Shows
Office Hours With EABUnder Pressure: Grad Enrollment Pros Sound OffEAB’s Camilla Arias and Pam Royall sit down with global higher education consultant Donald Resnik to unpack key findings from the latest EAB-NAGAP survey of nearly 600 graduate enrollment professionals. Their conversation examines the widening gap between enrollment expectations and the staffing and budget resources available to meet them. The three also touch on areas that GEM professionals consider positive trends, including the growth of corporate partnerships.
2025-06-1727 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Enroll More International StudentsEAB’s Rebecca Kelley interviews Chris Goodbourn from GEMS Education, one of the largest private K-12 education providers in the world. Rebecca and Chris discuss the challenges US colleges face in attracting international students. They also share tips—including leveraging EAB’s Global Match platform—to connect with and enroll more overseas students more cost-effectively.
2025-01-2436 minOffice Hours With EABIs Tepid Growth the New Normal in Graduate Enrollment?EAB’s Brian Schueler and Todd Heilman share the latest findings from EAB’s research into graduate and online enrollment trends. The two discuss how institutions are rebounding from the pandemic enrollment dip. They also advise university leaders on how to serve adult learners who increasingly want community and in-person interaction blended with online alternatives to give them maximum flexibility.
2024-11-1237 minOffice Hours With EABCan Embracing AI Help Colleges Survive?EAB’s Sally Amoruso sits down with Paul LeBlanc and George Siemens from Southern New Hampshire University to discuss how higher education institutions can reap the benefits of AI. Paul and George argue that university leaders have been slow to embrace AI despite the extraordinary opportunity the technology gives us to transform higher education for the better. This episode was excerpted from a recent Presidential Experience Lab event hosted by EAB and NVIDIA.
2024-07-0937 minOffice Hours With EABHow Much Are FAFSA Delays Impeding Yield?EAB’s Brett Schraeder hosts a conversation with Bill Hall, the founder and President of Applied Policy Research. The two discuss the impact of the FAFSA delays on this year’s enrollment figures and discuss the extent to which admissions teams may still have financial aid levers they can pull that could boost yield. They also talk about how APR will be working together with EAB’s Financial Aid Optimization team in the months ahead.
2024-06-2535 minOffice Hours With EABFindings from EAB’s Newest Survey of College FreshmenEAB’s Pam Royall and Michael Koppenheffer discuss what colleges can learn from EAB’s newest survey of nearly 13,000 recent high school graduates. The survey examined the factors that drive college search behaviors and influence student satisfaction with the college experience. Pam and Michael explore how those factors vary by race, ethnicity, and income, and how colleges might adjust their recruitment and retention strategies.
2024-06-1130 minOffice Hours With EABGraduate Enrollment Leaders Speak OutEAB’s Camilla Arias hosts a discussion with Pam Royall, head of research for EAB’s enrollment division, and global higher education consultant, Donald Resnick to unpack findings from the latest EAB-NAGAP survey of graduate enrollment leaders. The three discuss the extent to which graduate enrollment professionals are happy in their jobs, meeting their goals, and embracing new technologies like AI. They also share advice on growing enrollments by understanding the most important factors motivating prospective applicants.
2024-06-0420 minOffice Hours With EABHighlights from EAB’s “State of the Sector” ResearchThis episode is a condensed version of a recent webinar in which EAB’s John Workman presented findings from EAB’s annual “State of the Sector” research. John summarizes EAB’s research findings, which focused on six key themes that ranged from questions about declining public confidence in the value of higher education to the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence. He then opens the discussion to a panel of experts including journalist and higher education author Jeff Selingo, California State University Chancellor Dr. Mildred García, and American Council on Education President Dr. Ted Mitchell.
2024-02-271h 14Office Hours With EABHow to Manage Student Success DataMatt Nickodemus from Utah Tech University joins EAB’s Devin Jones to talk about how his school uses technology (including EAB’s Edify and Navigate360 software) to gain more efficient access to and insights from their institutional data. Their discussion is focused primarily on better ways to define, track, and report on metrics that matter in assessing student success efforts. They also offer tips to other university leaders who may be looking to make similar advances.
2024-02-1331 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Reach “Gen P” StudentsEAB’s Tara Zirkel and Grace Anderson discuss a recent EAB survey that highlighted ways that pandemic disruptions continue to influence the college search process, as well as student preferences and academic readiness. The two focus on six key themes that emerged from the survey that are important for community college leaders to understand. They also offer tips on how they might adjust their approach to better serve students who may be thinking about taking classes during or after high school.
2024-02-0626 minOffice Hours With EABHow Addressing Equity Gaps Helped Carthage Boost Overall Student RetentionEAB’s Tom Sugar hosts a conversation with Carthage College President John Swallow. The two look back over their three-year (and counting) collaboration on EAB’s Moon Shot for Equity to share lessons learned in eliminating equity gaps that are having an enormously positive impact on students from more privileged backgrounds as well. They also offer advice to other institutions looking to apply proven strategies to improve graduation rates and close equity gaps despite potential pushback from those who may impede those efforts.
2023-12-1232 minOffice Hours With EABSurvey Highlights What Matters Most to Adult LearnersEAB’s Beth Donaldson is joined by her colleague, Todd Heilman, to review findings from a new EAB survey of nearly 4,000 adult learners. The two review what we learned about the motivations and preferences of adult learners, and about how they research programs and colleges they might attend. The survey findings offer a wealth of information for universities on how to find, engage, and enroll these students. Todd and Beth urge university leaders to make their school website more helpful to adult learners. They also advise leaders to ensure they offer adult students maximum flexibility in course modalities and to hi...
