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.

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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."
Dr. Richard Light Carl H. Pforzheimer Professor of Teaching and Learning, Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Author of "Becoming Great Universitites"
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

  Ten years ago, Alliant International University was hemorrhaging money and struggling operationally—today, they produce 40% of all licensed doctoral psychologists in California and 10-12% nationwide. The transformation happened by making the hardest decision in higher education: deliberately eliminating programs to focus on what they could dominate. In this episode

August 5, 2025
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

  Higher education leaders focused on improving college completion, student retention,  and wraparound support programs for first-generation and low SES students can gain practical strategies from this episode of the Changing Higher Ed podcast, featuring Earl Martin Phalen, President and CEO of Great Jobs Kansas City (KC). Phalen outlines how his

July 29, 2025
Changing Higher Ed podcast 269 Washington Update: July 2025 Reconciliation Bill’s Impact on Higher Ed

Washington Update: Higher Ed Overhauled Under Budget Reconciliation—Loan Limits, Pell Expansion, Earnings Accountability, and Accreditation Upended:

Podcast Show Summary for Changing Higher Ed, Episode 269 with Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Tom Netting

  In this episode of Changing Higher Ed: Washington Update, Dr. Drumm McNaughton welcomes back Tom Netting, president of TEN Government Strategies and a frequent guest known for his decades of strategic policy work in higher education advocacy. Together, they unpack the far-reaching implications of the July 2025 federal budget

July 22, 2025
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

  Most colleges rely on more than 20 disconnected systems to support students. Studies from Tyton Partners and the Lumina Foundation show that these fragmented systems contribute to student confusion, reduced engagement, and lower graduation rates. In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, student experience strategist Elliot Felix joins Dr.

July 15, 2025
Changing Higher Ed Podcast episode 167 featuring Drumm McNaughton and Ashish Fernando - Using AI in Higher Education Enrollment to Improve Fit, Speed, and Student Satisfaction

Using AI in Higher Education Enrollment to Improve Fit, Speed, and Student Satisfaction:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 267 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Ashish Fernando

  Rebuilding Enrollment Around Fit, Not Just Numbers Enrollment remains one of the most pressing strategic concerns for colleges and universities, especially as institutions face shrinking applicant pools, declining trust, and rising student expectations. Many respond by ramping up recruitment or marketing, but without a deeper realignment, these efforts only

July 8, 2025
Changing Higher Ed podcast 266 - How Utah State Is Using a Connected Campus to Boost Student Engagement and Persistence with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Rene Eborn

How Utah State Built a Connected Campus That Boosts Retention, Equity, and Student Support at Scale:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 266 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Rene Eborn

  Connected Campus strategies are transforming how universities deliver services, and Utah State University is a clear example of how this can be done with focus and intention. Redesigning the Student Experience Around a Connected Campus Model When Utah State University set out to improve student engagement and outcomes, they

July 1, 2025
Adult Learner Enrollment to Completion via Partnerships Changing Higher Ed podcast episode 265 Strategies to Help Adult Learners Re-Enroll and Graduate - featuring Drumm McNaughton and Malik Brown

How Cross-Sector Partnerships Help Adult Learners Return, Persist, and Complete Their Degrees:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 265 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Malik Brown

Why Adult Learner Enrollment Requires a Systemwide Strategy With over 41 million adults in the U.S. holding some college credit but no degree, institutions are under increasing pressure to implement effective strategies for adult learner enrollment and retention that facilitate degree completion. But re-engaging this population takes more than outreach—it

June 24, 2025
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

June 17, 2025
Shared Services and Consolidation Strategies for Small Colleges - Changing Higher Ed podcast 263 featuring Drumm McNaughton and Jason Duggan

Shared Services and Consolidation Strategies for Small Colleges:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 263 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Jason Duggan

  Shared services and consolidation strategies are helping many small to medium-sized colleges stabilize operations, reduce costs, and pursue sustainable growth—without compromising institutional identity or student outcomes. In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Jason Duggan, CEO of Thesis Elements, about how these approaches are

June 10, 2025
Changing Higher Ed podcast 262 with Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Dr. Scott Cowen - Adding Leadership Development to Academic Curriculum Design

Adding Leadership Development to Academic Curriculum Design in Higher Ed:

Changing Higher Ed® podcast 262 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Scott Cowen

How Institutions Can Systematize Leadership Development for Students and Early-Career Professionals: Leadership Development as an Institutional Imperative Institutions routinely cite leadership development as a goal, yet few treat it as a strategic priority embedded in academic curriculum design or operational frameworks. Leadership is often assumed to be an innate quality

June 3, 2025
Changing Higher Ed podcast episode 261- When DEI Is Off the Table: How Higher Ed Leaders Can Still Drive Institutional Change with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Susan Sturm of Columbia Law

When DEI Is Off the Table: How Higher Ed Leaders Can Still Drive Institutional Change:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 261 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Susan Sturm

  With DEI efforts under political siege and campus trust eroding, higher ed leaders must confront a defining question: How do institutions drive meaningful change when DEI is no longer safe to say out loud? Public skepticism, legislative attacks, and institutional fatigue have exposed the limits of short-term programs and

May 27, 2025
Changing Higher Ed podcast episode 260 featuring Drumm McNaughton and Kathleen deLaski discussing how to align academic programs with workforce needs and serve nontraditional students

How to Align Academic Programs with Workforce Needs and Serve Nontraditional Students:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 260 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Kathleen deLaski

  How Can Higher Education Evolve to Serve Diverse Learners? Aligning academic programs with workforce needs is a growing priority for colleges facing pressure to serve nontraditional students and improve employment outcomes. Most institutions still operate on a degree-centric model designed for a narrow student profile. Yet today’s reality is

May 20, 2025
Confronting the Storm: Resistance to Change and Current Attacks on Higher Education-Changing Higher Ed podcast 259 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Brian Rosenberg

Confronting the Storm: Resistance to Change and Current Attacks on Higher Education:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 259 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Brian Rosenberg

  Navigating an Era of External Pressures and Internal Resistance to Change in Higher Education Higher education faces unprecedented challenges from declining public trust, external political pressure, and a deeply ingrained resistance to change. In this episode of Changing Higher Ed®, Dr. Brian Rosenberg, former president of Macalister College and

May 13, 2025
Strategic Affiliation in Higher Education: What Colleges Can Learn from the Colleges of Law and TCS Education System-Changing Higher Ed podcast 258 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Matt Nehmer

Strategic Affiliation in Higher Education: What Colleges Can Learn from The Colleges of Law and TCS Education System:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 258 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Matt Nehmer

  Affiliating with a System: A Strategic Move for Institutional Stability Strategic affiliation in higher education is becoming a viable path for independent institutions facing increasing pressure from declining enrollments, heightened regulatory complexity, and infrastructure challenges that disproportionately affect smaller colleges and universities. While some institutions resist systemic change until

May 6, 2025
Changing Higher Ed podcast 257-Higher Education Strategic Planning That Drives Growth and Faculty Buy-In-Changing Higher Ed podcast 257 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Dr. Andrew Hsu

Higher Education Strategic Planning That Drives Growth and Faculty Buy-In:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 257 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Dr. Andrew Hsu

  Effective higher education strategic planning requires more than setting goals—it requires leadership that understands the importance of stakeholder engagement, shared vision, and persistence in driving institutional transformation. In this episode of Changing Higher Ed®, College of Charleston President Dr. Andrew Hsu shares how building consensus and focusing on long-term

April 29, 2025
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Changing Higher Ed Podcast | Dr. Drumm McNaughton | Higher Ed Consultant