higher ed leadership

This episode features my first guest ever, Dr. John Vasquez. John has worked in many areas related to student success, including multicultural affairs, LGBTQIA+ programs, counseling services, mentoring, and academic advising. He's also worked at a variety of institution types over the course of his career. In this episode, John shares how "feeling stuck" motivated him to register for the Supervisor Strengths Institute last summer. If you're feeling stuck or are just wondering whether the Institute would be a good fit for you, John and I talk about his experiences in the Institute, his struggles as a supervisor, and his thoughts about what folks need to do to change the culture of Higher Ed.  

It's officially 2024. How are you going to make this year better for yourself, your team, your students, and your family?

If you’re struggling in an area, doing what you’ve always done isn’t going to give you the results you need. Instead, you need to upgrade who you are and how you navigate those areas. Strengths University is here to help you along your journey, whether it’s around performance management, leadership, teamwork, or productivity. We offer individual coaching, team retreats and workshops, and our signature program, the Supervisor Strengths Institute.

The spring is the perfect time to think about investing in your team. Schedule a group workshop or think about individual coaching to help your team get through the rest of the year and be more productive.

Just email Anne at anne@strengthsuniversity.org or set up a meeting with her HERE and we'll get your team set up for a successful spring semester!

Want more information about Strengths University? Check out our website at https://www.strengthsuniversity.org/

It's the end of the year. That's when most of us stop and reflect on how things are going, right? Unfortunately, that's kind of like the "end of the year review" model. It's just not often enough to make a difference. Effective supervisors stop and reflect on a regular basis about what's working and even more importantly, what isn't working. In this episode, we'll dive into the importance of stopping when you're feeling frustrated and overwhelmed to assess exactly what habits and systems have gotten you there. Only by taking time in the moment, can you really understand what needs to be changed to get better results. 

It's officially 2024. How are you going to make this year better for yourself, your team, your students, and your family?

If you’re struggling in an area, doing what you’ve always done isn’t going to give you the results you need. Instead, you need to upgrade who you are and how you navigate those areas. Strengths University is here to help you along your journey, whether it’s around performance management, leadership, teamwork, or productivity. We offer individual coaching, team retreats and workshops, and our signature program, the Supervisor Strengths Institute.

The spring is the perfect time to think about investing in your team. Schedule a group workshop or think about individual coaching to help your team get through the rest of the year and be more productive.

Just email Anne at anne@strengthsuniversity.org or set up a meeting with her HERE and we'll get your team set up for a successful spring semester!

Want more information about Strengths University? Check out our website at https://www.strengthsuniversity.org/

The world of digital engagement is greatly impacted and hopefully improving the student experience. To learn more, we worked with Higher Ed Dive to survey higher education leaders about their plans for the future of chat and text. In this episode of 'For Your Institution,' we discuss the results of the survey to which 150 higher ed leaders responded. 

It seems fitting to drop the final episode of Season 5 on Ken's last day as Vice President for Enrollment at Lawrence University with the man who brought him to Lawrence 18 years ago: Steve Syverson, Dean of Admission Emeritus at Lawrence University. Steve served as Lawrence's chief enrollment officer for 28 years before handing the reins to Ken in 2011, and the episode is as much a trip down memory lane as it is an expansive view of what still matters most in the college admission profession.

Shout outs from people who have worked with Steve include: Jen England, Carin Smith, Jim Miller, Patrick O'Connor, Ray Brown, James Miller, Lynn Van Zeeland, and Nicole Schultz.

We will be back in fall 2022 with Season 6.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Stayin Alive by Bee Gees
• Best recent read: Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World by Fareed Zakaria
• Eager to read next: Some beach fluff
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Mean nachos.
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Pen and yellow legal pad. 
• Memorable bit of advice: "People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel ." -Maya Angelou
• Bucket list: Scuba diving off the Great Barrier Reef. 

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

In what may be the most blooper-reel worthy episode of the ALP so far, Roby Blust, Ken's second boss at Marquette University, demonstrates the importance of fun and humor while doing the noble work of college admissions, as well as how a crashed milk truck helped shape his view of what leadership means. Roby is the inspiration for a piece Ken wrote in 2018:  "Why do we do this?"