2023-10-2429 minOffice Hours With EABStaffing Shortages Threaten Grad School Growth GoalsEAB’s Pam Royall and Camilla Arias unpack findings from a new survey conducted jointly by EAB and NAGAP to assess the current environment for those working in graduate enrollment. The two examine ways that schools are adjusting recruiting tactics and course modalities to meet evolving student preferences. They also offer tips on how to engage with senior leaders to ensure that graduate enrollment growth goals are supported by external market data and reflect internal staffing constraints.
2023-06-2721 minOffice Hours With EABHow UCF is Expanding Opportunities for Hispanic Adult LearnersEAB’s Abigail Zeiler is joined by Mary Lou Sole and Valerie Martinez from the University of Central Florida College of Nursing to talk about their work together on the Progresando initiative. Through the initiative, UCF is working with EAB, through a generous grant from Bank of America, to increase their capacity to recruit and educate students to meet soaring demand for skilled healthcare workers. The three discuss the biggest obstacles to expanding nursing programs in today’s tight labor market and share what they’ve learned about recruiting and engaging Hispanic adult learners in the greater Orlando area. They also o...
2022-12-1329 minOffice Hours With EABHow ‘Greenlight Match’ is Flipping the Script on College AdmissionsEAB recently acquired Concourse Global and announced an expansion of the Greenlight Match program the two companies have been collaborating on for the past year. Greenlight Match flips the script on the traditional college application process by enabling underserved students to connect with and receive offers of admission and financial aid from participating local colleges—without completing a formal application. This process typically provides these students multiple offers early in the college application process, which boosts their confidence and helps them plan their finances. Concourse founder Joe Morrison joins EAB’s Jonathan April to discuss this new phase of their work
2022-09-2727 minOffice Hours With EABWhy Parent Engagement Should Be a Central Focus of Your Recruiting StrategyEAB’s Madeleine Rhyneer and Michael Koppenheffer share findings from EAB’s newest survey of parents and guardians of prospective college applicants. The survey helps pinpoint parent preferences around the types and timing of communication they most appreciate from colleges, as well as the top concerns they have about the college search process. Michael and Madeleine share tips for institutions looking to make parent engagement a more central focus of their recruiting efforts. They also urge schools to lead with empathy and do everything in their power to educate parents about the challenges and opportunities that go along with sending one...
2022-08-3033 minOffice Hours With EABInsights from EAB’s Latest Survey of College FreshmenPam Royall joins Madeleine Rhyneer to examine findings from EAB’s most recent survey of first-year college students. The two discuss what the survey tells us about overall student satisfaction with the college experience and about the impacts of test-optional policies on application activity. They also highlight survey findings that show parents have greater influence over their children’s college search process than they did just a few years ago.
2022-06-0731 min
Office Hours With EABBlack Male Student Success Audio BlogBlack Male Student Success Audio Blog by EAB
2022-05-1310 minOffice Hours With EABA Conversation with US Under Secretary of Education James KvaalEAB’s Sally Amoruso hosts a conversation with James Kvaal, President Biden’s Under Secretary of Education. The two discuss the need for greater federal support of HBCUs, proposals for convincing more high school graduates to pursue higher education, and the impact of free community college programs. Mr. Kvaal also touches on a range of administration proposals for reducing student debt and making college more affordable to help more students from all backgrounds earn a college degree.
2022-05-1025 minOffice Hours With EABTop 5 Threats and Opportunities Facing Higher Ed TodayEach spring, EAB shares with partner institutions the company’s latest research on the most urgent threats and opportunities across the higher education marketplace. EAB’s Larisa Hussak and Brian Schueler share key takeaways from that research. Topics include strategies for attracting and retaining talent amidst the great resignation, tips on how to compete in the growing (but hyper-competitive) graduate degree market, and how to handle one of higher ed’s greatest competitive threats: the growing legions of high school graduates who decide they don’t want or need to attend college.
2022-05-0336 minOffice Hours With EABIt’s Time to Strengthen Support for Student-ParentsDavid Croom from Ascend at the Aspen Institute joins EAB’s Meacie Fairfax to dispel myths around today’s student-parents who comprise more than 20% of total undergraduate enrollment. Student-parents tend to have higher GPAs than their childless peers despite having 50% less time on average, to devote to their academics. David shares compelling success stories and recommendations on creative ways for institutions to partner with local businesses and community leaders to offer more support and wraparound services to help student-parents succeed.
2022-04-2640 minOffice Hours With EABIHE Editor Scott Jaschik Examines Top Trends Impacting Higher EdInside Higher Ed Editor Scott Jaschik highlights the news stories he believes will have an outsized impact on higher education in the months and years to come. Jaschik is joined on the podcast by Carla Hickman, whose take on these issues is informed by her role as head of EAB’s Research division. The two explore issues ranging from the massive challenges facing community colleges to the game-changing legal fight over affirmative action in admissions.
2022-04-1535 minOffice Hours With EABLessons in Leadership from UMBC President Freeman HrabowskiEAB’s Sally Amoruso hosts a conversation with outgoing UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski that traces his beginnings as an academic prodigy and participant in the 1963 “Children’s March” organized by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to his transformational leadership at UMBC. The two discuss UMBC’s well-earned reputation for producing more African-American undergraduates who go on to earn PhDs in science and engineering than almost any other institution. Finally, they discuss the mindset it takes to be an academically successful student of color, as well as Dr. Hrabowski’s future plans.
2022-04-1237 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Retain and Motivate Staff Amidst the Great ResignationEAB’s Madeleine Rhyneer and the University of Rochester's Dr. Robert Alexander explore the challenges of managing a successful team and department during a tight labor market. The two discuss the importance of building trust and promoting effective collaboration. Robert and Madeleine also reveal strategies for assessing your team’s inclination (or resistance) to adapting and embracing change to overcome performance gaps.
