THE CHANGE LEADER

Tag: Workforce Readiness

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 312-Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Nikki Barua-Human-First Transformation: Closing Higher Education’s AI Readiness Gap

Human-First Transformation: Closing Higher Education’s AI Readiness Gap:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 312 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Nikki Barua

Higher education is facing an AI readiness gap that cannot be solved with another pilot, committee, or professional development module. Students are already using AI at scale, employers are changing what they expect from graduates, and institutions that move too slowly risk preparing students for a labor market that no longer exists.

In this week’s episode of Changing Higher Ed®, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Nikki Barua, serial entrepreneur and founder of FlipWork, about why AI requires human-first transformation, not technology-first implementation.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Why AI readiness is a leadership issue, not an IT project.

✓ How traditional change management breaks down when technology evolves week by week.

✓ Why student AI use is outpacing institutional governance and guidance.

✓ How failed AI

May 19, 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 302-Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Jeff Dinski - Students Are Acting Like Consumers. Higher Ed Needs to Catch Up

Students Are Acting Like Consumers. Higher Ed Needs to Catch Up:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 302 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Jeff Dinski

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Jeff Dinski, Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer at Ellucian, examine what is actually driving the crisis of confidence in higher education, what Workforce Pell Grants will change about how institutions fund and deliver programs, and what institutional strategy has to look like for leaders who want to get ahead of the disruption rather than react to it. Dinski brings more than 20 years across sports media, entrepreneurship, and edtech, including time as a partner at Tyton Partners and as an operating executive at Parchment. McNaughton brings decades of experience consulting with presidents and boards on strategy, enrollment, and governance.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ The Confidence Crisis: Why both political parties have contributed to

March 11, 2026 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Ed podcast 296- Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Jeff Meade Using Entrepreneurship to Redesign the College Operating Model

How Paul Quinn College Uses Entrepreneurship to Reduce Costs, Improve Workforce Readiness, and Graduate Students with Little to No Debt:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 296 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Jeff Meade

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Jeff Meade, Founding Director of the Every Quinnite is an Entrepreneur program at Paul Quinn College, about how the institution uses entrepreneurship as an operating model that changes cost structure, student engagement, retention, and workforce readiness.

Rather than treating entrepreneurship as a business major or elective, Paul Quinn embeds it into campus work, corporate partnerships, freshman onboarding, and the curriculum itself—creating a model that addresses multiple institutional challenges at the same time.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Operating Model Insight: How entrepreneurship can function as an institutional design, not an academic program.

✓ Cost Structure Strategy: How campus work can reduce staffing pressure while improving student engagement.

✓ Workforce Pipeline: How corporate partners become

January 27, 2026 July 20, 2026
Changing Higher Ed Podcast 295 Reduce Student Debt Risk and Improve Employability with Distributed Practicum -Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Jarred McNeely.jpg

Reduce Student Debt Risk and Improve Employability with Distributed Practicum:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 295 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Jarred McNeely

Reducing student debt while improving employability is one of the most persistent challenges facing higher education today. Institutions are under pressure to deliver stronger outcomes without expanding costs, infrastructure, or student risk.

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Jarred McNeely, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Sonoran Desert Institute, about how hands-on, applied education can be delivered beyond traditional campus labs while maintaining rigor, quality, and workforce relevance. The discussion explores a distributed practicum approach that allows students to demonstrate competence, progress through credentials, and stay economically mobile while learning.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Student Debt Risk: How shorter, applied learning pathways reduce financial exposure without lowering standards

✓ Employability Outcomes: Why demonstrated competence matters more than seat time

January 20, 2026 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
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
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

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Kathleen deLaski, founder of Education Design Lab and author of Who Needs College Anymore?, about how colleges and universities can align academic programs with workforce needs and better serve the growing population of nontraditional students. The conversation explores modular credentialing, skills-based learning, and what it takes to restructure academic offerings for long-term relevance and economic mobility.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Skills-Based Learning: How institutions can integrate job-relevant skills into curriculum design.

✓ Step-Ladder Credentials: Why modular, stackable credentials help students gain momentum and return later to complete degrees.

✓ Workforce Alignment: How academic outcomes can be translated into competencies that employers recognize and value.

