ALP: The Admissions Leadership Podcast

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

Robert Gould, Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management at Augsburg University (Minneapolis), offers a deep dive into an approach to college admission that is turning the process on its head and—in the process—not only fostering a greater sense of belonging for students, but for the admission professionals who work with them.

Could it be an antidote to the Great Resignation?

Notes

• Augsburg Applies to You
• Power of You program (Augsburg partnership with Minneapolis Community and Technical College and Saint Paul College)
• John Doerr's Objectives and Key Results (OKRs).
• Harriet Tubman Effect Institute
• Nicole Johnson, creator of EDIFY, "a 5 step dismantling systemic oppression program that is designed to shift culture in institutions, schools and artistic organizations."
• Wise Mind 
• The Power of Forgiveness—Minneapolis

Rapid Descent

• Walkout songs: "anything by Bobby Sanchez, like Changing Landscapes ..."
• Best recent read: Forgive For Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness by Frederic Luskin, and Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr.
• Eager to read next: Irish Untold History
• Favorite podcast: Edify Justice Advocates Podcast 
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Dark roast decaf coffee and vegetable juice
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Rhodia Notebook 
• Memorable bit of advice: Life is a balance of holding on and letting go —Rumi
• Bucket list: "I would like the entire system of admissions in higher education to be changed."

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

Allan Mathew, Director of Graduate Admissions at Tufts University, discusses the similarities and differences of graduate and undergrad admissions and what he's learned working at three institutions in very different market positions. He also offers compelling insights into the four themes of his doctoral dissertation, which focused on the experiences of chief enrollment officers of color.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout songs: Redbone by Childish Gambino
• Best recent read: Atomic Habits, by James Clear and Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams, by Larry English
• Eager to read next: Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, by Michelle Zauner
• Favorite podcast: Chasing Scratch | The Rights to Ricky Sanchez: The Sixers Podcast
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Indian food, especially a mean chicken curry.
• What he uses to take and keep notes: iPad and Apple Pencil
• Memorable bit of advice: "Keep your head down and get your sh*t done."
• Bucket list: Play golf at Saint Andrews.

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

Heather Daniels, Director of Admissions at Colorado State University, discusses how she's managed to "come home" to every college she has ever worked for ... and discovers that she and Ken have a surprising braided history.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout songs: Believe by Mumford & Sons
• Best recent read/eager to read next: Coherence by Rick Bailey
• Favorite podcast: Up First | Smartless | Wiser Than Me
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Squash casserole (It's better than it sounds).
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Old school pen and notebook
• Memorable bit of advice: "Follow your nose."
• Bucket list: Already checked it off in 2019: working for the Semester at Sea program, spending 4 months with her family and a bunch of students on a boat sailing around the world.

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

Boyd Bradshaw, the inaugural Vice President for Enrollment Management at Towson University (MD), discusses Towson's new comprehensive and integrated approach to enrollment—from recruitment to graduation—and what it has been like organizing the institution  around that work. We also learn Boyd's secret and surprising skill that he carries with him to this day.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout songs: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor
• Best recent read: A Profession on the Edge by Eric Hoover
• Eager to read next: "the next thing to come into my inbox" 
• Favorite podcast: Best Podcast in Baseball (much to the chagrin of Ken, a lifelong Milwaukee Brewers fan, it's about the St. Louis Cardinals)
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Grilling out is his jam, especially potato, onion, peppers and butter in foil.
• What he uses to take and keep notes: old fashioned notebook and Post-Its.
• Memorable bit of advice: "Focus on the positive."
• Bucket list: To be working for a college that gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament while he is the VP for Enrollment.

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

In this metaphor-loaded episode, Christopher Gray, Dean of Enrollment at Lasell University, discusses living and learning through a successful launch of a tuition reset, why communities matter to marathoners, and a nifty trick to try in your next meeting.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout songs: Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldean
• Best recent read: Extreme You: Step Up. Stand Out. Kick Ass. Repeat. audiobook by Sarah Robb O'Hagan and Fearless Leadership: High Performance Lessons from the Flight Deck by Carey D. Lohrenz
• Eager to read next: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain 
• Favorite podcast: Hacking Your Leadership
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Chicken Parmesan
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Post-It Notes.
• Memorable bit of advice: "Success is when you leave something better than when you found it."
• Bucket list: Play the Old Course at St. Andrews with his father, who taught him how to golf when he was three. (Close second: finish his doctoral program.)