2022-04-0536 minOffice Hours With EABAre Student Success Leaders Ready to Embrace Data and Analytics?EAB’s David Bevevino and Ed Venit share results of a new poll that shows surging interest among student success leaders in applying analytics to boost retention and graduation rates. David and Ed suggest that institutions may finally be moving out of pandemic crisis mode and turning their attention to improving how they identify and communicate with students who appear to be falling off track. The two offer advice on more effective ways to track performance around student alerts, outreach, and interventions.
2022-03-2940 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Create the Hybrid College Experience Both Students and Staff PreferEAB’s Brooke Thayer and Michael Fischer examine best practices emerging from the pandemic in terms of space utilization and integration of technologies that give students and campus employees the flexibility they want. Brook and Michael touch on innovations in classroom design, clever integration of new wellness spaces on campus, and the cultural change that has to happen to make campus office spaces function better. They also identify impediments, including cost as well as labor and materials shortages, that institutional leaders will need to work around in order to achieve the multi-modal campus they need to attract students and retain st...
2022-03-1530 minOffice Hours With EABThe Rise of Google Career Certificates: Threat or Opportunity?EAB’s Sally Amoruso is joined by Lisa Gevelber who leads Grow with Google, a $1-billion enterprise that has helped more than 70,000 students strengthen their earning potential by completing Google Career Certificates. Lisa was a featured speaker at EAB’s recent Presidential Experience Lab, an event that attracted more than 100 college and university presidents who gathered to discuss the rise of alternative credentials. Sally and Lisa examine opportunities available to higher education leaders who are interested in bundling skills training courses with current degree programs to better meet student and employer demand.
2022-03-0829 minOffice Hours With EABNACAC CEO Shares Admissions Strategies to Improve College AccessEAB’s Madeleine Rhyneer and Dr. Angel Pérez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, discuss recommended changes to admissions policies designed to improve college access. Dr. Pérez talks about his own educational journey that began in Puerto Rico and continued in one of the roughest neighborhoods in the South Bronx before a chance encounter with a high school guidance counselor helped set him on his present course. The two also discuss Dr. Pérez’s recent Forbes op-ed as well as concrete next steps from the new NACAC/NASFAA report (Toward a More Equitable Future for Pos...
2022-03-0130 minOffice Hours With EABIs Your Approach to Student Support Inherently Biased?EAB experts Alexa Silverman and Meacie Fairfax examine why traditional student-advising approaches and early alert systems may be perceived negatively by students of color. Meacie and Alexa offer suggestions on ways to build trust and engagement with these students early on, so they are more receptive to offers of support. The two also discuss the importance of enlisting multicultural student groups as advocates in helping to normalize conversations with university officials about academic, financial, or emotional hurdles that students may need help to overcome.
2022-02-2234 minOffice Hours With EABAre K-12 Disruptions Forcing Higher Ed to Redefine College Readiness?EAB experts Meredith McNeill and Ben Court examine recent data on K-12 learning disruptions and their impact on college readiness. The two share tips on how to prepare to serve students who may present a broader range of needs and abilities than those from years past. Meredith and Ben also discuss the data on adolescent mental health and the kinds of support today’s students will need when they arrive on campus.
2022-02-1535 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Engage Student Activists and Donors to Drive Positive ChangeEAB experts Kate Cudé and Dr. Jenna Dell discuss the recent rise and long history of student activism. They explore the power of social media to amplify student demands and offer reasons why this technology presents both challenges and opportunities for university leaders. Kate and Jenna also share strategies for advancement teams on how to approach difficult conversations with major donors when their convictions do not align with institutional values.
2022-02-0824 minOffice Hours With EABIs Your Financial Aid Strategy Having the Desired Impact?EAB Experts Brett Schraeder and Sarah Le Duc provide insight into how financial aid optimization (FAO) works and how universities leverage FAO strategy to balance institutional goals. The two separate fact from fiction and explain how schools use FAO to optimize revenue from wealthier families so they can afford to be more generous in awarding financial aid to students from historically underserved populations. Finally, Brett and Sarah share advice for the 99% of institutions that depend on FAO to diversify their incoming class, improve student retention, and generate enough revenue to fulfill their mission.
2022-02-0127 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Convert More "Undecideds" to MatriculantsEAB’s Madeleine Rhyneer and Lex Ruby-Howe share strategies to help admissions teams boost yield by identifying students within their admit pool who are highly likely or highly unlikely to enroll, versus those who are genuinely undecided. By leveraging simple surveys and more advanced analytics, schools can focus their resources and tailor their outreach efforts to greater effect. Madeleine and Lex also touch on the importance of being nimble in adjusting financial aid strategy as another critical lever for converting the undecided. Finally, the two discuss the value of virtual tours and other digital platforms your institution should be using to...
2022-01-2532 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Reverse Pandemic Impacts on Student PersistenceEAB’s Meacie Fairfax and Ed Venit explore pandemic ripple effects that will continue to impact student persistence at colleges and universities for the foreseeable future. They cite studies showing that student feelings of isolation, disengagement, depression, and other mental health challenges—a growing concern for years—have all worsened during the pandemic. They also point to learning challenges that have plagued K-12 students during the pandemic, as well as the recent plunge in community college enrollments as additional headwinds that four-year institutions will be dealing with for years to come. On the positive side, Meacie and Ed highlight the opport...