✓ Structural Shifts: Why redesigning programs alone won’t work

May 20, 2025 June 27, 2026
Higher Education Innovation That Builds Workforce-Ready Graduates- Changing Higher Ed Podcast 250 with Alex Hernandez

Higher Education Innovation That Builds Workforce-Ready Graduates:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 250 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Alex Hernandez

In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Alex Hernandez, President of Champlain College, about how institutions can build their innovation muscle to better align academic programs with workforce needs. Champlain has become a national model for career-focused higher education, where 80% of graduates land jobs in their field of study.

Through strategic planning, faculty-led innovation, and employer engagement, Champlain shows how colleges can evolve academic structures and graduate students prepared for work, life, and impact.

What you’ll gain from listening to this podcast:

✓ Strategic Planning in Action: How to turn planning into an annual, adaptive process rooted in mission.

✓ Innovation as a Cultural Capacity: What it takes to build long-term institutional innovation muscle.

✓ Career-First Curriculum: How Champlain redesigned the student journey for

March 11, 2025 June 27, 2026
The Hidden Enrollment Market in Workforce Education - Changing Higher Ed Podcast 249 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Alana Rose

The Hidden Enrollment Market in Workforce Education:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 249 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Alana Rose

There are 41.5 million Americans who left college without earning a degree—but many would return if given the right opportunity. In this episode of Changing Higher Ed, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Alana Rose, Vice President of Academic Networks at InStride, about how workforce education and employer-funded education can unlock new enrollment opportunities for higher education institutions.

What You’ll Gain from Listening to This Podcast:

✓ Workforce Education Advantage: How employer-funded programs create a sustainable enrollment pipeline.

✓ Corporate Partnerships: Why aligning academic programs with workforce needs benefits institutions, students, and employers.

✓ Non-Traditional Student Success: Strategies to improve access, support, and retention for adult learners.

✓ Skills Alignment: The key technical, business, and durable skills employers are demanding today.

✓ Higher Ed Leadership Strategies: Three essential takeaways for university

March 4, 2025 June 27, 2026
Changing Higher Ed podcast 212 - Improve Student Employability - Discussing The Great Misalignment: Addressing the Mismatch Between the Supply of Certificates and Associates Degrees and the Future Demand for Workers in the U.S. Labor Markets with Kathryn Campbell and Zack Mabel

Improve Student Employability: The Great Misalignment Report:

Changing Higher Ed podcast 212 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guests Kathryn Campbell and Zack Mabel

  Only about 50 percent of colleges use labor market data to guide program development or share information with prospective students. This stunning statistic, based on a recent report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW), highlights the severe misalignment between the credentials higher education institutions are producing and the skills employers need in the workforce.   In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton welcomes back Zack Mabel, Research Professor and Director of Research, and Kathryn Campbell, Associate Director of Editorial Policy and Senior Editor/Writer, from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) to discuss their report titled “The Great Misalignment: Addressing the Mismatch Between the Supply of Certificates and Associates Degrees and the Future Demand for Workers

June 18, 2024 December 11, 2025
Changing Higher Ed podcast 208-Living on the Edge-Design Thinking for a New Era in Higher Ed with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Cesar Santalo

Living on the Edge: Design Thinking for a New Era in Higher Ed:

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 208 with host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and guest Cesar Santalo

In this episode, we dive into the world of design thinking for transformational strategic planning and change management. Cesar Santalo, Dean of the College of Communications and Design at Lynn University, shares his unique perspective as an artist and educator on leveraging this innovative approach to drive rapid change and better serve students.

