THE CHANGE LEADER

Category: Academics and Faculty

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 307-Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Chris Crittenden - Building Workforce Readiness Through Real Startup Experience

Building Workforce Readiness Through Real Startup Experience:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 307 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Chris Crittenden

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Chris Crittenden, founder of Sandbox, a for-credit startup incubator now operating at eight universities, about what it takes to make experiential learning actually work.

Most institutions claim to offer experiential learning. But when students move from class to class, splitting their time across multiple priorities, the result is often shallow exposure rather than real capability. Sandbox takes a different approach. Students spend an entire academic year earning 18 credits by building a real technology company on interdisciplinary teams, with the time, stakes, and accountability required to go deep.

Crittenden brings a unique perspective shaped by his experience at McKinsey, founding and selling an AI company to Walmart, and building entrepreneurial programs at BYU. In this conversation, he explains

April 14, 2026 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Ed podcast 284 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest David Gooblar | The Real Cost of Overlooking Teaching Quality in Higher Education

The Real Cost of Overlooking Teaching Quality in Higher Education:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 284 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest David Gooblar

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with David Gooblar, Associate Professor at the University of Iowa and author of The Missing Course, about why teaching quality remains one of higher education’s most overlooked performance drivers—and what presidents and boards can do to regain that strategic advantage.

Presidents and boards have invested heavily in analytics, recruitment, and student support to improve outcomes, yet few apply the same strategic oversight to classroom instruction. That blind spot costs institutions measurable losses in retention, performance, and credibility.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Institutional ROI: How strategic management of teaching quality raises retention and reduces cost per graduate.

✓ Governance Oversight: Why the lack of teaching accountability represents a leadership blind spot.

✓ Faculty Incentives: How

November 4, 2025 June 27, 2026
Free Speech on College Campuses: Insights from FIRE's 2025 Report | College Free Speech Rankings | Changing Higher Ed podcast 283 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Sean Stevens

Free Speech on College Campuses: Insights from FIRE’s 2025 Report:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 283 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Sean Stevens

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton talks with Dr. Sean Stevens, Chief Research Advisor at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), about how universities can protect free speech amid growing political pressures and declining tolerance for differing views.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Research Insights: What FIRE’s data shows about the state of free expression and faculty terminations on U.S. campuses.

✓ Government Influence: How political actors are pressuring institutions and shaping free speech policies.

✓ Leadership Responsibility: Why consistent policies and strong presidential leadership matter more than ever.

✓ Academic Freedom: How faculty can navigate controversial topics without fear of professional retaliation.

✓ Constructive Dialogue: What Vanderbilt and Dartmouth’s programs reveal about improving student discourse.

✓ Institutional Strategy: Steps

October 28, 2025 June 27, 2026
Change in Higher Education-Changing Higher Ed podcast 254 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest R. Todd Benson: Using Faculty Satisfaction Data for Strategic

Using Faculty Satisfaction Data for Strategic Change in Higher Education:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 254 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. R. Todd Benson

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Todd Benson, Executive Director of COACHE (Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education), about how institutions can use faculty satisfaction data to guide institutional decision-making, improve retention, and strengthen shared governance. The conversation highlights how faculty survey results can become tools for strategic planning, trust-building, and leadership alignment—when used intentionally.

You’ll also hear how institutions like Georgia State and UT Arlington are translating faculty feedback into measurable outcomes that support both faculty needs and institutional goals.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Strategic Use of Data: How to move beyond reporting and start using faculty data to shape institutional priorities.

✓ Retention Drivers: What COACHE’s national retention study reveals about time allocation, trust, and support.

April 8, 2025 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Ed podcast 236 - faculty diversity drives enrollment-with guests Jeffrey Robinson and Blane Ruschak of the PhD Project

How Faculty Diversity Drives Enrollment: The PhD Project’s 90% Success Model:

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 236 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Guests Dr. Jeffrey Robinson and Blane Ruschak

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Jeffrey Robinson, Interim Chancellor at Rutgers University-Newark and Graduate of the PhD Project, and Blane Ruschak, President of the PhD Project and Consultant with KPMG. The discussion centers around the PhD Project’s remarkable 30-year journey in diversifying business school faculty, creating systemic change in higher education through faculty representation, and building a sustainable pipeline of diverse academic talent.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Success Metrics: Understand the extraordinary completion and retention rates that make the PhD Project a model for systemic change.

✓ Institutional Impact: Understand why diverse faculty is the second highest correlating factor in attracting diverse students.

✓ Economic Benefits: Discover the business case for faculty diversity in an increasingly global

December 3, 2024 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Podcast 187- 2023 Higher Education Year in Review & 2024 Predictions

2023 Higher Education Year in Review and 2024 Predictions:

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 187 with Host Deborah Maue and Guest Dr. Drumm McNaughton

  Join us in our 2023 Higher Education Year in Review and Predictions for 2024. In this sixth annual year-end podcast, Deborah Maue, Aurora University Senior Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing, takes the mic as our special host of the Changing Higher Ed podcast to interview Dr. Drumm McNaughton as they review (and grade) last year’s 2023 higher ed prognostications. The duo share their insights on 2023, discuss the unexpected developments, and what to prepare for with the higher education predictions for 2024.   Reviewing Dr. Drumm McNaughton’s Predictions for 2023 Continuing Decline in College Enrollment: A Closer Look at 2023’s Trends 2022 Prediction for 2023: College enrollment will continue to decline. Grade given by Deb Maue: A. In 2023, college enrollment continued its downward trajectory. Despite a contrasting

December 26, 2023 January 5, 2026
Preparing Higher Ed for the Turnover Tsunami

Preparing Higher Ed for the Turnover Tsunami:

7 Key Decisions University Leaders Must Make Post-Pandemic

Higher education isn’t immune from the anticipated post-pandemic Turnover Tsunami. College and university leaders must prepare and plan for the way the pandemic changed the way of work—and now the labor force is rapidly making its feedback known about what will be required for them to remain at work. Will higher education leaders listen? Or will colleges and universities return to pre-pandemic work expectations?

