Shows
Higher Ed Socialshanda ivory & the best acronym in higher edThe National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) serves more than high school and college counselors who help students and families navigate the admissions process.
Shanda Ivory, NACAC’s director of communications, joins us this week to discuss how the pandemic might permanently change college recruiting. Will the days of college fairs in convention centers with thousands of students ever come back? Is it such a bad thing if they don’t?
We explore those questions and talk about how admissions professionals can strike a balance between not getting stuck and the status quo and not going after every new tren...2021-09-0333 minHigher Ed Socialmorgan campbell & the joy of tiktok
2021-08-0635 minHigher Ed Socialjackie vetrano & our 200th episode!
2021-07-2341 minHigher Ed Socialbill zimmerman & looking on the bright side
2021-07-0928 minHigher Ed Socialmordecai ian brownlee & creating safe spacesAnyone who works in communications knows that it’s easy for productive conversions to turn dark and hurtful, particularly when it comes to issues like race and identity. Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee leans into the difficult parts of these conversations in his work as a leader, teacher, mentor, speaker, and more. He joins us this week to discuss the need for spaces where we can freely share our own experiences and learn from the experiences of others. We also talk about how to set a positive example on social media and use it to lift people up, rather than get dr...2021-06-2544 minHigher Ed Socialdoug mckenna & what the heck is a registrar?
2021-06-1242 minHigher Ed Socialvan nguyen, olivia perry & a spotlight on community colleges
2021-05-1338 minHigher Ed Socialjosie ahlquist & digital hugsWe are very excited to have Dr. Josie Ahlquist back on the show to discuss her new book, Digital Leadership in Higher Education. We talk about the book and what leadership looks like during global pandemic and ongoing struggles for racial justice.
No matter what’s going in the world, Josie stresses that higher education leaders need to show up authentically to their interactions with students. With so much misinformation out there, students need to know that they can trust their institution and its leaders before they will believe what they’re reading in an email or seeing in a vide...2021-04-2937 minHigher Ed Socialdar mayweather & that good workMany of our organizations have spent the past year working on ways to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion on our campuses. However, that work sometimes stalls out before it even gets going because it’s such a big task that it’s hard to know where to start or how to keep the momentum going. That’s where Dar Mayweather shines.
Dar is the founder of Good Mayweather Consulting, where he helps his clients confidently engage in critical conversations around diversity and inclusion.He has more than 15 years of professional leadership experience in higher education, business, and diversity & inclusion training. His pr...2021-04-1537 minHigher Ed Socialken schneck & facing burnout
2021-04-0135 minHigher Ed Socialliz gross & tuning out the noiseDr. Liz Gross returns to the show to talk with Jenna about what’s happening at Campus Sonar, the company she founded to help organizations throughout higher ed harness the power of social listening. We talk about how social listening has changed during the pandemic, how going to conferences outside higher ed helped Liz see what our industry was lacking, how to run a growing organization that’s entirely remote, and much more.
Liz is a recognized expert, data-driven marketer, and higher education researcher. She specializes in creating entrepreneurial social media strategies in higher education and has a passion for teac...2021-03-1833 minHigher Ed Socialdavid mee & rolling with the changesWe’re back! And we have some great episodes in store for you. Thank you to everyone who responded to our requests to be on the show!
For our first episode of 2021, Lougan and Jenna are joined by David Mee, vice president for enrollment management at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. David reflects on how the pandemic has upended how we think about enrollment management and higher education more broadly — and why that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Before joining Campbell University, David spent 10 years at Belmont University, where he worked with Lougan. Like many of us, he neve...2021-03-0433 minHigher Ed SocialREBROADCAST: ravi jain & some bite-sized storytellingRavi Jain from Boston College joins us on the show this week! Ravi serves as the Senior Associate Director of Digital Media & Web at Boston College. We talk with Ravi about being selected as an inaugural INBOUND2019 Fellow and his upcoming talk at INBOUND 2019. Ravi tells us more about why he’s become a short form video evangelist and how he uses micro-storytelling to tell the story of the different “cities” at BC. We also discuss why vinyl sounds better and the fun and agony of designing email templates.2020-10-0955 minHigher Ed Socialdemocracy now: nancy thomas & higher ed’s civic missionThis week, we’re bringing you an episode from Democracy Works, the podcast Jenna hosts when she’s not on Higher Ed Social. She talks with Nancy Thomas, director of the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education, an applied research center in the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University.