2022-01-1840 minOffice Hours With EABStrategic Enrollment Management in a Decentralized EnvironmentIUPUI Chief Enrollment Officer Dr. Boyd Bradshaw joins EAB’s Owen Crean to talk about the importance of strategic enrollment management and the challenges of getting everyone on the same page within a distributed leadership structure. Dr. Bradshaw outlines the structure of a modern enrollment management program and talks about how to break down silos that can hamper recruiting efforts. Finally, he and Owen share tips for engaging campus stakeholders to fix data inconsistencies, set realistic goals, and apply a consistent framework that guides all recruiting efforts.
2022-01-1131 minOffice Hours With EABHow Rowan University Uses Hot Sauce to Lower Student CostsRowan University has emerged as one of the fastest-growing research universities in the country with two medical schools and nearly double the total enrollment they had in 2012 when Dr. Ali Houshmand became its president. Dr. Houshmand talks with EAB’s Hersh Steinberg about the power of partnering with businesses and other institutions in ways that keep them invested in the success of your school. The two also discuss Rowan University's support of 3+1 programs and how the launch of their own hot sauce enterprise offers hands-on business experience and helps reduce college costs for Rowan students.
2022-01-0432 minOffice Hours With EABFront-Line Staff Share Insights on Eliminating Equity GapsEAB’s Brittany Motley and Meacie Fairfax share what they’ve learned from working with the ten schools (so far) that have signed on to EAB's Moon Shot for Equity and dedicated themselves to eliminating equity gaps by the end of this decade. We also hear from front-line staff at those institutions about how they’re integrating Moon Shot initiatives into their workflow, about challenges and unexpected blessings they have encountered along the way, and about how they are engaging other campus leaders to join the effort.
2021-12-1435 minOffice Hours With EABRemoving Statues Won’t Rectify Your Institution’s Racist PastPresident Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon of Carleton University and Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Carol Henderson of Emory University discuss how universities across Canada and the United States are reckoning with their historical ties to slavery, indigenous dispossession, and racial oppression. This discussion was excerpted from a November 2021 EAB webinar moderated by EAB’s Kurubel Belay. The webinar was the first in a series of engagements EAB is leading as part of a new research effort exploring authentic and productive ways for institutions to address and heal from their legacies of racism.
2021-12-0736 minOffice Hours With EABSpotlight on the African American Male Initiative at NC CentralDr. Roderick Heath explains how his own experience and his study of noncognitive behaviors inform his work as Director of the African American Male Initiative at North Carolina Central University. In a conversation with EAB’s Michael Schwengel, Dr. Heath discusses how he combines data, technology, and a range of motivational tactics to engage these students and foster a sense of belonging he says is crucial to their academic and personal development.
2021-11-3033 minOffice Hours With EABHow CSU Built One of the Most Diverse Cabinets in Higher EdEAB’s Sally Amoruso talks with Colorado State University President Joyce McConnell about ways to drive greater diversity in higher education leadership. McConnell traces her own journey to becoming the first woman President at CSU and shares her thoughts on effective ways of recruiting and cultivating diverse talent. Amoruso and McConnell also touch on the importance of building a culture of trust that empowers staff at all levels and from all backgrounds to speak openly, to listen, and to collaborate in ways that encourage the best ideas to rise based on merit.
2021-11-2334 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Reimagine Office Space to Fit a Hybrid Work EnvironmentThe typical university campus has tens or even hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space begging for a makeover. With so many campus employees working remotely, schools have a golden opportunity to transform that space with less disruption. EAB’s Elizabeth Denny and Michael Fischer offer advice to help university leaders think through their options whether they’re looking to pilot a few modest changes or completely reimagine the way that people study, live, work, and interact on their campuses.
2021-11-1629 minOffice Hours With EABInsights from Year One of EAB’s “Moon Shot for Equity”Tom Sugar is joined by University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone, for a look back on lessons learned during year one of EAB’s “Moon Shot for Equity.” Tom and Dr. Mone discuss the importance of going beyond articulation agreements to make it easier for students—and the credits they have earned—to transfer between schools. They also point to two important reasons so many colleges fail to make progress on improving graduation rates: Working in isolation rather than partnering with other schools in their region, and failing to address institutional shortcomings that make the educational journey more complicated than it has to
2021-11-0937 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Achieve Financial Sustainability Amid Declining Enrollment2021 saw an infusion of much-needed federal stimulus dollars as well as record-setting endowment growth. Unfortunately, a fall enrollment dip and other cost pressures have kept most university leaders scrambling to achieve financial sustainability. EAB’s Jeff Martin and Scott Winslow review fall 2021 enrollment figures, possible opportunities for cost-cutting, as well as potential sources of revenue growth. They also explore the gap between hype and reality in terms of the impact of endowment growth on operating budgets.
2021-11-0228 minOffice Hours With EABIs Your Test-Optional Policy a Hot Mess?Many institutions adopted test-optional admissions policies out of necessity in the early days of the pandemic. EAB’s Madeleine Rhyneer, an expert with more than 25 years of experience leading university admissions teams, says those hastily constructed policies are well-intentioned, but many are poorly defined. She and fellow EAB enrollment guru Michael Koppenheffer discuss different sides of the debate over the value of standardized test scores as well as the challenge of comparing apples to apples when evaluating the academic performance of students across different counties or states. They also share their top recommendations for enrollment leaders on how to codify an...
2021-10-2630 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Motivate University Leaders to Support Enterprise IT InvestmentsUniversity CIOs are on the front lines of a battle to liberate and leverage data trapped in siloed IT systems that have grown like weeds across college campuses over the past 30 years. Susquehanna University CIO Jennifer Servedio talks to EAB’s Danielle Yardy about how to bring order to this chaos through a more enlightened technology strategy, and how to gain buy-in among key campus stakeholders to approve the associated costs. Ms. Servedio also shares her top pieces of advice on how to prioritize and wring the greatest value out of every IT investment.