July 12, 2021 April 7, 2026
Curriculum Innovation through Higher Ed Partnerships

Curriculum Innovation Through Higher Ed Partnerships:

with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Anthony Wutoh | Changing Higher Ed Podcast 082

Learn how Howard University is staying relevant by fostering curriculum innovation through creating partnerships with top industry leaders. The Washington, D.C. institution has created collaborative efforts with Google and Amazon, among others, that are supporting the preparation of students and ensuring that Howard’s programs and courses remain at the forefront of learning.

June 23, 2021 August 7, 2026
Washington Update: University Regulations and New Stimulus Package

Washington Update: University Regulations and New Stimulus Package:

with Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Tom Netting | Changing Higher Ed Podcast 051

University regulations and new stimulus package – what it means for higher ed institutions. Federal policymakers are trying to figure out their next steps in relation to higher education in the wake of the pandemic. In addition, these policymakers are continuing in developing and implementing regulations. TEN Government Strategies CEO Tom Netting, a regular guest on this podcast, provides an update on new regulations that are coming online as well as recent and proposed federal legislation, including the CARES Act, which provides short-term financial and policy guidance.

July 16, 2020 July 15, 2023
Christian Higher Education – Present and Future: with Dr. Drumm McNaughton Dr. Ralph Enlow, Jr. | Changing Higher Ed Podcast 039

Christian Higher Education – Present and Future:

with Dr. Drumm McNaughton Dr. Ralph Enlow, Jr. | Changing Higher Ed Podcast 039

Podcast, Christian Higher Ed – Present and Future with Dr. Ralph Enlow, Jr. and Dr. Drumm McNaughton discusses ways in which Christian higher ed is facing numerous challenges. The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) conducted a study in collaboration with the Barna Group in 2017 that focused on the marketplace, the dynamics facing member institutions as well as the perceptions of Christian higher education. The study identified a number of actions that Christian higher education institutions need to do to remain or become sustainable.

April 16, 2020 November 25, 2023
How to Implement Effective Shared Governance: Changing Higher Ed Podcast 033 with Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Philip Rous

How to Implement Effective Shared Governance:

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 033 with Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Philip Rous

How to Implement Effective Shared Governance with Philip Rous and Dr. Drumm McNaughton on the Changing Higher Ed Podcast. Dr. Philip Rous is provost and senior vice president for academic affairs of the University of Maryland Baltimore County. He has been at UMBC for 29 years, both as a faculty member and administrator. He tries to facilitate the community as a whole to grow and expand.

March 17, 2020 May 29, 2026
Potential Impact of Brexit on Higher Ed

Potential Impact of Brexit on Higher Ed

What do you think the potential impact of Brexit on Higher Ed will be? Written by The Change Leader’s European team member, Dr. Albert Schram.

January 21, 2020 November 25, 2023
NEGOTIATED RULEMAKING 2019

Negotiated Rulemaking 2019 — Washington Update:

with Host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Guest Russ Poulin | Changing Higher Ed Podcast 029

Negotiated Rulemaking 2019 podcast with Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Dr. Russ Poulin. Dr. Poulin served on the subcommittee on the recent federal Negotiated Rulemaking (Neg Reg) negotiations where he had the opportunity to provide input on recommendations that were voted on by the full committee. He was recently promoted to be the Executive Director of WCET.

January 4, 2020 August 7, 2021
The Future of Online Program Management

The Future of Online Program Management Services:

with Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Grant Aldrich | Changing Higher Ed Podcast 026

This program focused on the future of online program management (OPM). Over time, OPMs have expanded to include student recruitment, student retention, and support. When online education began to emerge, many higher education institutions didn’t have the wherewithal and talent to ramp up online programs so many companies started offering OPM services in program conception and creation.

November 20, 2019 July 14, 2021
Creating Education Pathways for First Generation Students

Creating Education Pathways for First Generation Students:

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 024 with Host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Guest Dr. Karen Haynes

Creating Education Pathways for First Generation Students on the Changing Higher Ed Podcast. Dr. Karen Haynes retired as president of Cal State San Marcos on June 30, 2019. She was the longest-seated president in the CSU system and the first woman to hold this role in history. Haynes began her presidency in 2004 when the institution had a student population of 7,000 and an alumni base of 13,000. Through her leadership, the campus grew to serve 17,000 students and now has approximately 45,000 alumni.

July 17, 2019 February 28, 2023
The Future Role of Faculty

The Future Role of Faculty in Higher Ed Part 1:

The Changing Face of Higher Ed Part 7

What is the future role of faculty for institutions of higher learning? Colleges and universities are not known for making rapid changes, although many who work in higher education – especially faculty members — have strong feelings about the ways others need to change. Yet with change happening so quickly and in so many ways, the role of faculty members has to change.

July 17, 2018 July 14, 2023
Higher Ed Budget Cuts and Accountability

Higher Ed Budget Cuts and Accountability

Higher ed budget cuts and accountability issues threaten higher education institutions worldwide. The financial challenges facing higher education institutions are immense. Many higher education leaders are in a difficult spot: declining tuition revenues and lower state allocations. The federal tax bill also threatens to slice into many higher education budgets, as has President Trump’s immigration policies and the game of ping pong he appears to be playing with the federal courts. All of these are forcing higher education leaders to consider draconian cuts to budgets.

January 29, 2018 August 22, 2024

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