Shout outs from people who have worked with Roby include: Jeff Blahnik, Jenn Machacek,  Susan Teerink, Kim Frisch, Ed Moore, Aaron Meis, Adam Stout, Connie Bennett, Jean Burke, and Dan Hamrin.

This show is dedicated to Tom Weede, and when you listen to the end, you'll know why.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Big City by Merle Haggard (He's right: it makes so much sense)
• Best recent read: Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Greg Boyle, S.J.
• Eager to read next: The Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Preparing food for the grill.
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Levenger notepads. 
• Memorable bit of advice: "If you're on time, you're 15 minutes late." -Vince Lombardi
• Bucket list: Fishing in Alaska. 

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Ken's first boss in college admission, Ray Brown, joins the show to swap stories about leadership, team development, and baseball. Ray is the chief enrollment officer at St. Joseph's College of Maine, having served previously as dean of admission at TCU and Marquette and director of admission at Lawrence University. Ray also happens to be a human baseball encyclopedia, and shares the three games he most would have liked to attend throughout history, including one with a surprise ending.

Shout-outs to Bob Preloger, Fred Schebor, Steve Syverson, Duncan Murdoch, Heath Einstein and Mike Marshall.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
• Best recent read: The Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski
• Eager to read next: The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn and How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
• Favorite podcast: This one (check's in the mail, Ray).
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Bupkis
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Pen and paper. 
• Memorable bit of advice: "Do not judge your insides by other people's outsides."
• Bucket list: Trip to the Holy Land. 

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Amy Cembor,  Senior Associate Dean of Admission at Providence College (go Friars!) and former president of New England Association for College Admission Counseling, shares insights about life on the secondary and higher ed sides of the table, resistance against just going after what's next, and a story about an unfortunate mic drop moment in Las Vegas that, were this a video podcast, would reveal deep shades of red on Ken's face. 5

Shout-outs to Darryl Uy, Marie Bigham and LaSalle Bakery.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Standing Outside the Fire by Garth Brooks
• Best recent read: Untamed by Glennon Doyle.
• Eager to read next: Anything by Elin Hilderbrand that can serve as a beach read
• Favorite podcast: Dare to Lead and Unlocking Us, both by Brene Brown.
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Karen Chen (Oklahoma State) has a killer recipe for garlic mashed potatoes with cream cheese and bacon.
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Listmaster app ... and conference giveaway notepads.. 
• Memorable bit of advice: "People will forget what you said and what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel."
• Bucket list: Get my Ph.D!

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Jay Jacobs,  Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at the University of Vermont, shares a journey that starts with love at first sight (not only with college enrollment as a career but with a higher ed partner) and continues with a rapid ascent in the profession built through intentional career steps (College of New Jersey, Colgate, UChicago Booth School, U of Miami) including a life-changing caravan with three kids under age 3 up I-95 in the middle of winter and the middle of a pandemic.

Shout-outs to Terry Cowdrey, John Haller, Gary Ross, Lynn Holcomb, Karen Long and, of course, Callie Brown Jacobs.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Mother by Danzig
• Best recent read: The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul, and the Guitar Pioneering Rivalry that Shaped Rock 'n' Roll by Ian S. Port
• Eager to read next: The Privileged Poor by Anthony Jack 
• Favorite podcast: Up First, The Daily, Smartless
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Chicken Florentine ... also breakfast with bacon, eggs, and pancakes.
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Microsoft Notes + a nifty little Quartet desktop whiteboard. 
• Memorable bit of advice: His mother advising Jay that "sh!t happens."
• Bucket list: Going to South America + teaching his kids to ski.

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Susana Briscoe-Alba,  Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Mount St. Mary College in New York and founder of the Grit and Purpose Academy shares a story about the journey from a time in her life of being someone not wanting to be heard to someone setting a course for leaders to create environments where everyone can be made to feel seen, valued, and heard.

Special shout out to ALP alumna, Jennielle Strother, whom Susana met through the podcast.

To take Susana's LinkedIn survey, which we discuss in this episode, go here.