2021-10-1929 minOffice Hours With EABInsights from EAB’s Survey of Graduate and Adult LearnersEAB’s Amy Luitjens and Will Lamb dig into our latest survey of adult learners to find out how their plans were impacted by the pandemic and to understand their current preferences and motivations. The survey findings suggest that schools will need to hone their recruitment and retention strategies to make any headway in a graduate education market that appears to be losing steam. Amy and Will offer a number of recommendations including beefing up online support services and clearly articulating the “return on education” behind your graduate programs to counteract increased price sensitivity.
2021-10-1231 minOffice Hours With EABQ&A with SNHU President Paul LeBlancSouthern New Hampshire University President Dr. Paul LeBlanc has written a new book, “Students First,” centered on the idea that time is the ultimate scarcity, the lack of which prevents far too many students from achieving their educational goals. Going further, Dr. LeBlanc explains why the credit hour concept may have outlived its usefulness and why competency-based educational curricula deserve a fresh look. Dr. LeBlanc also shares with EAB’s Sally Amoruso, reasons why the growth of short-form, alternative credentials and hybrid instructional models are good for higher education.
2021-10-0552 minOffice Hours With EABPeek Inside a Higher Ed MergerEAB’s Hersh Steinberg sits down for a wide-ranging conversation with Saint Leo President Dr. Jeffrey Senese. The two discuss Saint Leo’s pending acquisition of Marymount California University, currently awaiting regulatory approval, and explore why Dr. Senese’s business acumen and growth mindset perfectly fit Saint Leo’s mission. They also review key moments in Dr. Senese’s journey to higher ed leadership, particularly the influence of a former boss and mentor whose training as a business PhD informed the way she led her institution as its president.
2021-09-2835 minOffice Hours With EABIs Your Admissions Team Struggling with Channel Overload?EAB’s Madeleine Rhyneer and Michael Koppenheffer discuss findings from a new EAB research effort and a related paper titled, “Recruiting in an Era of Channel Overload: How to Optimize Your Audience Strategy to Achieve Enrollment Success.” They highlight valuable but lesser-known sources of data on prospective students, as well as ways that virtual tours and other online recruiting tools are creating new opportunities to engage and build affinity with those students. Michael and Madeleine also explain why helping students and their families become more sophisticated and more thoughtful about their college search will ultimately help you enroll more right-fit studen...
2021-09-2136 minOffice Hours With EABIt’s Time to Transform Legal EducationEAB’s Amy Luitjens is joined by Brian Gallini, Dean of the Willamette University College of Law, for a discussion on the state of U.S. law schools and attorney licensing. The two touch on everything from the lack of transparency in law school admissions, to pandemic impacts on legal education, to the perennial question of how to standardize and update licensure across the U.S. legal profession.
2021-09-1436 minOffice Hours With EABAre Alternative Online Credentials a Threat or Opportunity?EAB’s Jackson Nell is joined by LSU Vice President of Online & Continuing Education, Sasha Thackaberry, to discuss the rapid growth of alternative online providers. These for-profit entities, including Coursera, Guild, Udacity, even Google, offer everything from certificates to micro-credentials to full degrees, either in partnership with or independently from colleges and universities. Thackaberry explains why collaboration between these online upstarts and traditional higher education institutions is blurring the lines and creating both risk and opportunity.
2021-09-0737 minOffice Hours With EABBest Ways to Spend Your HEERF DollarsHigher Education Emergency Relief Funds (or HEERF) appropriated through three separate laws by the federal government over the past year and a half represent the largest combined federal investment in higher education in our nation’s history. Schools have been slow to distribute more recent allocations (HEERF II and III) for a number of reasons. EAB’s Danielle Yardy and Jackson Nell explore some of the obstacles and share advice for university leaders on ways to prioritize spending to build a more student-centric, digital, and fiscally-resilient campus.
2021-08-3134 minOffice Hours With EABWhy Market Share—Not Demographic Shifts—Should Drive Your Recruiting StrategyEAB’s Larisa Hussak and Brian Schueler urge university leaders to parse the data to better understand local market trends impacting your recruiting efforts. The chances are you are losing far more prospective students to other institutions in your state and region than you are to demographic shifts. Larissa and Brian suggest re-focusing your recruiting strategy around highlighting the quality of the student experience and the value of your institution to in-state applicants. Remember, it is nearly 10 times more cost-effective to target students within 25 miles of your school than it is to recruit out-of-state students.
2021-08-2433 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Boost Yield in a Digital-First WorldEAB’s Anna Masica is joined by Wellesley College Dean of Admission Jessica Ricker to discuss a growing challenge for enrollment professionals everywhere, how to boost yield in a digital-first world. The two explore ways to blend the best of traditional, face-to-face recruiting events with newer alternatives like virtual tours and digital welcome centers that enable many more applicants to have authentic and meaningful exchanges with university leaders and current students. Finally, they urge admissions teams to shed old-school recruiting tactics that have outlived their usefulness.
2021-08-1734 minOffice Hours With EABIs Higher Ed Poised for Mass Consolidation?EAB’s Kaitlyn Maloney and Jackson Nell examine the higher education market to determine whether there is an oversupply of providers relative to the number of consumers who want a college degree. Their team has examined decades’ worth of M&A deals to highlight trends in consolidation activity, motivations among buyers and those being acquired, and types of partnerships that offer advantages over outright mergers. They also offer tips for institutions looking for partners to stave off closure or merely to fill gaps in their program portfolios.
