THE CHANGE LEADER

Category: Strategic Planning and Management

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 313-Dr. Drumm McNaughton, David Marchick, and Angela Virtu-313: AI-First Business Education & 40% Enrollment Growth-How Kogod Transformed Culture, Curriculum, and Faculty Adoption

How Kogod’s AI-First Business School Model Drove 40% Enrollment Growth in Three Years:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 313 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton with guests David Marchick and Angela Virtu

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with returning guests David Marchick, Dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University, and Angela Virtu, Professor of IT and Analytics and Associate Director of Kogod’s AI Institute. Kogod gave a faculty committee six weeks and a five-page limit to figure out what to do about AI. The result was a school-wide integration into every department, major, and minor. Three years later, undergraduate enrollment is up 40%, applications are up 50%, and more than 90% of faculty are using AI in the classroom. Marchick and Virtu walk through how they did it, what changed, and where they’re headed next.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Culture Over Technology: How Kogod treated AI integration as

May 26, 2026 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Ed Podcast 311-Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Dr. Stepen Spinelli-Scaling Higher Education: An Entrepreneurial Approach to a Consolidating Market

Scaling Higher Education: An Entrepreneurial Approach to a Consolidating Market:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 311 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Stephen Spinelli

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Stephen Spinelli, President of Babson College, about what higher education can learn from entrepreneurial scaling, market consolidation, AI-enabled delivery models, and values-driven strategic execution. The discussion examines why higher education’s anti-scale culture has become a strategic liability, how institutions can respond to market pressure without abandoning their mission, and what presidents and boards should be doing now to prepare for a more networked, modular, and competitive future.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Higher Education Consolidation: Why the sector is showing classic signs of market consolidation and what that means for institutional survival.

✓ Anti-Scale Culture: How higher education’s resistance to scale limits adaptability, durability, and long-term competitiveness.

✓ Entrepreneurial Strategy: Why thoughtful strategy

May 12, 2026 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Ed Podcast 309-Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Dr. Shaun Carver- International Enrollment Strategy: Taking Higher Education to the World

Take the University to the World: A New International Enrollment Strategy for Regional and Private Colleges:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 309 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Shaun Carver

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Shaun Carver, Executive Director of UC Berkeley’s International House, about the structural shift reshaping international student enrollment and what it means for U.S. institutions.

While national enrollment numbers suggest stability, the reality is far more uneven. Top-tier institutions continue to attract international students, while regional and private institutions are seeing declines driven by visa restrictions, global competition, and changing perceptions of the United States as a destination.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Enrollment Reality: Why international enrollment trends are diverging sharply between top-tier and regional institutions

✓ Decision Drivers: How brand strength and perceived welcome are shaping student and family choices

✓ Undergraduate Risk: Why undergraduate international enrollment is more exposed than graduate

April 28, 2026 June 27, 2026
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 298 The Data Exists, You're Just Not Using It — Tracking Stop-Outs, Transfers, and ROI Across the Full Student Journey -Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Melba Amissi - National Student Clearinghouse

The Data Exists, You’re Just Not Using It — Tracking Stop-Outs, Transfers, and ROI Across the Full Student Journey:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 298 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Melba Amissi

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Melba Amissi, Chief Customer and Operations Officer at the National Student Clearinghouse, about why the data institutions need to prove their value, recapture stop-outs, and respond to mounting accountability pressure already exists — and why most leaders aren’t using it. Drawing on a career in financial services, fraud analytics, and operational transformation, Amissi brings an outsider’s perspective to higher ed’s most urgent challenges, including rising costs, non-linear student pathways, workforce alignment, and the growing demand for measurable ROI.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Data You Already Have: How the Clearinghouse’s cross-institutional data can drive benchmarking, pathway analysis, and strategic planning.

✓ The 42 Million Stop-Out Opportunity: Why the massive some-college-no-credential population demands flexible pathways,

February 10, 2026 June 27, 2026
2026 Strategic Planning for Higher Education | The Change Leader | The outlook for higher education in 2026 and insights for presidents and boards to know before completing their planning for 2026 and beyond

2026 Higher Education Strategic Outlook: Converting 2025 Shocks into Executable Decisions:

Before your 2026 strategic plan is finalized, pressure-test the assumptions that no longer hold

In this post, Dr. Drumm McNaughton outlines the decisions and oversight questions presidents and boards should be focusing on as 2026 planning, budgeting, and governance cycles are underway. It is written to help leadership teams translate current conditions into clear priorities that protect execution and preserve institutional options in the year ahead.

Some of the topics covered in the post:

✓ Decision Gates and Contingencies: How to build a 2026 plan that holds up under policy volatility instead of relying on stable assumptions.