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Susana's mother, Damaris.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Coming in Hot by Andy Mineo and LeCrae
• Best recent read: Turn the Ship Around! by Lt. David Marquet.
• Eager to read next: Win the Day: 7 Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less & Accomplish More by Mark Batterson. 
• Favorite podcast: The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Pernil (Dominican roasted pork shoulder, which is what Susana believes they'll be serving when she gets to heaven ... and I believe her.)
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Google Docs + a Moleskine 
• Memorable bit of advice: "Don't dim your light simply because it makes others uncomfortable."
• Bucket list: "Vacationing to Bora Bora with my love bug, Eric Alba."

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Dan Lugo,  President of Queens University of Charlotte, who started his higher ed career in admissions at Carleton College (his alma mater), presents a master class in leadership with lessons too many to list here, but here's a sample: "If you're going to maximize what you're going to do in life you have to experience failure ... and invite it."

Oh ... this episode is filled with more, so much more.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Fight the Power by Public Enemy (and, as if Dan weren't cool enough already, he's friends with Chuck D)
• Best recent read: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson and The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
• Eager to read next: How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith and Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead. 
• Favorite podcast: The Daily by NYT
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: "I can make some mean eggs."
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Notes app on iPhone/iPad 
• Memorable bit of advice: The parent of a high school classmate gave Dan some bulletin board material when she said, "Do you think you're going to charm your way through college?" 
• Bucket list: Travel to Africa, visit the capital cities of that diverse and massive continent and go on a safari. (We can see a future where the Queens alumni office sponsors a Travels with the President program.)

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Dr. Michael Marshall,  Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communication at Bellarmine University, continues the streak of people Ken would love to work with (or for) someday, sharing great advice in bundles of three, like: the 3 Ps and 3 questions an enrollment leader must keep in mind; the 3 things he has kept in mind on his own leadership journey; and the 3 essentials for thriving.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Encore by Jay Z
• Best recent read: The Campus Color Line: College Presidents and the Struggle for Black Freedom by Eddie R. Cole (recommended to him by CIC president Marjorie Hass)
• Eager to read next: Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong and Single Black Female by Tracy Brown (the latter as part of his and his wife, Danielle's, book club).
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Salmon with tequila lime seasoning
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Notes app on iPhone/iPad 
• Memorable bit of advice: "Understand your true north—your mission, vision, and core values—and look for alignment [with potential employers]
• Bucket list: Go skydiving

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Nikki Kāhealani Chun, the inaugural Vice President for Enrollment Management at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, shares the power of "talk story sessions" with her new team, the three essential questions to truly see the people you lead, and geographic agnosticism.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Respect by Aretha Franklin
• Best recent read: An article on equitable approaches to student financial aid
• Eager to read next: Reflections of her sessions with staff that she describes early in the show.
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: "A mess."
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Stationery agnostic. ;) 
• Memorable bit of advice: "Keep friends close by to tell you to just hang on."
• Bucket list: "Just drop me anywhere in Europe."

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Thom Golden, Founder & CEO of Golden Educational Consulting, shares the story of his journey from college admission work to higher-ed adjacent work to launching his own college consulting firm centered around "whole student scheduling."   The episode focuses on "purposeful unrest," the path not taken, and watershed moments, and includes great insights no matter where around the desk your seat is located.

• Whole Student Scheduling
• 100 Cups Academy
• Napier Executive Search
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Watershed by Indigo Girls

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  The Man by Aloe Blacc
• Best recent read: The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by David Brooks (hat tip to Brad Weiner for the recommendation)
• Eager to read next: Excellent Sheep; The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life by William Deresewicz
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Smoked pork shoulder (and yes, he shared his recipe).
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Rocket Book, Moleskine, Evernote. 
• Memorable bit of advice: "Say 'Make it a great day' instead of 'Have a great day,' [because it speaks to agency and action].
• Bucket list: There's a piece of paper in their kitchen where each of his sons has picked trips for him to take with each of his sons: to waterparks, to England to watch Tottenham Hotspurs, and the United States Grand Prix in Austin.

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Eric Hoover, Senior Writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education, shares  stories about how his stories have come to be, why empathy is his North Star, and why writing about college admission is like writing about the meaning of life.