2021-08-1034 minOffice Hours With EABYour School Isn’t Ready for the FAFSA Simplification ActEAB’s Kathy Ruby and Sarah Le Duc review the basics of financial aid optimization and explain why FAO is more important than ever to helping colleges meet enrollment targets. The two examine the real-world impacts schools should prepare for when the FAFSA Simplification Act is enacted in 2024. They also offer tips to help financial aid offices work with campus leaders to begin preparing now and to communicate with families of prospective applicants who are already asking questions about what the new legislation means for them.
2021-08-0331 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Improve Student Success at the Graduate LevelEAB experts Amy Luitjens and Ed Venit examine how colleges and universities are working to better support and guide graduate students toward achieving their educational goals. They point out that today’s graduate students are more diverse, taking on more debt, and have higher expectations for how they want institutions to serve them. Given current market trends, Amy and Ed suggest it is in a university’s financial self-interest to change and do more to help these students succeed.
2021-07-2733 minOffice Hours With EABHow University HR Officers Are Shaping New Flexible Work PoliciesEAB’s Michael Fischer and Michael Varda examine key takeaways from a survey of HR Officers from colleges and universities across the US, Canada, and the UK. Among the biggest concerns expressed by survey respondents was how to develop remote work policies that are equitable, and how to guide managers in monitoring the performance of remote workers. They note that nearly half of HR leaders appear willing to take on additional tax and regulatory complications in order to recruit from a broader talent pool of potential candidates who live in other states or even countries.
2021-07-2033 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Reduce Summer MeltSummer melt is a challenge that every admissions team understands and works hard to address, even during the best of times. With in-person orientation and other large gatherings still limited at many colleges, this summer will prove exceptionally challenging. Enrollment leaders from Robert Morris University and the University of Louisville join EAB’s Madeleine Rhyneer to talk about what they learned during last summer’s campus closures. They also share strategies for engaging students and families this summer, and for mixing on-campus events with virtual meet-ups to boost yield.
2021-07-1340 minOffice Hours With EABCampus Space Planning for Fall and BeyondEAB’s Ann Lippens and Kaitlyn Maloney discuss the steps that colleges and universities are taking now to welcome students and faculty back to campus this fall. While higher ed leaders are still working out the details of a safe return, including vaccination requirements, they are also thinking about how to use campus facilities in different ways to accommodate safety protocols as well as other considerations. Ann and Kaitlyn say this isn’t just an exercise in space planning though. Schools are looking to apply lessons learned during the pandemic and expand the use of technology to improve a range of s...
2021-06-2222 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Prepare Your Campus for the Mental Health Crisis Coming this FallThanks to the pandemic, most universities are preparing to welcome two years’ worth of campus newcomers this fall. Add to that the stressors resulting from months of political and social unrest as well as elevated health and financial concerns that threaten to leave schools facing a perfect storm of mental health challenges when campuses reopen. EAB’s Hailey Badger and Kate Cudé share findings from their research into how colleges and universities are preparing. They point to the surprising success of virtual counseling as at least one silver lining that emerged from the pandemic. They also urge higher ed leaders to sh...
2021-06-1522 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Prepare Your Institution and Students to Thrive in the Age of Remote WorkEAB’s Chief Partner Officer, Sally Amoruso, is joined by Brian Elliot, the head of the Future Forum, a consortium launched by Slack to help companies reimagine work in the new digital-first world. The two discuss key takeaways from a recent virtual gathering of more than 125 university leaders EAB hosted to explore the future of work on college campuses. They share tips on ways to offer campus workers greater flexibility, a change that will be critical to schools looking to attract and retain talent in a tight labor market. Sally and Brian also urge managers to shift away from being at...
2021-06-0234 minOffice Hours With EABCollege Decision Day Has Come and Gone. Now What?EAB’s Kathy Dawley and Brett Schraeder discuss the significance of National College Decision Day and share initial thoughts on successful strategies colleges are using to meet enrollment targets during one of the most challenging recruiting cycles of all time. They stress the importance of virtual engagement with admits as a means of reducing summer melt. Kathy and Brett also share findings from EAB’s most recent survey of more than 15,000 high school students and break down the implications of those findings on everything from the design of your school’s website to how and when to engage parents in the re...
2021-05-2535 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Reverse Enrollment Declines at Community CollegesEnrollment at for-profit colleges has increased or remained flat, while enrollment at community colleges is down nearly 10 percent since the onset of the pandemic. EAB’s Christina Hubbard and Larisa Hussak share key takeaways from a recent “secret shopping” experience with for-profit institutions and explain their applicability to community colleges. They talk about the dos and don’ts of onboarding, a perennial pain point at two-year schools, and urge community college leaders to assume greater responsibility for guiding students through the application process, registration, and beyond as a way of boosting yield and building student engagement. Christina and Larisa also stress t...
2021-05-0429 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Combat ‘Digital Sprawl’ on Your CampusEAB’s Danielle Yardy and Anushka Mehta unpack the meaning of “digital transformation” and its relevance for higher education. They argue that the key drivers of digital transformation should be to streamline operations and improve the student experience. They also offer tips to generate the biggest bang for your IT bucks and spur wider and quicker adoption of new technologies across campus.
2021-04-2734 minOffice Hours With EABWill Biden’s American Rescue Plan Help Rebuild Higher Education?EAB’s Kaitlyn Maloney returns to the podcast to moderate a discussion with her colleagues Jackson Nell and Kathy Ruby on what the American Rescue Plan means for higher education. The three talk about what we’ve learned from previous federal stimulus bills that might help schools begin to chart a path forward, even as we wait for much-needed guidance from the Department of Education. They urge university leaders to view this as their last and best opportunity to put their financial houses in order. They also share tips for communicating with students and families about the distribution of financial aid.
