The EdUp Experience

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! This is The EdUp Experience President Series Episode #73. In this episode, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we welcome Dr. Jermaine Whirl, President of Augusta Technical College.  Guest hosts Holly Owens and Dr. Stacey Gonzales lead the discussion where Jermaine discusses the value of technical and community colleges to their region, but specifically, about creating seamless pathways for students to move to a job or to their next degree without barriers.  Jermaine talks about how technical colleges play a role in recruiting businesses in the region - for him, in particular, it's between 10-30 meetings a year to meet with business leaders as a part of workforce packages. Opportunity for education, and opportunity for job! 

Dr. Jermaine Whirl is the 5th president of Augusta Technical College (ATC), a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. The college is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC) and offers programs on four campuses: Augusta, Grovetown, Thomson/McDuffie, and Waynesboro. Dr. Whirl is a student-success-oriented, collaborative, innovative, engaged, and passionate leader who simply desires to see students succeed, colleagues develop, and local and regional economies grow.

Another episode sponsored by our great friends at MDT Marketing! Get your free marketing consultation today! mdtmarketing.com/edup

Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us!

Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio

● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us!

● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience!

● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Thanks for listening!

We make education your business!

Welcome back to America's leading higher education podcast! In this incredible episode of The EdUp Experience, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we are honored to bring Dr. Francisco Marmolejo, President of Higher Education with The Qatar Foundation, to talk about education. Francisco drops serious knowledge about the necessity of a Universal Skills Passport to help both students and employers understand the relevance of a student's education to the job market.  He also highlights Education City in Qatar, which is a landmass with nine institutions teaching students from across the globe.  The Qatar Foundation is an ecosystem of more than fifty organizations facilitating the unlocking of human potential.  Francisco talks about why the accident of geography should not affect one's future educational possibilities.  Finally, he discusses why quality is NOT a synonym for elitism.

Francisco Marmolejo is President of Higher Education at Qatar Foundation (QF), where he leads support and coordination activities to the unique ecosystem of eight prestigious universities that offer more than 70 undergraduate and graduate programs to students from 60 countries at QF’s Education City, the largest campus of its kind globally, based in Doha, Qatar.  He joined QF in February 2020 as the organization’s Education Advisor. From 2012 to 2020, he worked at the World Bank, where he served as the Global Head of the Bank’s Solutions Group on Higher Education, based in Washington, D.C., and, more recently, as Lead Higher Education Specialist for India and South Asia, based in New Delhi. 

Another episode sponsored by our great friends at MDT Marketing! Get your free marketing consultation today! mdtmarketing.com/edup

Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us!

Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio

● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us!

● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience!

● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Thanks for listening!

We make education your business!

Welcome back to America's leading higher education podcast! In this incredible episode of The EdUp Experience, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we welcome, we welcome KarenGross, Senior Counsel, Finn Partners.  Karen is an expert in student trauma and she discusses the layers of trauma experienced during the last year-plus of health, social, financial, and educational disruptions.  She advocates for the "need for processing" - which can include Care Rooms for teachers and pop up courses for students to learn about their trauma and what caused trauma.  Liz and guest host Loki Mulholland host of The Uncomfortable Truth podcast, which is a part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network, ask critical questions about how trauma affects students today, don't miss it.

Karen is a former education policy advisor in the Obama administration, a trauma educator and author of books for adults and children. More about Karen can be found at www.karengrosseducation.com. She speaks, advises and consults on trauma and its impact, student success, improving educational leadership and handling educational crises. Her latest adult book is Trauma Doesn’t Stop at the School Door: Strategies and Solutions for Educators PreK - College (Columbia Teachers College Press June 2020). It follows her earlier award-winning adult book: Breakaway Learners, also published by Teachers College Press (also TCPress).

Another episode sponsored by our great friends at MDT Marketing! Get your free marketing consultation today! mdtmarketing.com/edup

Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us!

Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio

● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us!

● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience!

● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Thanks for listening!

We make education your business!

Welcome back to America's leading higher education podcast! In this incredible episode of The EdUp Experience, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we welcome Patrick Methvin, Director of Postsecondary Success at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Patrick joins us again to talk all things related to the timely and influential Postsecondary Value Commission Report! 

