What does it take to lead a university for over two decades, and still love the work?

In this special farewell episode of Start the Week with Wisdom, hosts Bridget Burns and Sarah Custer sit down with President Satish Tripathi of the University at Buffalo as he reflects on a remarkable 22-year legacy of leadership, innovation, and transformation. With retirement on the horizon, President Tripathi shares candid reflections on what’s changed, what he’s proudest of, and what it really takes to lead through complexity, uncertainty, and change.

From moving a medical school to revitalizing a city, to pioneering national research in AI and drug discovery, Tripathi’s tenure is marked by bold vision and patient execution. But beyond the milestones, he shares what shaped his leadership, from growing up in a small Indian village to navigating crises like the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. He also offers unfiltered advice for aspiring higher ed leaders, and a surprising answer about what he’s looking forward to most after stepping down.

Key Takeaways:

→ Big change requires long-term vision: Transformational projects like relocating UB’s medical school or launching NSF research centers took years, and a relentless commitment to mission.

→ Naivete can be a secret weapon: Not knowing how hard something will be might just be the key to starting it at all.

→ Legacy is defined by others: True leadership means focusing on impact, not recognition.

→ Leadership evolves: Tripathi now leads with more listening, humility, and trust in his team than when he began.

→ Great leadership isn’t about the next job, it’s about doing the current one with excellence.

“If you're always thinking about the next job, you're not doing your current job well. Excellence now is what leads you forward.” – President Satish Tripathi

If this conversation inspired you, share it with a colleague, subscribe for more wisdom-filled episodes, and take a moment to journal: what long-term impact are you building today?

Learn more about the UIA by visiting:

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This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.

What does it take to lead a university for over two decades, and still love the work?

In this special farewell episode of Start the Week with Wisdom, hosts Bridget Burns and Sarah Custer sit down with President Satish Tripathi of the University at Buffalo as he reflects on a remarkable 22-year legacy of leadership, innovation, and transformation. With retirement on the horizon, President Tripathi shares candid reflections on what’s changed, what he’s proudest of, and what it really takes to lead through complexity, uncertainty, and change.

From moving a medical school to revitalizing a city, to pioneering national research in AI and drug discovery, Tripathi’s tenure is marked by bold vision and patient execution. But beyond the milestones, he shares what shaped his leadership, from growing up in a small Indian village to navigating crises like the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. He also offers unfiltered advice for aspiring higher ed leaders, and a surprising answer about what he’s looking forward to most after stepping down.

Key Takeaways:

Big change requires long-term vision: Transformational projects like relocating UB’s medical school or launching NSF research centers took years, and a relentless commitment to mission.

Naivete can be a secret weapon: Not knowing how hard something will be might just be the key to starting it at all.

Legacy is defined by others: True leadership means focusing on impact, not recognition.

Leadership evolves: Tripathi now leads with more listening, humility, and trust in his team than when he began.

Great leadership isn’t about the next job, it’s about doing the current one with excellence.

“If you're always thinking about the next job, you're not doing your current job well. Excellence now is what leads you forward.” – President Satish Tripathi

If this conversation inspired you, share it with a colleague, subscribe for more wisdom-filled episodes, and take a moment to journal: what long-term impact are you building today?

Learn more about the UIA by visiting:

Website

LinkedIn

Twitter

YouTube

Facebook

This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.

What does it take to lead with both strategy and soul?

In this moving and powerful episode of Start the Week with Wisdom, host Bridget Burns sits down with Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs for a conversation that redefines leadership in higher education. With a background in business and strategic planning, Jennifer brings a refreshingly different perspective to the chancellorship, one rooted not just in data and efficiency, but in deep compassion and human resilience.

This episode dives into Jennifer’s unconventional path to leadership, the profound personal and professional experiences that shaped her approach, and the vital role of executive coaching in navigating the complexities of higher ed. Jennifer shares the unimaginable weight of leading through campus tragedies, and how leaning into both vulnerability and resilience has become her compass for serving students, faculty, and community.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why nontraditional paths to leadership can be an asset in higher education.