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Eric Hoover, Senior Writer at the Chronicle of Higher Education, joins the ALP to discuss his April 5 Chronicle article, A Profession on the Edge: Why enrollment leaders are wearing down, burning out, and leaving jobs they once loved.  He discusses what led to his writing the piece, what surprised him in his discovery, and why things are different now than they were nine years ago when he wrote a similarly provocative piece in September 2014, The Hottest Seat on Campus. 

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment

Thank you 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

Season Premiere: Mary Chase, Vice Provost for Enrollment at Creighton University, kicks off the season from her fortress of solitude (which will make sense when you listen), and shares how growing up on a farm, being a college mom, and leaving the first footsteps of the day on a dewy fairway shape her approach to enrollment leadership.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout songs: You Time by Scotty McCreery
• Best recent read: Reality-Based Leadership: Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, and Turn Excuses into Results, by Cy Wakeman
• Eager to read next: Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, by Chip and Dan Heath
• Favorite podcast: The Hank Haney Podcast
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: "For everyone's safety, I don't."
• What she uses to take and keep notes: iPad.
• Memorable bit of advice: "It's times maybe when I've lost where I've learned the most. So don't be afraid to lose. And learn from those losses." — John Klockentager
• Bucket list: Retirement.

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Season Finale: Vern Granger,  Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Connecticut AND the Chair of the Board for the National Association for College Admission Counseling shares what it takes to manage two jobs that, in themselves, are more than full-time jobs. We also discuss Vern's World Cup predictions, the finer points of bacon, proper peanut butter choices, and the virtue of the handwritten note. 

Rapid Descent

• Walkout songs:  Big Poppa by the Notorious B.I.G. and Sumthin' Sumthin' by Maxwell
• Best recent read: The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
• Eager to read next: Stealing Home: Los Angeles, The Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between  by Eric Nusbaum
• Favorite podcast: The 2 Robbies with Robbie Mustoe and Robbie Earle
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: PB&J, BLT, and/or Chicken Parmesan
• What he uses to take and keep notes: paper and pen (but, to be clear, it's a fountain pen).
• Memorable bit of advice: "If you're going to hoot with the owls, you better know how to crow with the roosters."
• Bucket list: Travel to South Africa.

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Wayne Young, Charisse Williams, Mary Ann Tietjen and Joe Ecklund of Creighton University's interdivisional student success team share some of the secret sauce behind how Creighton built and maintained a 3-point jump in first-year student retention over the past three years. The episode includes a look at Colloquium, a unique human-powered intervention with a 70% success rate retaining students who are preparing to leave the institution. Hat-tips throughout the episode to Mary Chase, Creighton's Vice President for Enrollment Management.

Although there is no Rapid Descent with the Creighton University team, Charisse identified Industry Baby by Lil Nas X (feat. Jack Harlow) as their walkout song.

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Andy Borst,  Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, shares tips on nurturing and managing relationships with the media (with hat-tips to Scott Jaschik and Eric Hoover). Andy also shares his morning routine (itself a pro tip) as well as the origins of his name, which we somehow accidentally trip over early in the episode.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Know Your Enemy by Green Day
• Best recent read: The Black Family's Guide to College Admissions by Tim Fields and Shereem Herndon-Brown
• Eager to read next: Campus Economics: How Economic Thinking Can Help Improve College and University Decisions by Sandy Baum and Michael McPherson
• Favorite podcast(s): The Truth About College Admission, the  new podcast by Rick Clark and Brennan Barnard. 
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Crab boil
• What he uses to take and keep notes: leather-bound notebook stuffed with Post-it notes.
• Memorable bit of advice: No-one owns the university loyalty.
• Bucket list: Write a book about college admission.

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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