Liz Gross

Richard Harrison Bailey—the RHB behind RHB—joins the ALP to discuss the principle of Coherence; the virtuous cycle of relevance, relationships and revenue for colleges; the difference between market position and brand; and how the values of truth, beauty, love and justice animate the core values and, to this day, guide the work of the firm he and his business partner (and spouse), Tammy Bailey, formed in 1991. 

Rapid Descent

1. Walkout song: Carmina Burana: I. O Fortuna
2. Best recent read: Yale Needs Women by Anne Gardiner Perkins
3. Eager to read next: Who Killed Truth? A History of Evidence by Jill Lepore
4. Podcast: IngenioUs with Melissa Morriss-Olson
5. Favorite thing to make in the kitchen:  A completely improvised birthday meal for his kids. If you’ve let go of passion in the kitchen, you’ve lost the meal.
6. For notes: I’m a pencil person, currently using a Zebra #2 pencil with retractable lead.and Blackwing pencil.
7. Memorable bit of advice: From David C. Baker: “Narrow does not equal small.” The more narrow you become in your position, the deeper you will be able to go in your expertise. And the deeper you are in your expertise, the more you will know, and the more you will bypass or surpass the competition.
8. Bucket list: Open a little bar on the coast of Spain and serve Rioja. I'll have about 3 customers who are always there.

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Laura Kaub, director of the Duolingo partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees program, talks about keeping refugees and African students out of the "hole" in holistic admission so they can get into the economic, educational and political systems that can bring about change. She provides examples of U.S colleges that "get it right," including Macalester and Northwestern, as well as models around the globe, like Rwanda and Uganda.

Contact Laura directly if you're interested in talking with her about the students she serves.

References

• President's Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
• MasterCard Foundation
• World University Services of Canada
• Duolingo English Test

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: Ghostwriter RJD2
• Best recent read: The Expanse Series by James S.A. Corey
• Eager to read next: Old World, Young Africa, a New York Times series 
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen:  Sparkling conversation
• Taking and keeping notes: 2/3 paper and pen (no ball points, please!); 1/3 open email to herself
• Memorable bit of advice: A whole lot of what's going on [in the college search] is not as big a deal as it seems.
• Bucket list: Ever since watching Ugly Delicious, I've wanted to do a food tour of Japan and South Korea with David Chang.

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

How does someone go from being a lawyer and a photographer to found and lead the company that has reshaped the college fair experience for millions of students and more than 15,000 admission professionals representing more than 2500 institutions around the world?  Dan Saavedra, founder and president of StriveScan, tells us how he built StriveScan (spoiler, with trust and the friendliest client contract ... ever).  Live through what their first college fair was like, as well as those moments when StriveScan created something out of nothing to foster connections for students and colleges in the early days of the pandemic.

References

• Special shout-out to the Illinois ACAC and Carin Smith.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: Good Life by One Republic
• Best recent read: The Verge and Ars Technica, as well as NYT and WSJ
• Eager to read next: Wirecutter's coverage of the best coffee makers ... also bed sheets
• Favorite podcast: Elevating Admission Voices with Angie Cooksy and The Admissions Directors Lunchcast with Nathan Ament and Teege Mettille
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen:  Bread ... especially baguettes.
• Taking and keeping notes: It has to work in Slack
• Memorable bit of advice: Find your sounding board.
• Bucket list: Go to Botswana

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

What is it like to leave the familiarity of higher ed to join a tech company with a vision to change how the world thinks about language testing? Jen Dewar, Senior Director of Strategic Engagement for the Duolingo English Test, shares how to break through, climb steep learning curves, learn from setbacks ... and why you don't win or lose—you only win or learn.

References

• Luis von Ahn, co-founder and CEO of Duolingo  on How I Built This with Guy Raz and The Tim Ferriss Show.
• Shout out to future ALP guest, Laura Kaub,  UNHCR University Access Advisor
• Learn more about Duolingo's work with refugees through the UNHCR

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: Groove Is in the Heart by Deee-Lite
• Best recent read: All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles
• Eager to read next: Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune, narrated by Anderson Cooper.
• Favorite podcast: The Daily, Washington Post and WSJ The Journal ... also, if you're into art fraud and art theft, Last Seen
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen:  Anything, because she can only focus on what she is making.
• Taking and keeping notes: A Duolingo pen and conference giveaway notepads.
• Memorable bit of advice: "Two tears in a bucket, mother***it" ... and that's the closest we've gotten to an Explicit rating so far.
• Bucket list: "I don’t have a bucket list, which speaks to how lucky I’ve been. I’ve gotten to do so many great things; more than I ever could have imagined or anybody who raised me could have imagined for me.”

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Get ready for an episode rife with random references when David Burge, VP for Enrollment Management at George Mason University and winner of the Margaret E. Addis Service to NACAC Award, joins the ALP to discuss ADVANCE, a model transfer partnership between GMU and Northern Virginia Community College. Warning: this episode contains eye-rolling dad jokes. Listener discretion is advised.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: Champion by Fall Out Boy
• Best recent read: "My email."
• Eager to read next: See above
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen:  Mail order spice packets have inspired his cuisine, which includes hundreds of NYT recipes, five of which he has made.
• Taking and keeping notes: email
• Memorable bit of advice: "Marketing drives applications; relationships build enrollment."
• Bucket list: "I would like to live in Europe."

Check out RHB Academy at Claremont McKenna. Nov. 17.

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

We have featured a bunch of folks who have gone from inside to "alongside" higher ed (including your host). Carolyn Noll Sorg, VP for Enrollment at John Carroll University has chosen to go in the other direction, and reminds us of the things that call us into this work.