The role executive coaching has played in Jennifer’s 20-year leadership journey.

How to lead through crisis with humanity, courage, and compassion.

The power of interdisciplinary undergraduate experiences in shaping career success.

Why “more curious than convinced” is a leadership mindset for the future.

"Without courage, the wisdom and experiences we have bear no fruit."

 Subscribe to Start the Week with Wisdom, share this episode with a colleague, or reflect in your journal: What leadership lessons are you learning right now, and how are you growing through them?

Learn more about the UIA by visiting:

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This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.

What if college wasn’t built for the very students who need it most? In this episode of Pathbreakers, we talk to Dr. Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance (UIA), about her deeply personal journey from first-generation college student to national higher education reformer. Bridget opens up about the systemic gaps that left her, and students like her, under-supported and misunderstood, and how that experience lit a fire that fuels her work today.

We explore how Bridget and the UIA are rewriting the playbook for higher education, one collaboration at a time. She shares how she’s brought together 19 university presidents, often former first-gen students themselves, to put competition aside and share not just their success stories, but their failures. Why? Because vulnerable students can’t wait for every school to reinvent the wheel.

Bridget also takes us inside UIA’s Listening Lab, a powerful innovation that puts student voices at the center of decision-making, and offers a candid look at the pressures facing college leaders today.

Key Takeaways:

Radical collaboration can drive real student success outcomes.

Scaling innovation means adapting, not copying, solutions.

Listening to students isn’t optional, it’s transformational.

Empathy and improv can change how institutions lead.

The classroom isn’t the only path to career readiness.

“We just need good ideas to not be a trade secret.” - Dr. Bridget Burns

If you believe higher education should work for everyone, not just the privileged few, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Subscribe to Pathbreakers, share this episode with an educator or student in your life, and journal about how your own education shaped your path.

Learn more about the UIA by visiting:

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This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.

How do you lead when the rules keep changing, and you’re not even on the field?

That’s the question this week as Start the Week with Wisdom welcomes Rob Anderson, President of SHEEO (State Higher Education Executive Officers Association). In a moment where campus leaders face overwhelming complexity, Rob opens a window into the headspace of the often-misunderstood university system leader, those working behind the scenes to bridge policy, politics, and student outcomes.

Hosts Bridget Burns (University Innovation Alliance) and Sarah Custer (Inside Higher Ed) sit down with Rob for a deeply human and surprisingly personal conversation. From his time at a military college to pursuing seminary, serving at a small faith-based college, and ultimately stepping into state policy leadership, Rob shares what drew him into a life of service and leadership, and how he's managed to stay grounded through it all.

They talk about:

The disconnect between campus and system leaders, and how to close the gap

What most people get wrong about higher ed policy work

How empathy and humility shape real leadership

Why taking things personally is a fast track to burnout

How system leaders protect campuses more than they’re given credit for

Takeaways:

Seminary training can shape policy leadership in powerful, unexpected ways.

System leaders are not “the cops”, they’re often the shield.

Collaboration between campus and system is essential for student success.

Don’t underestimate the quiet strength in not taking yourself too seriously.

Today’s leaders must “collabicate”, collaborate + communicate with empathy.

“I try not to take myself too seriously, but understand what I do contribute.” - Rob Anderson

 If this conversation reshaped how you see higher ed leadership, share this episode with a colleague, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a dose of wisdom.

Learn more about the UIA by visiting:

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This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.

What if the clarity you seek as a leader is already walking the halls of your campus?

In this inspiring episode of Start the Week with Wisdom, co-hosts Bridget Burns and Sarah Custer sit down with Chancellor Kenneth “Ken” Christensen of the University of Colorado Denver, a leader who proves that service, collaboration, and a student-first mindset can transform an entire institution.

Ken shares the unexpected moments that shaped his journey from a first-generation college student in New Mexico to becoming a nationally recognized leader in higher education. From his engineering roots to groundbreaking innovations in access and student success, Ken reveals the values and strategies that are uniting CU Denver’s campus in a time of great complexity.