✓ International Enrollment Risk: What expanded visa restrictions mean for concentration risk, recruitment strategy, and capacity planning tied to international headcount.

✓ Research Funding Exposure: Why federal leverage belongs on the risk register and what bridge-funding rules and scenario budgeting should look like before a disruption hits.

January 22, 2026 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Ed Podcast Cover Image-Podcast 292: How Stevens Tech Became One of the Strongest Transformation Stories in Higher Education

How Stevens Tech Became One of the Strongest Transformation Stories in Higher Education:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 292 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Nariman Farvardin

Strategic Planning and Academic Realignment at Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology has become a living example of how disciplined strategic planning, academic realignment, and institutional follow-through can transform a university for long-term relevance and success. This episode of the Changing Higher Ed podcast features Dr. Nariman Farvardin, President of Stevens Institute of Technology. Since assuming the presidency in 2011, Dr. Farvardin has led a remarkable institutional transformation driven by comprehensive planning, academic realignment, and sustained execution. Under his leadership, Stevens moved from incremental change to structural transformation, producing outcomes that place the institution among the strongest performers in the country. The result is not theoretical success. It is measurable, sustained performance across enrollment demand, student outcomes, research activity, and institutional reputation. Under Dr. Farvardin’s presidency: Undergraduate applications

December 30, 2025 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Ed podcast 291 cover image - Higher Education 2026 Planning and Outlook with Lessons from 2025 Predictions with guest host Tom Netting and co-host Dr. Drumm McNaughton

Higher Education 2026 Planning and Outlook with Lessons from 2025 Predictions:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 291 with guest host Tom Netting and co-host Dr. Drumm McNaughton

In this 8th annual end-of-year episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton joins Tom Netting of TEN Government Strategies to review how 2025 unfolded and what institutional leaders should prepare for in 2026. The conversation is built for presidents, provosts, trustees, and senior teams heading into strategic planning, budgeting, and governance decisions in a policy environment that is shifting quickly and often through nontraditional channels.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ 2025 Reality Check: What played out as expected, what moved through reconciliation instead of full HEA reauthorization, and why that pattern matters for 2026 planning.

✓ Federal Policy and Regulatory Outlook: What to anticipate on short-term Pell, Title IV eligibility, workforce provisions, and accountability signals that affect institutional decision-making.

✓ Department of Education Restructuring: What

December 23, 2025 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Ed Podcast Cover Image-290- Strategic Insights from the 2025 AAC&U Employer Survey-What Employers want from higher education-Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Dr. Ashley Finley

Strategic Insights from the 2025 AAC&U Employer Survey: What Employers Really Think About Higher Education:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 290 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Ashley Finley

Employers are far more aligned with higher education than today’s public and political narratives suggest—and the 2025 AAC&U Employer Survey makes that disconnect impossible to ignore. In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Ashley Finley of the Association of American Colleges and Universities about her AAC&U’s 2025 Employer Survey, The Agility Imperative: How Employers View Preparation for an Uncertain Future, and what it reveals about the real-world employer views of college degrees, civic learning, AI readiness, and the skills that matter most for an uncertain future. This conversation builds on nearly 20 years of longitudinal employer research and offers one of the clearest signals yet that employers continue to value higher education, often in ways that contradict prevailing public narratives. The findings challenge institutions to

December 16, 2025 June 27, 2026
Cover image | Changing Higher Ed podcast 289 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest David Maffei | Higher Education Communication Strategy Under Political Pressure and Crisis Risk

Higher Education Communication Strategy Under Political Pressure and Crisis Risk:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 289 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest David Maffei

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with David Maffei, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Americas at Staffbase, about how higher education leaders must rethink communication strategy in an era of political pressure, real-time scrutiny, and institutional risk. The conversation focuses on why internal communication now drives external credibility, how crisis preparation shapes governance stability, and what presidents and boards must understand about unified signaling, trust, and leadership discipline.

What you will gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Internal vs External Alignment: Why internal communication now determines how institutions are perceived externally.

✓ Crisis Readiness: How preparedness, not improvisation, determines institutional stability under pressure.

✓ Governance and Trust: Why internal notification must always precede public announcements.

✓ Presidential Communication: Why communication is

December 9, 2025 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Ed podcast 287 | How Leaders Can Reclaim the Narratives About Higher Education and Rebuild Public Trust | With host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Peter Murphy Lewis

How Leaders Can Reclaim the Narrative About Higher Education and Rebuild Public Trust:

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 287 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Peter Murphy Lewis

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Peter Murphy Lewis, CNN political analyst, filmmaker, and director of People Worth Caring About. The conversation focuses on how institutions can counter distorted public narratives by using clear, human-centered stories that show the real work happening on campuses.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Why public narratives about higher education have drifted from campus reality.