Nancy argues that higher education faculty, staff, and administrators can be political without being partisan when it comes to things like encouraging students to vote or thinking about how political issues will impact their day-to-day lives. She also offers some advice for how to keep voting in your messaging mix...2020-09-2540 minHigher Ed Socialmelik khoury & a passion for changeThere’s a big stir in northern Maine this fall, and Dr. Melik Khoury is in the middle of it. As President of Unity College, he recently announced a plan to move fully to distance and hybrid learning — a move that included layoffs and furloughs for dozens of faculty and staff and the potential sale of the physical campus.
Dr. Khoury describes these changes as not only essential to keeping the college open during COVID-19, but also as part of a bigger vision he has for what education should look like. He sees a world in which students can break free...2020-09-2129 minHigher Ed Socialcorynn myers & the watermelon bowlLike a lot of us, Corynn Myers is basically working two jobs right now. She’s serving as the lead on all of the University of Michigan’s COVID-related communications and managing a team that’s part of Michigan’s in-house creative agency. It’s a lot, but she handles it all with poise and made time to talk with us about how thinking like an agency has helped her team thrive and bring big results in enrollment marketing.
We also talk about how Corynn and her family are copying during quarantine and why running is not for everyone, no matter how...2020-09-0431 minHigher Ed SocialREBROADCAST: luke haumesser & the beepy thingEpisode 33 starts off with an ice breaker, introducing Lucky Luke Haumesser, Assistant Director of Student Activities and Governments at the University at Buffalo. After our ice breaker session, we’re comfortable enough with each other to argue about the correct pronunciation of ‘gif,” and make animal noises. Move in week is coming up, and in his new role outside of Residence Life for the first time, Luke talks about the Welcome Week events that he’s helping to plan – including the overhead “interlocking UB” photo, break dancing, and all night pancakes. We also talk about IKEA and Home Depot, in part to celebr...2020-08-0734 minHigher Ed Socialjessica depaul & the zombie weddingBy day, Jessica DePaul is the Associate Director for Recruitment Marketing at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She previously worked at Rutgers as the Assistant Director of Marketing. She is a passionate marketer that is an expert in the latest education technology and trends, including virtual reality for campus tours and open houses.
By night, she’s a makeup artist who has done everything from zombie makeup to more traditional styles. In this conversation, we talk about both sides of her personality and how COVID-19 has impacted her work in recruitment and in makeup.
Jessica will be presenting at the...2020-07-3138 minHigher Ed Socialjackie watches stuff : top gunHey everyone! We wanted to share something special with you this week. Jackie Vetrano, who helped create our show, has started a new podcast called Jackie Watches Stuff. As you might know from previous episodes of Higher Ed Social, she’s missed out on a lot of great movies and in this new show, she watches them and discusses them with friends.
Today, we’re sharing her first episode about Top Gun. That’s right, Jackie had never seen Top Gun. It’s a great episode, but a quick warning that there’s some explicit language and a bit of adult cont...2020-07-2454 minHigher Ed SocialREBROADCAST: leigh hall & the most higher ed title everLeigh Hall is a professor and the Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowed Chair in Literacy Education at the University of Wyoming. While studying at the University of South Florida, she realized she wanted to be a teacher and create a better environment for future students. She got her master’s at Vanderbilt University then taught social studies for 6 years in Houston before getting her Ph. D at Michigan State University. Her research on literacy at the University of Wyoming aims to help elementary and middle school teachers around the state.2020-07-1730 minHigher Ed Socialron alexander & doing the workRon started a new job as the Assistant Director of Residence Life and Student Conduct at Northwestern in May — in the midst of a pandemic and just before protests against racial violence began across the U.S. Both of these events directly impact Ron’s work both now and in the fall. Despite all the turmoil, he remains collected and more motivated than ever to create an inclusive environment for Northwestern’s students.
Ron and Lougan worked together at Belmont, but Lougan was not able to join this interview so Jenna caught up with him to talk about his history as a c...2020-07-1031 minHigher Ed Socialcarah ong whaley & ending systemic racismWhile a lot of colleges and universities talk about ending racism and inequality on their campuses, Carah Ong Whaley and her team at JMU dove headfirst into taking action. Carah is Associate Director of the Center for Civic Engagement, which has put together weekly virtual discussions on topics related to racism, policing, and more. She is also part of an effort to rename JMU buildings currently named for well-known racists in history. As you’ll hear, she’s active in both the #JMUchangethenames social media campaign and working behind the scenes with university leaders.