Bonus: Carolyn shares wonderful insights into how to think about creating memorable experiences for your students—including how to wrap it into your next staff retreat.

References

• The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by the Heath brothers
• Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidera
• The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
• The Master of Fine Arts in Experience Design at Miami University of Ohio

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: Run by One Republic
• Best recent read: Unreasonable Hospitality
• Eager to read next: Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service (The Disney Institute Leadership Series)
• Favorite podcast: Re:Thinking by Adam Grant
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen:  Decorating cookies
• Taking and keeping notes: Google Docs
• Memorable bit of advice: "If you are enjoying your work 80% of the time, you're doing pretty great."
• Bucket list: "I would like to write a book someday."

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Season Premiere: Ethan Sawyer, founder of College Essay Guy, kicks off Season 8 of the ALP and we quickly learn it's not about the essay ... it's about figuring out who you are and what you care about. We talk about the applicability of Ethan's discovery exercises to everybody (not just college applicants), why Ethan might be the perfect candidate to interview Ken someday, and what roles Jesus and diapers play in the origin story of College Essay Guy.

References

• College admission resources following the SCOTUS decision to end race-conscious admission decisions.
• Is it “Okay” to Write about Race in Your College Application—And, If So, How?This guide offers practical advice for students and counselors, including examples of essays by students who chose to discuss race and its impact on their character and unique abilities.
• The “If You Really, Really Knew Me” Exercise (Template) This practical, comprehensive exercise helps you (and your students) generate a list of identities, skills, qualities, and skills they can share with colleges. It’s one of the  favorites at College Essay Guy—if you use it, just give 'em a shout-out. :)
• The Social Identities Exercise (Template) This exercise is another favorite and is useful for helping students think about diversity and identity in both broader and more nuanced ways. Includes a guide for counselors, facilitators, and parents.
• Books referenced: Rocket Fuel and Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations Inspired by the Next Stage in Human Consciousness.
• Interested in checking out Ethan's voice over work?

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: U Don't Have to Call by Usher
• Best recent read: Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader by Marc Lesser
• Eager to read next: Ethan's taking recommendations here.
• Favorite podcast: We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Bruscheta
• Taking and keeping notes: Apple Notes
• Memorable bit of advice: "You can give it all away, and it's still not you." (From Steve Antonoff)
• Bucket list: Do a long silent meditation retreat "like 10 days."

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

In this special edition, Art Coleman (@ArtColemanDC), managing partner and co-founder of EducationCounsel (and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights), shares the initial chapters of a playbook admissions officers can follow to move forward with confidence (and care) in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC.

We discuss what colleges should (and shouldn't do),  what people are getting wrong in their interpretations of the rulings, and what the future might hold.

Art provides helpful advice on thoughtful design around scholarships and financial aid programs as well as broader recruitment initiatives, while calling for colleges to use a lens shaped by "a design associated with the DEI goals ... that drive their mission."

Read: EducationCounsel's Preliminary Guidance Regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's Decision in SFFA v. Harvard and SFFA v. UNC. (with ongoing updates)

Many thanks to the National Association for College Admission Counseling for supporting this podcast through the NACAC Podcast Network.

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Season Finale: Dr. Joffery Gaymon,  Vice President for Enrollment at Auburn University, shares what it's like (and what it takes) to make the jump to one of the biggest roles at one of the most recognizable institutions in the U.S. She shares the essential and timeless tools to keep in your toolbox, whatever your ambitions may be, as well as how to keep yourself focused and grounded as the work gets tougher. (And there may be a reference to teaching spin classes.)

Rapid Descent

• Walkout sons: Special by Lizzo
• Best recent read: Campus Economics: How Economic Thinking Can Help Improve College and University Decisions by Sandy Baum and Michael McPherson, a gift from Sam Waterson at RHB.
• Eager to read next: "I have to finish that one."
• Favorite podcast: Unreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Anything with brunch ... with a mimosa on the side
• What she uses to take and keep notes: old fashioned pen and legal pad, and Evernote
• Memorable bit of advice: there are actually three (1) We are always called to serve. (2) When you're in a position of leadership, be mindful of what you say, because what you say carries authority. (3) Every time you go to a meeting, it's a like a zoo: everybody brings their own monkey. Your job is to not leave with anybody else's monkeys.
• Bucket list: Write a book.

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Many thanks to the National Association for College Admission Counseling for supporting this podcast through the NACAC Podcast Network.

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Kent Barnds,  Executive Vice President of ExternalRelations: Advancement | Communication | Enrollment | Planning for Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), shares how he started as "an accidental admissions person" and become the person with the longest title in the history of the ALP, and what he has learned along the way by becoming a college parent. Great mysteries will be revealed in this episode, including the origin story of Kent's ubiquitous bow ties, what the "W" in his name stands for, and who can lay claim to being the pizza king of the Quad Cities.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout songs: Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Lorde covering the original Tears for Fears
• Best recent read: They Said This Would be Fun: Race, Campus Life, and Growing Up by Eternity Martis
• Eager to read next: The Generosity Crisis: The Case for Radical Connection to Solve Humanity's Greatest Challenges by Nathan Chapel, Brian Crimmins, and Michael Ashley
• Favorite podcast: Marketplace 
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Pizza
• What he uses to take and keep notes: sticky notes and notecards stuffed into an ever-expanding green folder
• Memorable bit of advice: When his uncle (college admission giant Delwin Gustafson) asked him if he was ready to see the dirty underbelly of his alma mater [as an admissions professional].
• Bucket list: To take a nice long week's vacation with his life partner, Jenny.

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

Many thanks to the National Association for College Admission Counseling for supporting this podcast through the NACAC Podcast Network.

The ALP is supported by RHB. Music arranged by Ryan Anselment