Patrick Methvin, director of Postsecondary Success in the United States Program, oversees work designed to significantly increase the number of Americans achieving a post-high school credential and eliminate educational attainment disparities by race and income.  Previously, Patrick served as deputy director for the Postsecondary Success strategy, focusing on the adoption and scaling of innovations associated with improving student success and institutional sustainability. Prior to joining the foundation in 2013, Patrick served as a principal in the Boston Consulting Group’s Social Impact and Consumer Goods Practice Areas.

Another episode sponsored by our great friends at MDT Marketing! Get your free marketing consultation today! mdtmarketing.com/edup

Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us!

Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio

● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us!

● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience!

● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Thanks for listening!

We make education your business!

Welcome back to America's leading higher education podcast! In this incredible episode of The EdUp Experience, sponsored by The Evolllution, we welcome Ken Knueven, Senior Project Officer, Higher Education Innovation, Charles Koch Foundation. Ken comes back for his second visit and talks with Joe and Liz about his new work at the Foundation. He also talks about how education and technology will impact investing, how the metaverse will be the new iteration of the internet, and how online education is the present and future. Listen in to another fantastic episode with Ken! 

Ken Knueven has been instrumental in the development, growth, and leadership of transformative organizations for over twenty-five years. He has extensive experience in Higher Education as well as the Fortune 500, Public Sector and Nonprofit organizations. A successful technology executive, Ken has consistently been at the forefront of industry leading innovations and initiatives.

Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us!

Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio

● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us!

● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience!

● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Thanks for listening!

We make education your business!

Welcome back to America's leading higher education podcast! In this incredible episode of The EdUp Experience, sponsored by Incubeta, we welcome Michelle Westfort, Chief University Officer, InStride. Listen in as special guest cohosts, Holly Owens, host of EdUp EdTech, and Dr. Stacey Gonzales, host of EdUp Edge K-12, talk with Michelle about the amazing work that is being, and will be, done at InStride. Michelle shares her thoughts and what she likes to call working to learn and learning to work. Tune in to learn what, according to Michelle, higher education institutions are starting to lean more into. 

Michelle Westfort brings more than 20 years of professional experience in higher education programs and partnerships to InStride. In her current role as Chief University Officer, she oversees the entire Academic Partnerships team and leads the development of InStride’s highly curated global network of academic partners, which includes top tier research universities.

Prior to joining InStride, Michelle was the Vice President of Business Development for The Learning House (acquired by Wiley) where she was responsible for developing higher education partnerships to build online programs. Previously, she held leadership positions at Pivot Worldwide, building workforce development opportunities for global learners and at Navitas, the Australian based pathway provider responsible for expanding enrollments at US-based public universities from major markets including the Middle East, China and Latin America.

Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us!

Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio

● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us!

● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience!

● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Thanks for listening!

We make education your business!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! In this fantastic episode of The EdUp Experience, sponsored by Element451, we talk with Kathleen deLaski, Founder & CEO, Education Design Lab. Listen in as Joe and Liz talk with Kathleen about the amazing work that is being, and will be, done at Education Design Lab. Kathleen shares her thoughts and what she likes to call the learner revolution. Tune in to learn more! 

Kathleen founded the Education Design Lab after eight years on the Board of Virginia’s largest public university, George Mason. A social entrepreneur, she has launched or co-launched four non-profits in the past two decades, all related to improving the quality of education for non-elite students. With the Lab, she saw the need for a non-profit to help learning institutions and other players design education toward the future of a fast changing world.  The Lab has supported some 125 colleges, as well as employers and high school districts and regions, in their move toward a skills based economy.  Kathleen has been asked to share learnings and ideas about the learner-driven skills revolution around the world.

In addition, Kathleen serves as the president of the deLaski Family Foundation, a leading grantmaker in education reform and new pathways to the middle class. She founded and served as board chair for EdFuel, a national non-profit working to build a diverse talent leadership pipeline for K-12 education. Previously, Kathleen created Sallie Mae’s award-winning college access foundation, co-founded Building Hope, a charter school facilities financing non-profit and helped Michelle Rhee create StudentsFirst, a national advocacy movement to improve school options and quality.

Spending five years at America Online, she developed the first interactive tools to engage the public online in elections and the political process and helped the biggest news organizations create digital brands. She and her boss, Steve Case, were named by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics among “25 People Changing the World.” Kathleen was named by President Clinton as Chief Spokesman for the Pentagon, where she oversaw the military’s worldwide public information team. She also spent 13 years as a TV journalist, including 5 years as an ABC News Washington correspondent.