We recorded this episode on June 18. Stay...2020-06-2636 minHigher Ed SocialREBROADCAST: junior delgado & the cow pastureThis week we're rebroadcasting Lougan and Jackie's episode with Junior Delgado, the director of the Career Center at Westfield State University. He started as the coordinator of senior programs 18 years ago and nine years later he started his current role. The center is staffed with 13 people who oversee career services for undergraduates, graduates, and alumni. Junior discusses how the university uses the platform Handshake to promote one on one connections and as a tool to host networking events. His signature lesson topic to prepare students is to have them think about life after Westfield.2020-06-1935 minHigher Ed Socialjackie vetrano & a reunion of sortsThis week, Lougan and new Higher Ed Social host Jenna Spinelle catch up with Jackie about what she’s been up to in her new role at UNC and how the grad school world differs from undergraduate when it comes to enrollment and recruitment. We also talk about how COVID-19 has impacted everyone’s work and non-work lives, including 100% more Animal Crossing and Tiger King than has ever been discussed on the show before.2020-06-1231 minHigher Ed SocialREBROADCAST: kate post & the deep hole of spaceThis week, we're rebroadcasting Lougan & Jackie's episode with Kate Post, digital engagement lead at California State University, Chico. She has a master’s degree in Japanese and planned to go into translation work, but found a passion for communications and social media. She translates her love of Japanese culture and literature into her work every day. To Kate, communication (especially through social media) is similar to translation in that both break down a message to its essential pieces and then re-packaging it in a different way.2020-03-1928 minHigher Ed Socialbeth wolfe & not the other charlestonThis week, Lougan sat down with Beth Wolfe, the executive Vice President for enrollment management at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. Beth’s 22-year career in education has ranged from teaching secondary English and chemistry to serving in a variety of higher education administrative roles. Lougan and Beth chat about how Beth got into higher education, her new role at University of Charleston and the magic of admissions visit days.2020-03-1229 min
Higher Ed Socialnikki massaro kauffman & failure is part of growthThis week on the show, Lougan chats with front-end web developer Nikki Massaro Kauffman. She develops open source web components to make Penn State University’s online courses accessible, media rich, and interactive. Nikki has always been passionate about teaching, and she translates that love into mentoring. Lougan and Nikki talk about the importance of mentorship, making mistakes and failure.2020-03-0525 minHigher Ed Socialrj thompson & the politics of tenureThis week on the show, we sat down with RJ Thompson, the associate director of student engagement in the College of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburg. RJ’s career in higher education has been in an interesting one. He’s always had a passion for teaching students, and has worked as a both an adjunct and a tenured professor. We talk about RJ’s long career as a professor and why he decided to move from faculty to staff. We also chat about Star Trek: Picard, but no worries. We don’t talk spoilers.2020-01-3031 minHigher Ed Socialjenna spinelle & the frozen fountainJenna Spinelle is the communications specialist for the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. She describes herself as a team of one, where she handles digital content and media outreach. She is also host of the Institute’s Democracy Works podcast which is produced in partnership with WPSU Penn State, Pennsylvania’s NPR station. Lougan and Jenna have a great chat about working her work hosting Democracy Works, podcasting and listening to audio books. Also, apologies for Lougan’s audio quality. We’ve had some issues with his microphone and are working to fix it.2020-01-2323 minHigher Ed Socialrussell lowery-hart & empowering students to succeedThis week we discuss the barriers faced by low-income students with Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, president of the Amarillo College. In his time as president, he's overseen significant increases in student retention and graduation rates while also working to make his institution an economic driver for the community and region. On the show, Dr. Lowery-Hart shares how Amarillo College made such radical change happen and the many opportunities for higher education to break tradition and adapt to a changing world.2020-01-1625 minHigher Ed Socialbrendan foley & this is 2020This week, Lougan talks with Brendan Foley, the director of communications for the Morehead-Cain Foundation at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Brendan is responsible for creating and implementing a content strategy that supports Morehead-Cain’s many goals. Whether it’s recruiting the brightest students across the globe or inspiring alumni to participate in the Foundation’s first-ever capital campaign, Brendan creates content that encompasses every aspect of student and alumni journeys.