2021-04-2032 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Build Effective Community PartnershipsEAB’s Meacie Fairfax returns to the podcast for a conversation with College Possible CEO Craig Robinson. The two discuss the power of community partnerships in giving underserved students greater access to higher education and stronger pathways to successful careers. Mr. Robinson suggests that colleges must be willing to change their mindset in order to serve their students and their communities more effectively. Embracing the challenge of joining with community partners who offer complementary skills and assets is an important step along that journey.
2021-04-1334 minOffice Hours With EABWhat the Coursera IPO Means for Higher EdEAB’s Carla Hickman and Colin Koproske have been working together and studying the phenomenon of massive open online courses, or MOOCs, since 2012. On today’s episode, the two discuss Coursera’s recent IPO-related financial filings. Carla and Colin also examine the extent to which MOOCs and the companies that provide them represent a threat to higher ed, or whether more colleges should be looking to partner with companies like Coursera to expand their online course offerings.
2021-04-0638 minOffice Hours With EABTop Recruiting Tips to Reverse Enrollment DeclinesCollege enrollment dipped this past fall as most people expected. However, the decline was not equally distributed across all demographic cohorts or types of institutions. Journalist Jon Marcus joins EAB’s Madeleine Rhyneer to examine the data which show surprising enrollment trends that have not received the media attention they deserve. The two discuss ways that college recruiting has changed forever as a result of the pandemic, and they explain why doing “more of the same” isn’t going to work this time.
2021-03-3034 minOffice Hours With EABHow the Teleworking Trend Will Transform College CampusesEAB’s Kaitlyn Maloney and Ron Yanosky discuss what we’ve learned over the past year through our collective experiment in mass teleworking. They then dig into some of the unique challenges colleges and universities face as they explore more flexible approaches to space utilization, hiring, and HR policies. While a few best practices emerging from the private sector can easily be replicated across higher education, universities will need to get creative in order to adapt without losing the sense of place that makes campus life special.
2021-03-2330 minOffice Hours With EABHow Penn State Fundraisers Shifted Strategy in 2020EAB’s Jeff Martin is joined by Penn State University Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations Richard Bundy. The two talk about the state of university fundraising and key takeaways from EAB’s latest survey of college fundraising professionals. Mr. Bundy provides insight into how his team shifted strategy and tactics to adapt to an entirely virtual fundraising environment. Finally, the two share tips for managing fundraising teams and gift proposals both today and in the months ahead as we emerge from the pandemic.
2021-03-1634 minOffice Hours With EABLessons Learned from Houston GPS on Closing Equity GapsEAB’s Tom Sugar talks to Paula Short from the University of Houston about lessons they learned launching Houston GPS, the nation’s first regional consortium of two- and four-year schools working together to improve transfer pathways and college completion rates. They also talk about how they are applying those lessons to EAB’s new Moon Shot for Equity.
2021-03-0931 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Engage Parents During the Recruiting ProcessEAB’s Kathy Dawley and Al Newell discuss the role that parents play in the college recruiting process and share findings from a recent EAB survey about their communication preferences. They talk about how different types of information become more or less important to parents as they get closer to the application deadline. Kathy and Al also urge colleges to focus on communicating how they support and guide students along their educational journey. They also recommend that colleges take a hard look at their websites since the quality of the design and content on your website is viewed by many pa...
2021-03-0232 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Capture Growth Opportunities in the Graduate Degree MarketEAB’s Megan Adams and Will Lamb discuss growth opportunities and the competitive landscape in the master’s and graduate degree markets.
2021-02-0933 minOffice Hours With EABNew Professional Development Opportunity for Rising Higher Ed LeadersTwo emerging stars of academia--Dr. Lila McDowell Carlsen from Pepperdine University and Dr. Rénard Harris from College of Charleston--share what they’ve learned by participating in EAB’s new Rising Higher Education Leaders Fellowship.
2021-02-0233 minOffice Hours With EABDr. Tierney Discusses “Get Real: 49 Challenges Confronting Higher Education”EAB’s Sally Amoruso is joined by Dr. William Tierney, University Professor Emeritus and Founding Director of the Pullias Center for Higher Education at the University of Southern California. The two discuss a range of topics addressed in Dr. Tierney’s new book, “Get Real: 49 Challenges Confronting Higher Education," including Dr. Tierney’s contention that universities have become too focused on preparing students for careers at the expense of teaching them to be intellectually curious and engaged citizens and how academic tenure and joint governance may change in the months and years ahead.
2021-01-2632 minOffice Hours With EABHow Colleges Can Maximize the Benefits of the New Federal Stimulus PackageEAB’s federal policy experts outline the major components of the latest federal relief package and offer guidance to university leaders still struggling to determine what it means for their institutions and students.
2021-01-1932 minOffice Hours With EABHow to Grow Community College Enrollment, Featuring the LeagueDr. Rufus Glasper, president and CEO of the League for Innovation in the Community College, joins Dr. Christine Hubbard, EAB’s leading expert on community colleges. The two talk about the extent to which future enrollment trends will be influenced by external factors, like the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and the economy, versus the need to innovate and deliver a more flexible and engaging educational experience (online or otherwise) that attracts new students.
2021-01-1232 minOffice Hours With EABWhat Colleges Can Learn from UofM Partnerships with FedEx and OthersDr. Richard Irwin from the University of Memphis talks to EAB’s Max Milder about the school’s unique collaborations with FedEx and Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. These partnerships offer employees, even those without a high school diploma, a guided pathway to earn a college degree.
2021-01-0536 minOffice Hours With EABHelp More Students Graduate with Less DebtEAB experts explain how to integrate financial aid services into the broader student support network to help more students graduate with less debt.
2020-12-0133 minOffice Hours With EABCOVID-19 Campus Reopening Mistakes and VictoriesEAB experts examine the good, the bad, and the ugly from campus repopulation efforts this fall and suggest changes university leaders may need to make before the spring semester.