Thanks so much for tuning in.  Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us!

Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio

● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us!

● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience!

● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Thanks for listening!

We make education your business!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! This is The EdUp Experience President Series Episode #72. In this episode, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we welcome Dr. Michael A. Baston President at Rockland Community College. Michael talks to us about the equitable realities of some communities, including financial fragility and lack of access to high wage and high opportunity jobs. This is why community colleges can be the colleges of first choice - to build bridges for students to further their education action and economic value. Michael says the caste system of higher ed must be addressed. Some consider community college to be “the 13th grade”, which is an uninformed and antiquated view of the work of community colleges. Finally Michael challenges all of us to take steps beyond statements when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. This episode is FIRE!

Dr. Michael A. Baston is the 7th President of Rockland Community College. A national leader who helps develop comprehensive supports that foster college completion, Dr. Baston’s work has been featured on MSNBC, and in The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Atlantic, The Community College Times, and Black Enterprise Magazine. Additionally, he’s a contributing author to Race, Education, and Reintegrating Formerly Incarcerated Citizens and The Handbook for Student Affairs in Community Colleges.

Dr. Baston was a member of the inaugural class of Aspen Institute Presidential Fellows for Community College Excellence where he explored systemic issues affecting the educational access pipeline and student success. As a national Guided Pathways coach for American Association of Community Colleges, he is noted for his work with college leadership teams around the nation, helping them integrate student success initiatives to advance college completion. Dr. Baston is the incoming Co-Chair of Jobs For The Future’s Policy Leadership Trust, a Commissioner of American Association of Community College’s Commission on Institutional Infrastructure and Transformation and member of the National Advisory Board of Center for Community College Student Engagement

Another episode sponsored by our great friends at MDT Marketing! Get your free marketing consultation today! mdtmarketing.com/edup

Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us!

Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio

● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us!

● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience!

● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Thanks for listening!

We make education your business!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! In this episode, sponsored by Claremont Lincoln University, we welcome Todd Eicher, Co-Founder, ClearDegree.  Todd co-founded ClearDegree to help students work through the admissions process with all of the necessary information to make an informed decision.  With ClearDegree, students can finally find a program that checks off all the boxes, even the boxes they didn’t know existed! With choice comes confusion, and with confusion comes an opportunity for a big mistake when making their 2nd largest investment after a home.  Todd tells us how an education concierge helps students avoid pitfalls of uninformed decision-making.

Todd Eicher has dedicated more than 20 years to the Education industry as an innovative leader and executive.  During this time Todd has served in a variety of capacities including Senior Vice President, Executive Director, and Chief Mergers and Acquisitions Officer for Nelnet, Inc.  

More recently Todd served as the CEO of Nelnet Enrollment Solutions, CUnet, Sparkroom, Petersons, and Smart Degree; helping students prepare to pursue their higher education goals, and working with schools to effectively market to and enroll high-quality student candidates.  

Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us!

Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio

● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us!

● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience!

● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Thanks for listening!

We make education your business!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! This is The EdUp Experience President Series Episode #71. In this episode, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we welcome Dr. Julie Wollman, President of Widener University.  Julie talks with Joe about how the mission at Widener is to empower their learning community to create better futures.  This includes the recognition that "soft" skills are anything but soft.  They are critical or POWER skills.  Students need to be ready for their many careers by becoming tenacious.  Students also want different things - Julie touches on the key marketing components of higher education including changing expectations, speed, and reducing friction.  Listen to her talk about why traditional strategic planning needs to be tossed away!  Finally, hear about The Common Ground Project!

Dr. Julie E. Wollman is a passionate, effective advocate and leader for higher education. She is the tenth president of Widener University, a role she assumed in January of 2016. Guided by a relentless pursuit of excellence, she has articulated a clear vision and distinct goals for the university focused on providing an unparalleled learning experience.  Leading with enthusiasm, authenticity, and strong respect for others, Dr. Wollman is nationally recognized for her commitment to building community and bringing people from varying perspectives together. The Common Ground project continues to garner national attention as a model for campus dialogue.

Another episode sponsored by our great friends at MDT Marketing! Get your free marketing consultation today! mdtmarketing.com/edup

Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us!

Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio

● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us!

● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience!

● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube

Thanks for listening!

We make education your business!