Description

What does it take to build a new kind of university from the ground up—and lead it with both strategy and soul?

In this powerful episode of IngenioUs, we sit down with Dr.Lori Carrell, Chancellor of the University of Minnesota Rochester (UMR), whose leadership journey is as courageous as it is unconventional. From her early days teaching in a remote Alaskan village to co-leading a national initiative to redesign the college experience, Dr. Carrell shares how listening, learning, and living into one's purpose can shape transformational leadership.

With her background in human communication, Carrell brings a unique lens to institutional change—one that values deep listening, co-creation, and compassion as strategic tools for impact. Under her leadership, UMR has become a national model for student-centered design, interdisciplinary collaboration, and equity in outcomes.

🎙️ In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Lori Carol's leadership has been shaped by adventure, curiosity, and a commitment to listening first
• Why UMR's "students-at-the-center" model yields high retention and graduation rates-especially among first- generation and underrepresented students
• What it means to "lead by design" and embed evidence- based practices into the institutional DNA
• How UMR's unique structure, including success,coaching, flipped instruction, and capstone year customization, fuel student flourishing
• The origin story of the College in Three initiative – and how it's reimagining the bachelor's degree
• Practical wisdom for navigating resistance to change with empathy and clarity

• Encouragement and advice for aspiring women leaders in higher education

Whether you're a president, Provost, faculty member, or future leader, this episode will renew your faith in what higher education can become when innovation is led by human values.

👉 Listen now for a story of courage, creativity, and commitment to purpose.