✓ How political rhetoric and social media amplify misconceptions.

✓ Why families and communities trust stories from students and faculty more than institutional messaging.

✓ How to use short-form storytelling to reach parents, legislators, alumni, and prospective students.

✓ How the CARE model (Confront, Amplify, Reshape, Evergreen) helps institutions communicate with consistency.

✓ Why one authentic story can be reframed

November 25, 2025 June 29, 2026
Innovation in Higher Education: How Leaders Build the Capacity to Adapt with Insights from AFIT | Changing Higher Ed Podcast 286 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Erika Liodice

Innovation in Higher Education: How Leaders Build the Capacity to Adapt with Insights from AFIT:

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 286 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Erika Liodice

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Erika Liodice, Executive Director of the Alliance for Innovation and Transformation (AFIT). They demonstrate how colleges can strengthen their innovation capacity through futures thinking, cross-sector learning, and structured team-based planning. The episode highlights practical models used by institutional leaders across the country to anticipate disruption, improve decision-making, and align teams around shared strategic direction.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Innovation Discipline: Why innovation fails without structured planning, shared vision, and coordinated leadership.

✓ Futures Thinking: How institutions are using foresight practices to anticipate demographic shifts, workforce changes, and technology disruption.

✓ Environmental Scanning: Approaches presidents and boards can use to improve long-range planning and strengthen institutional resilience.

✓ Cross-Sector Learning: What higher ed leaders

November 18, 2025 June 27, 2026
Aligning Higher Education Strategy and Programs with Workforce Needs by Measuring Value Through Outcomes and Earnings | Changing Higher Ed podcast 282 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Harrison Keller

Aligning Higher Education Strategy and Programs with Workforce Needs by Measuring Value Through Outcomes and Earnings:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 282 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Harrison Keller

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Harrison Keller, president of the University of North Texas and former Texas commissioner of higher education.

Keller shares how universities can demonstrate measurable value by aligning strategy, programs, and workforce partnerships with real-world outcomes. His approach connects data, faculty collaboration, and employer input to strengthen workforce readiness and improve the economic return on a college degree.

What you’ll gain from listening:

✓ How Building a Talent Strong Texas ties credentials directly to outcomes and earnings data

✓ Ways to evaluate programs using “time-to-value” analysis to measure return on investment

✓ How employer partnerships and the Texas Talent Accelerator improve workforce readiness

✓ Strategies for integrating faculty externships and experiential learning into degree programs

✓ How data-driven planning

October 21, 2025 June 27, 2026
How to Execute a Debt-Free Higher Education Turnaround Through Real Estate and Risk Planning | Changing Higher Ed podcast 280 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Beth Martin

How to Execute a Debt-Free Higher Education Turnaround Through Real Estate and Risk Planning:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 280 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Beth Martin

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton talks with Beth Martin, President of Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU), about how she led the university through a full financial and operational turnaround.

The conversation explores how NDNU eliminated institutional debt through strategic real estate use, risk planning, and sound financial governance, providing a practical model for leaders navigating fiscal and structural challenges.

What you’ll gain from this episode:

✓ Leadership insights from executing a debt-free turnaround

✓ How to use real estate as a strategic asset, not a bailout

✓ Risk-planning structures that safeguard mission and operations

✓ Governance alignment between presidents, boards, and sponsoring orders

✓ Insights on realigning academic programs for financial sustainability

This episode offers a candid look at how to stabilize institutional finances

October 7, 2025 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Ed podcast 278 Higher Education Fundraising and Strategic Planning Alignment

Higher Education Fundraising and Strategic Planning Alignment—Strengthening Donor Relationships and Institutional Resilience:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 278 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Bill Crouch

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Bill Crouch, CEO of BrightDot and former university president, about how presidents and boards can strengthen higher education fundraising in today’s strained financial climate. Together they explore strategies that move beyond transactional giving to cultivate generosity that creates lasting impact.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Fundraising as Strategy: How to integrate development into broader institutional planning to counter enrollment and funding pressures.

✓ Mattership: Why donors want assurance that their lives and legacies matter, not just their dollars.

✓ The 95/5 Reality: Why presidents should focus attention on the small percentage of donors who hold the majority of philanthropic capacity.