We discuss some of his stories, including:

• A University in Texas Promised Full Scholarships to Dozens of Nepalese Students. Months Later, It Revoked the Offer. (April 2018)
• The Second Chance Club. Inside a Semester of Remedial English (March 2013)
• The Most Onerous Form in College Admissions (February 2021)

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Fantastic Man by William Onyeabor
• Best recent read: The Book of Delights by Ross Gay. 
• Eager to read next: H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Marcella Hazan's bolognese sauce or Rick Bayless's enchiladas suizas.
• What he uses to take and keep notes: A reporter's notebook that fits neatly in his pocket. 
• Memorable bit of advice: "Stop being afraid of what you don't know" (from his first editor and mentor) and "Try always to come down on the side of humanity" (from his dad).
• Bucket list: "See the aurora borealis while staying in an all-glass igloo. Also, get myself down to Alabama to visit with Mary Ann Willis, college counselor at  Bayside Academy, to come and read to the elementary students in her school.

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Alexander Clark, Founder & CEO of Technolutions (the folks behind Slate), shares the origin story of the CRM that changed the higher ed landscape, as well as the things he has learned along a journey that started with his first entrepreneurial venture ... in fifth grade. Bonus fun: learn about the freedom and flexibility of halcyon days.

This episode is brought to you by RHB, which has been providing enrollment, marketing, CRM and organizational solutions for more than 300 institutions around the world for 30 years.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Voyager by Daft Punk
• Best recent read: The Microsoft research study on the effects of remote work on collaboration among information workers. 
• Eager to read next: Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse and Future Shock by Alvin Toffler
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Grilling simple burgers outside on the weekend with herbs, tomatoes, and lettuces from the backyard garden.
• What he uses to take and keep notes: "I haven’t taken notes in two decades and store everything in my head. If something falls out, which of course a great deal does, I figure it’s either unimportant or, if it indeed was important, someone else will store it for me and remind me of it later. It’s a great priority filter." 
• Memorable bit of advice: From a middle school science teacher, that if you ever want to start a business, go to a cocktail party and listen to people complain about their jobs. If you can find solutions to their challenges, you have your first customers.
• Bucket list: Flying to Paris, following a “36 hours in Paris” itinerary in the New York Times hour for hour, and flying home. Mostly to have the bragging rights for when folks ask what I did last weekend I can respond, “I had a craving for French food, so I flew to Paris."

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

Liz Gross, Founder & CEO of Campus Sonar, and the author of The Higher Ed Social Listening Handbook and Fundamentals of Social Media Strategy: A Guide for College Campuses, kicks off Season 5 of The ALP with an episode loaded with great advice about leadership and entrepreneurship, including the importance of a clear work philosophy, learning organizations, compensation strategies, and equity ... also on why one can do great things in 40(ish) hours a week.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song:  Like a Girl by Lizzo
• Best recent read: Temperance Brennan Series Kathy Reichs and The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization by Peter Senge 
• Eager to read next: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• Podcast: WorkLife with Adam Grant also How I Built This with Guy Raz plays prominently in this episode.
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Bone broth.
• What she uses to take and keep notes: Clever Fox daily planner. 
• Memorable bit of advice: "Never be so polite that you forget your power, but never wield such power that you forget to be polite." —Taylor Swift
• Bucket list: "Raise chickens"

Theme music arranged by Ryan Anselment.

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

It's a stressful and overwhelming time for supervisors in higher education. Getting frustrated with ourselves because we're not doing things differently just adds to the stress without leading to positive changes. In this episode we discuss how we all need to give ourselves some grace, because we're doing the best we can. We also discuss how to make meaningful change when it's time, that can make our lives better and less stressful in ways that build ourselves up instead of tearing ourselves down. 

It's officially 2024. How are you going to make this year better for yourself, your team, your students, and your family?

If you’re struggling in an area, doing what you’ve always done isn’t going to give you the results you need. Instead, you need to upgrade who you are and how you navigate those areas. Strengths University is here to help you along your journey, whether it’s around performance management, leadership, teamwork, or productivity. We offer individual coaching, team retreats and workshops, and our signature program, the Supervisor Strengths Institute.

The spring is the perfect time to think about investing in your team. Schedule a group workshop or think about individual coaching to help your team get through the rest of the year and be more productive.