On the show, we discuss Brendan's work and how he made the jump from award-winning broadcast news producer and journalist to higher education. Brendan's wife Jenna Hartwel...2020-01-0927 minHigher Ed Socialjackie vetrano & five years of higher ed socialIf you can believe it, it’s the FIVE YEAR anniversary of Higher Ed Social! To celebrate, host emerita Jackie Vetrano is back on the show this week. It’s been a semester of change for her as she recently graduated with a Master of Professional Studies in Integrated Marketing Communications from Georgetown University. AND she started her new position as assistant director of marketing & prospect management at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Jackie and Lougan talk about the ins and outs of generating and nurturing leads and reminisce about the last five years of the podcast.2019-12-1925 minHigher Ed Socialmartha saunders & what it’s like to be presidentHave you ever wondered what it's like to be university president? This week on the show, Lougan talks with Dr. Martha Saunders, President of the University of West Florida. In her more than three decades in higher education, Dr. Saunders has served in multiple academic and leadership roles and has led UWF a to new heights. Lougan chats with her about how she became a university president, her strategic vision and how the resources in west Florida helped drive the creation of new and innovative programs at UWF.2019-12-1220 minHigher Ed Socialkevin singer & the IDEALS researchKevin Singer is a PhD student in higher education at North Carolina State University where he serves as a Research Associate for the Interfaith Diversity Experiences and Attitudes Longitudinal Survey (IDEALS). He also serves as Co-Director of Neighborly Faith, an org helping evangelical college students to build bridges of friendship with people of other faiths, and teaches world religions at two community colleges. IDEALS recently released a national report called "Friendships Matter" about befriending people across all faiths. Lougan and Kevin talk about consequences of online behavior as well as empathy in conversations one might disagree with. When he's not...2019-12-0525 minHigher Ed SocialREBROADCAST: james stafford & that feeling you get from an excel spreadsheetWe're taking a little break from recording the next couple of weeks, so enjoy Jackie and Lougan's episode with James Stafford!
James Stafford is the director of marketing and public relations at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. He never planned on going into higher ed, but stumbled into it by being a data nerd. James shares his love for how excel sheets can solve a lot of problems. James current tasks vary from changing the virtual tour to the military appreciation football game. The group discusses the challenges of being in university photos and hiding from 360 degree c...2019-11-2147 minHigher Ed Socialjason miller & the groundhogJason Miller is the digital specialist at York University in Toronto, Canada. As part of the central communications office, Jason’s has his hands in a lot of digital work, but his primary job is to develop the university-wide social media strategy and assist various areas across campus with their digital strategies. Lougan and Jason talk about the quirks of being in charge of social media, and why we love doing what we do. We also talk about the fun little things he does outside his role, and how doing those types of things are important.2019-11-1424 minHigher Ed Socialcathy dunn & the journey of a librarianCathy Dunn is an acquisitions librarian at her alma mater, Mississippi State University. Lougan and Cathy talk about how she chose her career and the way digital information has changed the landscape of being a librarian. They also discuss the importance of libraries when it comes to the dissemination of information in the current age.2019-11-0734 minHigher Ed Socialeric stoller & the lunch episodeEric Stoller is the vice president of digital strategy at GeckoEngage. You may know him from his articles on Inside Higher Ed, his speaking engagements and his consulting work around digital engagement. He’s always loved doing marketing and public relations, but never wanted to work for an agency. Eric’s experiences in student development services at University of Illinois Chicago and enrollment management at Oregon State University really cemented interest in the intersection of technology and student success. He’s had an incredible and unique journey through the world of higher education.2019-10-3128 minHigher Ed Social#heweb19 & the return of the golden nuggetsWhat's better than actually going to the HighEdWeb Conference? Recording an episode with your friends that actually went! At least that's what Lougan is telling himself this week as he welcomes Jackie and Jon-Stephen back to the show along with new guest Alaina Wiens. We chat about what it's like running social media for the conference, and the various presentations they gave. We also talk about the "golden nuggets" they are taking back home this year.2019-10-2440 minHigher Ed SocialREBROADCAST: jon mcbride & the sesquicentennial episodeIt's been a crazy week, and we'll be back next week with a new episode. For now, enjoy this rebroadcast episode with Jon McBride!
