Most boards and CFOs track one number obsessively in enrollment conversations:

The discount rate.

But Kevin Dyerly argues that focusing on that number can lead institutions to make the wrong decisions. Kevin has a unique perspective on this problem. After eight years leading enrollment at the University of Redlands, he crossed the hall to become the university’s Chief Financial Officer in 2020. During his time in finance, he managed a pandemic-era deficit, helped oversee multiple institutional acquisitions, and saw firsthand how financial decisions actually get made at the cabinet level.

Three years later, he returned to enrollment with a dramatically different perspective.

In this episode of The VineDown, Kevin explains why the real number institutions should optimize is net tuition revenue, not discount rate and why the two metrics can sometimes move in opposite directions.

Emily and Kevin explore:

- The difference between optimizing discount rate vs net tuition revenue

- Why reducing financial aid can actually decrease institutional revenue

- How enrollment leaders can tell better data stories to cabinets and boards

- The rise of mergers and acquisitions as survival strategies for private colleges

- Why Kevin believes enrollment leaders need to think more like CFOs

- And how stepping away from enrollment for three years helped him rediscover his motivation for the workFor anyone working in enrollment leadership, finance, or institutional strategy, this conversation offers a rare look at how the numbers (and the decisions behind them) actually work.

What if the financial aid letter your students' families are opening right now is designed, not to help them, but to steer them toward a loan they almost certainly can't repay?

That's the argument Stephen Burd is making. And he has 41 universities worth of data to back it up.

Stephen is a Senior Writer and Editor at New America, and the author of Lifting the Veil on Enrollment Management (Harvard Education Press, 2024), a book Emily has been shoving into the hands of anyone who will take it. His latest report, The Subprime PLUS Loan Crisis, dropped in February 2026 and names schools (from DePaul and Loyola to the University of Alabama) that appear to be systematically using financial aid leveraging tactics that leave their lowest-income families with Parent PLUS loans as the only way to close the gap.

The median outstanding debt for those families? Nearly $30,000. For families who may not be earning $30,000 a year.

In this episode, Emily and Steve get into all of it: how enrollment management went from a humanistic field to a cold numbers game, why the "subprime" comparison to 2008 is intentional and accurate, what the new congressional PLUS loan caps will and won't fix, and what Steve would change tomorrow if he could wave a magic wand.

This one will challenge you, whether you're in financial aid, enrollment, policy, or just someone who cares about what's happening to the families we're supposed to be serving.

In this episode of The VineDown with Emily Smith:

- Why Steve calls this a "subprime" crisis and what that comparison actually means

- How financial aid leveraging produces this outcome predictably and at scale

- The three policy changes that could actually move the needle

- Why the new PLUS loan caps probably won't be enough

- What Steve would say to a financial aid officer caught between their conscience and their institution

Subscribe to The VineDown for weekly conversations at the intersection of college admissions, financial aid, and the future of higher ed.

What if higher education stopped obsessing over where students start and focused instead on where they’re actually supposed to finish?

In this episode of The VineDown, Emily sits down with Rhonda Longworth, Provost and Executive Vice President at Eastern Michigan University, for one of the most grounded, human, and quietly radical conversations we’ve had this season.

Rhonda has spent nearly 30 years at EMU: first as faculty, now as the academic leader responsible for both Academic and Student Affairs. She brings a rare combination of institutional memory, lived first-generation experience, and clear-eyed leadership to a moment when higher ed feels pulled in a hundred directions at once.

In this conversation, we explore:

- Why outputs matter more than inputs when it comes to equity and student success

- How to design academic programs around future outcomes

- What makes a truly effective academic advisory board and who needs to be in the room

- Why elite performers increase support as they advance, instead of removing it

- How being a first-gen student shaped Rhonda’s leadership and what people miss when they say “just wait for the check”

- What it means to represent an entire institution (not just yourself) as a provost

- Why public universities still matter deeply and how disagreement can remain healthy

- How to “make the implicit explicit” for students navigating spaces they’ve never been taught to enter

This episode is for anyone working in higher education who feels the tension between access and rigor… innovation and mission… speed and care.

It’s honest. It’s practical. And it might change how you think about student success altogether.

College admissions is built on human connection. So why does it feel like technology (especially AI) is pulling us in the opposite direction?

In this episode of The VineDown, Emily Smith sits down with James Miller, Associate Vice President & Dean of Admission at Seattle University, to explore what he calls “the central paradox of admissions today.”

James brings a rare perspective shaped by decades in enrollment leadership and a Jesuit framework grounded in discernment: the idea that some problems aren’t meant to be solved by choosing one side, but by holding two truths at once.