Just email Anne at anne@strengthsuniversity.org or set up a meeting with her HERE and we'll get your team set up for a successful spring semester!

Want more information about Strengths University? Check out our website at https://www.strengthsuniversity.org/

Every year around this time, HR emails us reminding us it's time for the old annual reviews. Unfortunately, those reviews seem to just add stress without much benefit for us our our team members. Instead of rushing to get them done - trying to remember everything that happened over the course of a busy year, let's reimagine how we approach the annual review process. In this episode, we'll talk about how to combine the annual review with consistent coaching throughout the year to increase productivity, engagement, and decrease stress for all the involved parties. 

It's officially 2024. How are you going to make this year better for yourself, your team, your students, and your family?

If you’re struggling in an area, doing what you’ve always done isn’t going to give you the results you need. Instead, you need to upgrade who you are and how you navigate those areas. Strengths University is here to help you along your journey, whether it’s around performance management, leadership, teamwork, or productivity. We offer individual coaching, team retreats and workshops, and our signature program, the Supervisor Strengths Institute.

The spring is the perfect time to think about investing in your team. Schedule a group workshop or think about individual coaching to help your team get through the rest of the year and be more productive.

Just email Anne at anne@strengthsuniversity.org or set up a meeting with her HERE and we'll get your team set up for a successful spring semester!

Want more information about Strengths University? Check out our website at https://www.strengthsuniversity.org/

We're busy. We're stressed. Taking time to celebrate usually doesn't factor in to our priorities. But it should. In this episode, we begin a month of celebration for the birthday of this podcast! We also talk about why celebrating is so important. Celebrating isn't about having a party, it's about being grateful for what we have and how far we've come. It's about being mindful - present in the moment and full of joy and pride for a job well done. Celebration takes us out of our daily autopilot setting and gets us more in tune with our conscious brain instead of riding the waves of our subconscious programming. And finally, fostering a culture of celebration with your team increases engagement. 

Want to win one of our three birthday giveaways? There's two ways to enter...

1. Sign up for our mailing list any time in the month of July. Just use this link -  https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/4xBPXSN/mcmmbirthdaygiveaway

2. Leave us a review, take a screen shot, and email us at anne@strengthsuniversity.org

It's officially 2024. How are you going to make this year better for yourself, your team, your students, and your family?

If you’re struggling in an area, doing what you’ve always done isn’t going to give you the results you need. Instead, you need to upgrade who you are and how you navigate those areas. Strengths University is here to help you along your journey, whether it’s around performance management, leadership, teamwork, or productivity. We offer individual coaching, team retreats and workshops, and our signature program, the Supervisor Strengths Institute.

The spring is the perfect time to think about investing in your team. Schedule a group workshop or think about individual coaching to help your team get through the rest of the year and be more productive.

Just email Anne at anne@strengthsuniversity.org or set up a meeting with her HERE and we'll get your team set up for a successful spring semester!

Want more information about Strengths University? Check out our website at https://www.strengthsuniversity.org/

We all have talents. When we use them productively, they show up as Strengths. But when we don't use them so productively, they show up as weaknesses. When that happens, it generally means more stress for us. Sometimes we create more work for ourselves. Sometimes we get overly involved in our stories, which causes more stress. Either way, knowing more about how your talents are showing up, allows you to better manage them, AND keep them from adding to your stress. 

It's officially 2024. How are you going to make this year better for yourself, your team, your students, and your family?

If you’re struggling in an area, doing what you’ve always done isn’t going to give you the results you need. Instead, you need to upgrade who you are and how you navigate those areas. Strengths University is here to help you along your journey, whether it’s around performance management, leadership, teamwork, or productivity. We offer individual coaching, team retreats and workshops, and our signature program, the Supervisor Strengths Institute.

The spring is the perfect time to think about investing in your team. Schedule a group workshop or think about individual coaching to help your team get through the rest of the year and be more productive.

Just email Anne at anne@strengthsuniversity.org or set up a meeting with her HERE and we'll get your team set up for a successful spring semester!

Want more information about Strengths University? Check out our website at https://www.strengthsuniversity.org/