Jon McBride works at Brigham Young University as the media relations and social media manager. Since he started at BYU 6 years ago, he has begun to develop a strong and creative social media strategy. In this episode, he explained how he loves that his department is adaptive to the field of communication. Jon tells us about the time he pitched Beyonce’s publicist, and also chats with Lougan and Jackie about his student social media team and...2019-10-1735 minHigher Ed Socialashley alvarado & the love of teachingAshley Alvarado is a doctoral student at the University of South Carolina where she serves as a teaching assistant while obtaining her Ph. D in literature. Lougan and Ashley talk about how general education classes teach students to analyze and interpret information, as well as think critically. We also talk about Ashley’s plans for doctoral research, specifically diaries and their place in literature.2019-10-1025 minHigher Ed Sociallougan & the amazing emma hawesBack in January of 2018, Emma Hawes joined the Higher Ed Social podcast team with episode 97. This week, Lougan sat down with her to chat about how she came to be on the podcast, her unique college experience as a triplet, her love for the Parks and Recreation and other shows we're watching.2019-10-0324 minHigher Ed Socialamber owens & let’s get this breadAmber Owens is the social media manager for Indiana Institute of Technology. Amber graduated in 2016 and like many new graduates drifted around from job to job when someone connected her with the position at Indiana Tech. Her passion is for putting stuff online and watching people’s reactions. We chat about the challenges of social media burn out and growing up and watching social media evolve over the years. When Amber isn’t on social media, she builds Star Wars Droids and travels to conventions with her husband.2019-09-2638 minHigher Ed SocialREBROADCAST: lisa catto & sixty hour minutesThe start of the academic year is upon us! We hope you're enjoying welcoming students both new and old to your campus. Because of all the craziness (and a random trip to Oregon), we're rebroadcasting our episode with Lisa Catto. It's a great episode, so check it out.
We hit the big 5-0 with Lisa Catto, Director of Social Media and Media Relations at Western Oregon University. Because she’s in Oregon and Lougan loves it, we talk about Portland…a lot. That includes public transit, ramen noodles, and the fact that it really is awesome despite what Portlandians say abou...2019-08-2245 minHigher Ed Socialchris d’orso & the long storyThis week, we welcome back the amazing Chris D'Orso. Since he was on the show back in 2015, Chris has move to SUNY College at Brockport where he is now the associate director of undergraduate admissions. The move for him was a positive change, as it's allowed him to reconnect with his passion of working in undergraduate admission. You'll also find out about something really big that's been happening in Lougan's life and why the podcast has been a little inconsistent lately. A HUGE thanks to Chris and Jon for being so supportive.2019-08-1553 minHigher Ed Socialtoby stapelton & the state of graduate educationThis week, Lougan chats with Dr. Toby Stapleton, the dean of graduate and continuing education programs at Salve Regina University in Rhode Island. We chat about the rise of hybrid professional graduate programs and the many innovative programs at Salve Regina. At his previous institution, Toby lead a technology incubator which has become a global leader in marine (blue) technology. We also discuss his work there and the future of this growing field.2019-08-0841 minHigher Ed Socialravi jain & some bite-sized storytellingRavi Jain from Boston College joins us on the show this week! Ravi serves as the Senior Associate Director of Digital Media & Web at Boston College. We talk with Ravi about being selected as an inaugural INBOUND2019 Fellow and his upcoming talk at INBOUND 2019. Ravi tells us more about why he’s become a short form video evangelist and how he uses micro-storytelling to tell the story of the different “cities” at BC. We also discuss why vinyl sounds better and the fun and agony of designing email templates.2019-08-0254 minHigher Ed Socialdave eng & the power of gamingThis week, Dave Eng returns to the show! Since his first episode, Dave has finished his doctorate and serves as a clinical professor & educational technologist at New York University’s School of Professional Studies and a professor of practice of table top game design at Troy University. We chatted with Dave about his research into table top gaming, the future of voice technology and Lougan’s tendency to not throw away things. We also discuss escape rooms and the fundamental differences between puzzles and games.2019-07-1944 minHigher Ed SocialREBROADCAST: andy shaw & the mommy blogsIt's vacation time, so we're taking a break this week. In the mean time, enjoy Lougan and Jackie's episode with Andy Shaw! We'll be back next week.
Get ready for a VERY lively episode this week. Lougan and Jackie talked with the hilarious Andy Shaw, director of enrollment communications at York College of Pennsylvania. Andy loves his job because he makes stuff that get students to come to his college. He also teaches a class about comedy for freshmen to help them build confidence in public speaking. Andy is a new father, and that’s become a very important part of...2019-07-1113 minHigher Ed Socialkelsey ryan & the whereabouts of zac efronKelsey Ryan the coordinator of fraternity and sorority life at University of Memphis. After deciding that pharmacy school wasn’t for her, she chose a career in student affairs working with fraternity and sorority life. Kelsey is a true advocate for Greek Life on campus, and we discuss how Greek organizations contribute to the community and how a few bad apples can tarnish the good work of others.2019-07-0437 min