Together, Emily and James dig into some of the most uncomfortable (and necessary) questions facing admissions right now:

- Why access alone is not success and why we need to stop congratulating ourselves too early

- What AI actually does well in admissions and where it should never replace humans

- Why today’s students ask more questions when they feel anonymous

- How speed, scale, and efficiency quietly undermine trust if we’re not careful

- Why completion rates haven’t improved and why blaming other parts of the system won’t fix it

- What it really means to guide a student from uninformed → informed → inspired

James also shares why he’s skeptical of extremes (both tech evangelism and tech resistance) and why admissions leaders need to become better systems thinkers, not just better recruiters.

This is a conversation about trust, student safety, values-based decision-making, and the responsibility admissions teams carry long after an offer letter is sent.

If you’re wrestling with AI, enrollment pressure, access vs. outcomes, or the future of admissions work… this episode will meet you exactly where you are.

For decades, higher education has treated enrollment like an arms race. More applications. More admits. More students in the door.

But what happens after they arrive?

In this episode of The VineDown, Emily Smith sits down with Costas Solomou, Vice President for Enrollment Management at SUNY Geneseo, for a candid, deeply human conversation about why growth-at-all-costs is quietly breaking student success (and what enrollment leaders need to do instead).

Costas argues for right-sizing enrollment: aligning incoming class size with institutional resources, student support systems, and the actual lived experience of students. In a moment when high school graduates are declining, international student mobility is shifting, and staff burnout is real, he makes the case that enrolling fewer students can lead to better outcomes.

This conversation goes far beyond admissions tactics.

We talk about:

- Why “butts in seats” stopped working a long time ago

- The unintended consequences of over-enrollment: housing shortages, overcrowded classes, and fractured student experience

- Why retention fails when no one clearly owns it

- How SUNY Geneseo restructured financial aid to better serve Pell-eligible and first-gen students

- Why the transition to college is emotionally traumatic (and why onboarding must start before classes)

- The limits of AI and automation in admissions, and where technology can help without replacing humanity

- Why enrollment leaders must think in lifecycles, not funnels

- And what it means to lead this work with purpose in an exhausting moment for higher ed

Costas also shares how his own journey as a first-generation immigrant shapes his philosophy and why enrollment, at its best, is about dignity, belonging, and long-term success, not short-term wins.

If you work in enrollment, student success, institutional leadership, or higher ed strategym this episode will challenge your assumptions and give you a clearer framework for what actually matters next.

This week on The VineDown, I sat down with David Weil, the longtime CIO and Senior VP of Strategic Services & Initiatives at Ithaca College. He’s a man who has survived every major tech wave higher ed has ever thrown at him. Mainframes. Early PCs. The dawn of the internet. Mobile. SaaS. Y2K panic. He’s seen it all.

But when I asked him how AI compares?

He didn’t hesitate: “Nothing has hit higher ed this fast or this hard.”

This episode is your hype-free, deeply human roadmap to understanding AI’s real impact on the operating system of the institution (and how to prepare students, staff, and leadership for what’s coming next).

We covered SO much ground on the future of AI in higher ed and hope you learn a ton from this episode.

📍 TIMESTAMPS

00:00 — Cold open: explicit E… earned

01:20 — David’s title, portfolio, and why HR + IT + analytics belong together

03:00 — “Why does AI feel different from every tech wave before it?”

05:30 — The speed of AI adoption and why higher ed hasn’t had time to breathe

06:45 — Preparing students for “Earth” in an AI-impacted world

08:00 — HI (Human Intelligence) and the role of liberal arts

11:40 — AI as the new operating system of the institution

12:20 — Generative AI vs. applied AI (and why nuance matters)

13:30 — The perfect AI use case: Ithaca’s iCare story

16:20 — Data as the new currency: dashboards, governance, culture

18:00 — How IT + IR merged into a unified analytics engine

21:00 — Breaking organizational silos for AI readiness

24:00 — The problem with point-solution AI and why it won’t scale

27:30 — Longitudinal AI: why it’s the real future

30:00 — Change management: transparency, fear, skills, and pilots

34:00 — What colleges should brace for in the next 3–5 years

36:20 — David’s crystal-ball prediction: frictionless student experience

37:00 — Wrap-up and final thoughts

Listen and watch this episode of The VineDown wherever you get your podcasts. And don’t forget to hit that subscribe button!

Most people in higher ed hear “AI in admissions” and think: “Ah, so… another chatbot.”

In this episode of The VineDown, I sit down with CollegeVine’s own CTO, Chris Coffey, to pull back the curtain on what we’re actually building: autonomous AI agents that act more like teammates than tools with guardrails, reasoning, and real responsibility.