You’ll hear about his leadership philosophy, the lessons learned from his grandfather, and why walking across campus is his secret to staying grounded. This isn’t just another talk about change in higher ed, it’s a masterclass in clarity, purpose, and courageous transformation.

Five Key Takeaways:

Clarity drives change: In times of uncertainty, leaders must simplify and focus on what matters most, students.

Student-centric leadership works: Reorienting a campus around student success can unite even the most divided stakeholders.

Innovating with access in mind: Ken’s Coursera initiative showed how performance-based admissions can open doors for adult learners.

Ground-level engagement matters: Visibility and relational leadership foster trust and purpose.

Shared mission fuels momentum: When everyone rallies around a single purpose, real collaboration happens.

"If there’s ever a moment for us to find some unity of purpose internally to help drive change, it’s now." - Chancellor Ken Christensen

Don’t keep this wisdom to yourself, subscribe, share the episode with your team, or take 5 minutes today to journal what clarity of purpose means in your own leadership.

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This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.

Is higher ed still worth it, and who decides what’s valuable? In an era of AI disruption, value skepticism, and demographic cliffhangers, college leaders face mounting pressure from every angle. In this week’s episode of The Innovating Together Podcast, President Harrison Keller of the University of North Texas brings grounded, energizing clarity to the whirlwind. With roots in philosophy, public policy, and military intelligence, Keller offers a rare and practical kind of wisdom, one rooted in action, trust, and long-term vision.

We dive into Keller’s leadership journey from commissioner of higher ed in Texas to university president, uncovering how his undergraduate studies in philosophy still shape his leadership. From debating the ROI of liberal arts to building actionable intelligence networks between campuses and employers, Keller shares how he's staying focused on delivering value, no matter how chaotic the moment gets.

This conversation is packed with practical leadership insights, reminders of what really matters, and a hopeful perspective for anyone feeling the headwinds of change.

Key Takeaways:

Liberal arts degrees, while slower to pay off, still offer high long-term value, especially when paired with career-focused experiences.

True leadership requires offering people something they can be for, not just resisting what's wrong.

Intelligence work taught Keller how to turn data into actionable insights, and why dashboards alone don’t drive change.

Institutions must collaborate across sectors to keep pace with AI’s rapid evolution.

Joy is non-negotiable: whether it’s time with students or marching band rehearsals, leaders must schedule moments that renew them.

 "You’ve got to give people something they can be for." - Harrison Keller

Don’t miss this one.Subscribe to Start the Week with Wisdom, share it with a fellow leader, or take five minutes to journal your own “North Star”, what keeps you grounded when everything feels like it’s coming from all directions?

Learn more about the UIA by visiting:

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This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.

Learn more about the UIA by visiting:

Website

LinkedIn

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YouTube

Facebook

This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.

In this episode of the Innovating Together podcast, host Bridget Burns welcomes Dr. Carole Basile, Dean of Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College of Teaching and Learning Innovation. Together, they dive deep into education innovation, structural change in teacher preparation, and the bold reimagining of the K–12 and higher education workforce.

Dr. Basile’s fresh approach centers on a groundbreaking premise: the average student or teacher no longer exists, so why are our systems still designed for “average”? Instead of tweaking curriculum or offering surface-level professional development, her team is working to completely redesign school structures based on variance, strengths-based staffing, and collaborative educator teams. She explains how the outdated “one teacher, one classroom” model is being replaced by dynamic, team-based configurations that align with the unique strengths of educators and the individual needs of students.

Key insights from this episode:

Dr. Basile also shares the real impact of this model, now implemented in over 150 schools across 17 states, reaching more than 27,000 students, and how it’s transforming both student outcomes and educator morale.

“When we build teams around real expertise, everyone wins—students and teachers alike.”

If this episode sparked a new vision for your institution or school system, share it with a colleague, and visit Mainstay.com to explore research-backed retention tools that are shaping the future of student engagement.

Learn more about the UIA by visiting:

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This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.

Learn more about the UIA by visiting:

Website

LinkedIn

Twitter

YouTube

Facebook

This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.