the mindset of this uniquely savvy and strategic leader and entrepreneur who cares deeply about his community and his students.

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