We get into:

• How our first AI recruiter (“Sarah”) went from a wild experiment to an at-scale product engaging millions of students

• Why deploying AI in admissions is orders of magnitude harder than most people think

• What it really means to keep agents “safe” and why guardrails, tools, and moderation matter so much in higher ed

• How agents can triage student tasks (registering for classes, FAFSA, clubs, advising) and prioritize what’s urgent vs. what can wait

• Why Chris says “there’s nobody building agents the way we are building them right now”

• What CIOs get wrong about trying to build their own AI solutions

• And the agent Little Chris wishes he had in college (spoiler: it’s about unknown unknowns, not homework)

If you’ve ever wanted a clear, honest explanation of how AI agents actually work in a high-stakes environment like education (and what’s coming next) this one’s for you.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Cold open with Chris

02:05 – Meet Chris Coffey, CollegeVine CTO

03:00 – From AI recruiter “Sarah” to an agent platform

04:25 – Why deploying AI at scale is so damn hard

06:10 – Models leveled up. Our architecture had to, too.

08:00 – What “safe” actually means in an AI agent

11:45 – Agents, tools, and responsibilities (AI as a teammate)

14:30 – Long-running relationships: agents that support students for a year+

18:15 – How agents decide what’s urgent vs. what can wait

20:30 – Guardrails + reporting = less fear, more trust

21:55 – Inside Chris’s engineering philosophy

23:40 – Non-determinism: why agents are different from normal software

25:30 – A message to CIOs who want to “just build it themselves”

29:25 – The agent Little Chris wishes he had in college

31:30 – Unknown unknowns and the real value of student-facing agents

33:25 – Looking ahead: where agents and higher ed go next

33:55 – Emily’s closing + why this conversation matters

Listen to this special full episode of The VineDown wherever you get your podcasts!

What happens when a first-generation college student grows up to lead enrollment at a major university?

In this episode of The VineDown, Emily Smith sits down with Shawana Singletary, Assistant Vice President and Chief Enrollment Officer at Adelphi University. Drawing from her own journey (from working double shifts to pay tuition, to leading admissions and enrollment strategy) Shawana shares how her experiences fuel her vision for equity, belonging, and innovation in higher ed.

We cover:

- Why “assume nothing” is her starting point for every student and family conversation.

- The difference between equity and equality and why higher ed often gets it wrong.

- Belonging: how to make it authentic instead of a marketing veneer.

- Where AI can (and should) make admissions easier and where human connection must never be automated.

- Why enrollment managers may be the university presidents higher ed needs next.

- How she creates a psychologically safe, non-toxic culture for her team in an industry known for burnout.

This conversation is sharp, candid, and refreshingly human. If you care about the future of enrollment, you’ll walk away with a new perspective on what it means to lead with purpose, equity, and authenticity.

Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

What does it really mean to put students first in the college admissions process?

In this episode of The VineDown, Emily Smith sits down with Yvonne Espinoza, CEP, nationally recognized counselor, City of Austin Women’s Hall of Fame inductee, and founder of YESpi College Counseling. After 19 years serving Title I and alternative schools in Austin, Yvonne launched her own independent practice to keep doing what she loves most: helping students find their authentic voice and real college fit.

We cover:

• Why independent educational consultants (IECs) are misunderstood (and why banning them won’t fix equity).

• How Yvonne creates truly student-centered counseling, including her rule: parents aren’t allowed in the room.

• The difference between prestige chasing and true “fit,” and how to reframe that conversation with students.

• Why teaching students to reflect and write matters more than ever in the age of AI.

• What it’s like to move from public schools to private practice and how she’s pushing the profession toward higher ethical standards.

Yvonne’s perspective is honest, refreshing, and deeply rooted in equity. Whether you’re an enrollment leader, a high school counselor, or a parent trying to navigate the chaos, this conversation will help you rethink what matters most in admissions: student voice, authenticity, and opportunity.

Families obsess over “dream schools.” Colleges obsess over rankings and yield. Somewhere in between, the real truth about admissions gets lost.

In this episode of The VineDown, I sit down (again!) with bestselling author and higher ed strategist Jeff Selingo to cut through the myths and talk candidly about what really drives admissions decisions today.

Jeff has spent decades reporting on higher education, embedding inside admissions offices for his book Who Gets In and Why, and now challenging families to rethink what “a good college” actually means in his newest work Dream School.

We get into:

- Why admissions isn’t the pure meritocracy most families assume.

- The outsized role of “hooks” like legacy, athletics, and full-pay admits.

- Why prestige is more fluid than people think (remember when Northeastern, NYU, and USC weren’t “powerhouses”?)

- How institutions can invest in the “knitting” that really matters: great teaching and faculty mentorship.

- Why the first weeks on campus are make-or-break for student retention.

- What colleges need to change about campus tours to show, not just tell, families what they’ll experience.

- Why fit (not rankings) is the most reliable predictor of student success.If you’re a parent, an enrollment leader, or just curious about the future of higher education, this conversation will help you see admissions with fresh eyes: less about chasing the top 25, and more about finding the schools that will actually deliver on growth, opportunity, and long-term success.