✓ Eagles and Sparrows: How to engage high-capacity donors without losing the value of

September 23, 2025 June 30, 2026
Cover Image- Changing Higher Ed podcast 276 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Emily Chase Coleman | Enrollment Analytics: Using Data Modeling to Improve Student Recruitment, Retention, Budgeting, and Planning

Enrollment Analytics: Using Data Modeling to Improve Student Recruitment, Retention, Budgeting, and Planning:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 276 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Emily Chase Coleman

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Emily Chase Coleman, co-founder and CEO of HAI Analytics. Their conversation explores how enrollment analytics and data modeling reshape how institutions approach student recruitment, retention, budgeting, and strategic planning.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Recruitment Clarity: How enrollment analytics identifies which students are most likely to enroll and persist.

✓ Financial Aid Strategy: Why presidents and boards must stop purging aid data and how financial aid modeling prevents wasted resources.

✓ Retention Focus: How student retention analytics strengthens both short- and long-term stability.

✓ Budget Alignment: How faulty enrollment forecasts undermine budgets and why boards must tie projections to reality.

✓ Strategic Planning Insight: Why leaders need to use enrollment analytics as a

September 9, 2025 June 30, 2026
Changing Higher Ed podcast 271 cover image for University Transformation: Tough Calls, Program Realignment and Mental Health Support featuring Andy Vaughn and Dr. Drumm McNaughton

How University Leaders Can Transform Institutions with Program Realignment and Scalable Mental Health Services:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 271 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Andy Vaughn

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Andy Vaughn, President and CEO of Alliant International University, about how institutional leaders can drive university transformation by making tough decisions, realigning academic programs, and embedding scalable mental health support into operations. Alliant now produces 40% of California’s licensed doctoral psychologists and 10–12% nationwide—a turnaround driven by eliminating underperforming programs and focusing on licensure-driven education.

Topics Include:

✓ Why eliminating underperforming programs can create long-term institutional stability.

✓ How embedding scalable mental health support systems benefits students, staff, and market positioning.

✓ Practical leadership approaches for maintaining transparency and building trust during significant change.

✓ The role of codified organizational values in streamlining decision-making and reinforcing culture.

✓ Strategies for managing professional faculty-administration collaboration during periods of

August 5, 2025 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Ed Podcast 270 Cover Image | First-Gen and Low SES Student Success Strategies That Work: A Scalable Regional Model with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Earl Martin Phalen

First-Gen and Low SES Student Success Strategies That Work: A Scalable Regional Model:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 270 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Earl Martin Phalen

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Earl Martin Phalen, President and CEO of Great Jobs KC, about a scalable approach to improving outcomes for first-generation and low SES students—from high school through college and into the workforce.

Phalen outlines how Great Jobs KC collaborates with 24 colleges, 150+ employers, and regional partners to provide $50,000 in funding per student along with wraparound support, career coaching, and job placement. Their model shows how long-term advising, scholar advocates, and employer-aligned programs can dramatically improve retention, graduation, and career outcomes.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

✓ Regional Model in Action: How Great Jobs KC coordinates with colleges, employers, and K–12 to serve thousands of students.

✓ Support That Sticks: The role of success coaches and scholar

July 29, 2025 June 27, 2026
Cover Image-Changing Higher Ed podcast 268 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Elliot Felix - Building a Connected College by Aligning Strategy and Services

How a Connected College Approach Helps Break Down Silos and Improve Student Success:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 268 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Elliot Felix

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Elliot Felix is the founder of brightspot Strategy (acquired by Buro Happold in 2020) and the author of The Connected College: Leadership Strategies for Student Success. about how institutions can improve student outcomes by aligning strategy, services, and systems. Felix shares insights from working with over 100 colleges and universities, including MIT, NYU, and the University of Virginia, on breaking down silos and creating seamless student experiences without adding institutional complexity or cost.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Systems Integration: How to connect disconnected institutional systems that currently confuse students and reduce engagement.

✓ Strategic Focus: The counterintuitive approach to doing “less with more,” and why it works better than trying to do everything

July 15, 2025 June 27, 2026
High Structure Course Design for Student Engagement, Retention, and Success | Changing Higher Ed podcast episode 264 featuring Drumm McNaughton and Justin Shaffer

High Structure Course Design for Student Engagement, Retention, and Success:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 264 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Justin Shaffer

  Many institutions lose students not because learners are incapable, but because the courses in which they’re placed weren’t designed to help them succeed. Gateway courses, especially in the first year, continue to be a bottleneck in higher education, resulting in high failure rates, lower retention rates, and widening equity gaps. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Our guest on the Changing Higher Ed® podcast is Dr. Justin Shaffer, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Teaching Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. He’s the author of the book High Structure Course Design, which gives faculty practical, evidence-based strategies for designing and delivering courses that increase student engagement, close performance gaps, and improve learning across disciplines. While the model was developed with large

June 17, 2025 June 27, 2026

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