2020-11-1031 minOffice Hours With EABHow Universities Can Hire and Retain Diverse FacultyDiverse: Issues in Higher Education Executive Editor David Pluviose joins EAB’s Rachel Tanner to offer concrete steps university leaders can take to recruit and retain diverse faculty. David also shares how to ensure the current hiring freezes are not an impediment to progress.
2020-11-0335 minOffice Hours With EAB3 Student Success Lessons That Power EAB’s “Moon Shot for Equity”Milwaukee Area Technical College President Dr. Vicki Martin joins EAB Vice President of Partnerships, Tom Sugar, to talk about three lessons learned from Georgia State University's success in erasing equity gaps--and how MATC is working with EAB to make similar systemic changes.
2020-10-2733 minOffice Hours With EABA Silver Lining? COVID-19 Reforms May Improve Student SupportEAB’s Meacie Fairfax and Dr. Ed Venit discuss ways the pandemic is forcing colleges to change for the better in terms of how they keep students engaged, informed, and on track academically.
2020-10-0637 minOffice Hours With EABHow COVID-19 Has Impacted Universities WorldwideEAB’s John Workman and Michael Fischer examine similarities and important differences in how the pandemic is impacting U.S. colleges vs. those in Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
2020-09-2930 minOffice Hours With EABHow the Elections Could Impact Higher EdDescribed as one of America’s most effective advocates for higher education, Terry Hartle from ACE talks with EAB about how the upcoming presidential and congressional elections may influence higher education policy.
2020-09-0133 minOffice Hours With EABHow the Pandemic is Changing Tuition Pricing and Financial AidEAB experts discuss the pitfalls of “pandemic pricing,” the best way for schools to distribute financial relief to families, and the importance of communicating the rationale behind tuition prices.
2020-08-0435 minOffice Hours With EABOne of Higher Ed’s Top Medical Leaders on the Science Behind the Virus and What That Means for FallEAB’s Sally Amoruso is joined by the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Chancellor Dr. Jeffrey Gold, who is a leading expert on containing the spread of viruses and other dangerous pathogens. The two discuss how university leaders can access and interpret data on the community spread of the coronavirus to help shape their plans to welcome students, faculty, and staff back to campus.
2020-07-2140 minOffice Hours With EABThe Future of Higher Ed—According to 100+ University PresidentsEAB’s Sally Amoruso and Hersh Steinberg share takeaways from their recent discussions with more than 100 senior university leaders. Hear, for example, how progressive presidents are making deep cuts but also investing in a few key areas that will position their institutions to emerge from the current crisis stronger than ever.
2020-07-1425 minOffice Hours With EABCan Campuses Safely Reopen This Fall?EAB’s Kaitlyn Maloney and Ann Forman Lippens talk about campus plans to “de-densify” classrooms, dorms, and dining halls so students can social distance this fall, as well as how COVID-19 will impact recent progress on sustainability.
2020-07-0737 minOffice Hours With EAB5 Biggest COVID-19 Strategy MistakesEAB’s Melanie Ho and Carla Hickman identify the five biggest mistakes higher ed leaders must avoid with their COVID-19 strategies.
2020-06-3032 minOffice Hours With EABMitigate the Pandemic’s Impact on Equity Gaps this Fall and BeyondEAB’s Meacie Fairfax and Ed Venit discuss equity gaps in higher education and ways the pandemic and recent social unrest threaten to widen those gaps unless universities take swift action.
2020-06-2337 minOffice Hours With EABRace, Education, and Protest: A Conversation with Hamline University’s PresidentDr. Fayneese Miller, president of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, joins EAB’s Sally Amoruso to discuss how her experience growing up as an African American woman in a segregated city informed her response to recent protests in her community.
2020-06-1629 minOffice Hours With EABAASCU President Addresses Equity Gaps in Higher EdAASCU President Dr. Mildred García talks to EAB’s Dr. David Attis about how to address the equity gaps made worse by the pandemic and about her own experiences as a first-generation college student.
2020-06-0935 minOffice Hours With EABInside Higher Ed’s News Editor on the COVID-19 Stories You Should KnowPaul Fain, news editor at Inside Higher Ed, joins EAB’s Carla Hickman to share the COVID-19 stories that have gotten the most attention, what that says about college and university leaders’ greatest concerns, and the stories we should expect to see soon.
2020-06-0231 minOffice Hours With EABCOVID-19 Threats to Campus CybersecurityEAB’s Chief Information Security Officer Brian Markham covers everything from technical challenges posed by campus closures to “Zoombombing” to the latest phishing scams.
2020-05-0535 minOffice Hours With EABThe Best (and Worst) COVID-19 Crisis CommunicationsEAB’s Kaitlyn Maloney and Michael Fischer discuss how colleges and universities have handled crisis communications during the early days of the pandemic.
2020-04-2831 minOffice Hours With EABHow Colleges Can Plan for and Adapt to Campus CrisesEAB experts Melanie Ho and Michael Fischer continue their discussion on the unique leadership challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
2020-04-2124 minOffice Hours With EAB4 Unique Leadership Challenges Posed by the PandemicIn part one of this two-part discussion, EAB experts share four reasons why the coronavirus pandemic is a different type of crisis than any faced by higher ed before—and discuss effective leadership in an extended crisis.
2020-04-1424 minOffice Hours With EABWill the CARES Act Save Higher Ed?EAB’s Kaitlyn Maloney and Michael Fischer talk about why the CARES Act really isn’t a stimulus package for higher ed at all, but a stop-gap measure that may not keep at-risk colleges and universities afloat long enough to survive the current crisis.
2020-04-0728 min