Changing Higher Ed® Podcast

 

Higher Education podcasts dedicated to helping college and university leaders improve their institutions. We offer the latest in higher ed news and insights from the top experts in our profession who share their experience and perspectives on how you can grow and strengthen your institution.

The Changing Higher Ed podcasts are hosted by Dr. Drumm McNaughton, CEO of The Change Leader, a higher education consulting firm.

The Changing Higher Ed Podcast

"Drumm – you are one heck of a good podcast host. I have done several podcasts. You are the best host I have ever worked with. You are incredibly well organized, and the ‘planning and discussion session’ you hosted two days ago helped us all to do a superb job today. Most of all Drumm, you made today’s actual podcast enterprise both substantive and also fun for your two guests. I enjoyed our three person smiles and laughter as we talked. Hope your podcast listeners enjoy hearing our remarks as much as we enjoyed presenting them. Thanks for everything."
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

Innovation in higher education often breaks down long before it reaches implementation. Leaders see where the institution needs to go, but the structures beneath them move at a pace built for a different era. Teams struggle to make sense of unfamiliar challenges. Planning cycles are misaligned with the rate of

Changing Higher Ed podcast 285-Accreditation Trends and WASC Priorities for Student Success with Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Maria Toyoda

How WASC Is Shaping the Future of Accreditation and Student Success:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 285 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Maria Toyoda

Accreditation trends are shifting under new pressures, and institutions are expected to demonstrate learning, progress, financial resilience, and documented value with far greater clarity than in the past. Maria Toyoda, President and CEO of the WASC Senior College and University Commission, joins Dr. Drumm McNaughton to outline how institutional expectations

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

Improving Student Outcomes Through Faculty Pedagogy and Institutional Accountability Improving teaching quality is one of the fastest, most dependable ways to raise retention, stabilize revenue, and strengthen institutional reputation—yet few universities manage it strategically. Most invest heavily in analytics, enrollment, and student support systems to boost outcomes, but apply little

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

Free speech on college campuses has become one of the most volatile and defining issues facing higher education. What was once a principle celebrated across political lines is now mired in polarization, inconsistent enforcement, and growing government interference. In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton sits down

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

This episode of the Changing Higher Ed podcast helps higher education presidents, boards, and senior leaders rethink how to connect institutional mission with workforce readiness. It explores how institutions can better align employer partnerships, faculty innovation, and experiential learning to ensure graduates gain both economic and civic value from their

How CUNY’s Holistic Enrollment Strategy and Management Approach Is Filling the Enrollment Pipeline | Changing Higher Ed podcast 281 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Colleen Leigh

How CUNY’s Holistic Enrollment Strategy and Management Approach Is Filling the Enrollment Pipeline:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 281 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Colleen Leigh

At one of the smallest graduate schools in the nation, a model is redefining how higher education can evolve to truly center student success. The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY enrolls just over a hundred students each year, yet its outcomes rival those of larger institutions because

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

When every board meeting is about cuts, deficits, or another “strategic realignment,” leaders start asking what it would take to actually fix the institution instead of managing its collapse. When higher education institutions reach that point, recovery depends on disciplined execution, clear governance, and a business plan rooted in measurable

Changing Higher Ed podcast 279 - Cybersecurity risk management in higher education with Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Brian Kelly | Cover Image

Cybersecurity Risk Management in Higher Education—It’s Not Just an IT Problem:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 279 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Brian Kelly

Although many higher education leaders view cybersecurity as primarily an IT issue, it is in fact an enterprise risk that directly affects enrollment, accreditation, financial aid compliance, and institutional reputation. Presidents and boards must recognize that protecting data and systems is not just a technical responsibility but a core element

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

Shifts in tax policy and philanthropic behavior are reducing traditional donor activity at the very moment institutional budgets are already strained by declining enrollments, demographic cliffs, and shrinking government support. For presidents and boards, this means fundraising can no longer be treated as a background function. It must become a

Cover image - Changing Higher Ed podcast 277 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Marc Huffman |How AI Dashboards Can Strengthen Higher Education Board Governance

How AI Dashboards Can Strengthen Higher Education Board Governance:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 277 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Marc Huffman

Artificial intelligence is giving higher education new tools to support board governance. AI dashboards help trustees track performance trends as they develop and maintain focus on the priorities that matter most. They also reduce the time spent preparing for meetings by pulling materials into one place and highlighting key information.

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

Many institutions discover too late that the way they collect and manage enrollment data makes it impossible to build reliable forecasts. Institutions can no longer rely solely on tradition, instinct, or anecdotal evidence to guide their recruiting and retention efforts. Data-driven strategies, particularly enrollment analytics, have become a competitive necessity.

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 275 Cover Image- International Student Recruiting in Higher Education 23 Touchpoints, Visa Barriers, and Retention Risks for Boards with Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Dr. Roger Douglas

International Student Recruiting in Higher Education—23 Touchpoints, Visa Barriers, and Retention Risks for Boards:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 275 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Roger Douglas

 International students add more than $40 billion each year to the U.S. economy and support approximately 368,000 jobs. Leaders cannot afford to treat the international student recruitment pipeline as peripheral. This episode of the Changing Higher Ed® podcast features Dr. Roger Douglas, Dean for International Programs and Development at St.

Changing Higher Ed podcast 274 - Enrollment Management Solutions for Higher Education Leaders in the enrollment cliff era-with bob massa and bill conley

Enrollment Management Solutions: Guiding Presidents and Boards Through the Enrollment Cliff Era:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 274 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guests Bob Massa and Bill Conley

  After years of warnings about the enrollment cliff, higher education leaders now need enrollment management solutions that address institutional risk and guide financial decisions in real time. This episode of the Changing Higher Ed podcast is part two of a conversation with Bob Massa and Bill Conley of Enrollment Intelligence

Changing Higher Ed podcast 273-Beyond the Headlines: Reframing Enrollment Management in the Enrollment Cliff Era with guests Bob Massa and Bill Conley

Beyond the Headlines: Enrollment Management as Higher Ed’s Strategic Fulcrum in the Enrollment Cliff Era:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 273 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guests Bill Conley and Bob Massa

  The first wave of the long-predicted enrollment cliff has arrived, and institutions are already feeling the consequences in their enrollment numbers and financial outlook. In this first of a two-part discussion, Bill Conley and Bob Massa of Enrollment Intelligence Now join Dr. Drumm McNaughton to examine the structural shifts

Changing Higher Ed podcast 272 cover image featuring Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Cathy Light | Strengthening Private Higher Education Boards—Insights From CalTech's Governance Overhaul

Strengthening Private Higher Education Boards—Insights From CalTech’s Governance Overhaul:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 272 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Cathy Light

  Private universities rarely invite the public into the room when they decide to reform their boards. In this conversation, Cathy Light, Board Secretary at the California Institute of Technology, joins Dr. Drumm McNaughton to share how Caltech streamlined an oversized board, redefined trustee engagement, and built a governance model

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Changing Higher Ed Podcast | Dr. Drumm McNaughton | Higher Ed Consultant