Key takeaways:

– Discover the 5-step process of design thinking and how it fosters empathy, creativity, and continuous improvement.
– Learn how Lynn University used design thinking to develop its strategic plan, engaging over 650 stakeholders.
– See examples of design thinking in action, from reimagining freshman courses to creating a student-run advertising agency.
– Understand the key traits needed for effective design thinking and how to cultivate an innovative culture.
– Get

May 21, 2024 December 11, 2025
Changing Higher Ed podcast 202-Beyond Career and Job-Ready Graduates-Beating the Underemployment Odds

Beyond Career and Job-Ready Graduates: Beating the Underemployment Odds:

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 202 with Host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Guest Kevin Grubb

  According to a new report, a startling 43% of college graduates are underemployed in their first job. It’s no surprise career readiness has become a critical priority for universities across the country. With the cost of education rising and underemployment rates soaring, institutions have a responsibility to ensure students are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and experiences they need to succeed in their careers and lives beyond graduation. Under the leadership of Associate Vice Provost for Career and Professional Development Kevin Grubb, Villanova has developed a holistic approach to career readiness that integrates career development throughout the student’s academic and career journey, from orientation to graduation and beyond. Villanova University is transforming the student experience by integrating career and professional development throughout students’ academic journeys. By embedding these essential

April 9, 2024 December 11, 2025
Strategic Adaptation of Higher Education - Navigating 2024 and Beyond - The Transformation of Higher Education by Tamara Taylor

Strategic Adaptation in Higher Education: Navigating 2024 and Beyond:

Embracing Transformation and Resilience in Higher Education Business Models

  A Fundamental Rethink of the Higher Education Business Model In the rapidly evolving landscape of higher education, institutions must embrace educational innovation and strategic adaptation to change. This involves recognizing new realities in the academic world to stay relevant and effective. The landscape of higher education is being reshaped by several formidable challenges that necessitate a fundamental rethink of the higher education business model. To understand why change is not just necessary but imperative, it is essential to dissect the issues that are causing institutions to falter and compelling them to seek new paths to sustainability. With evolving financial models, colleges and universities–beyond the Ivy League–need to explore sustainable solutions that balance educational quality with fiscal responsibility.   Shrinking Tuition Income from Declining Enrollments and Shifting Demographics One of

December 14, 2023 June 10, 2026
Changing Higher Ed Podcast 179 with Host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Dr. Philomena "Philly" Mantella - Beyond Ideas- Implementing Innovative Structures in Higher Education

Beyond Ideas: Implementing Innovative Structures in Higher Education:

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 179 with Host Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Dr. Philomena "Philly" Mantella

Implementing Innovative Structures Innovation in higher education is not just about generating ideas; it’s about putting those ideas into action and breaking down structural barriers that no longer serve today’s diverse demographic. In this conversation with Dr. Philly Mantella, President of Grand Valley State University, Dr. Drumm McNaughton explored how she’s spearheading innovative initiatives to create a more student-centric and business-ready higher education landscape and provide an update on her latest collaboration, REP4, which stands for Rapid Education Prototyping for Change. The REP4 Alliance is a collaboration among seven higher education institutions designed to accelerate innovation and, at the same time, provide thousands of learners with a transformative experience where they can embrace their own power to set their course and control their own learning journeys.   Innovation Beyond Ideas

October 31, 2023 June 10, 2026
3 Enrollment Boosting Strategies for Accredited Institutions Changing Higher Ed Podcast 178 with Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Dr. David Decker

3 Enrollment Boosting Strategies for Accredited Institutions:

Changing Higher Ed Podcast 178 with Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Dr. David R. Decker

In this podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton and Dr. David Decker, the President of Franklin University, discuss three strategic moves that helped his institution experience positive growth in the double-digit territory during and after the pandemic. Franklin University, which primarily serves non-traditional, part-time adult learners, offers a unique perspective on higher education growth. Discover how these three interconnected strategies boost higher education enrollment and contain costs with a comprehensive approach that involves the 4 Ps of marketing, aligning pricing strategies with fixed educational benchmarks, and fostering strategic partnerships with community colleges and employers. Podcast Highlights Applying the 4 Ps of Marketing to Higher Education Learn how applying the traditional marketing framework of the 4 Ps (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) to higher education programs can lead to success. Decker highlights that

October 24, 2023 June 30, 2026
Changing Higher Ed Podcast 160 The State of Higher Education Part 2 with Courtney Brown The State of Higher Education: Breaking down the barriers to student enrollment and retention

The State of Higher Education Part 2:

Changing Higher Education Podcast 160 With Host Dr. Drumm McNaughton And Guest Dr. Courtney Brown

Part 2 of the podcast, The State of Higher Education: Breaking down the barriers to student enrollment and retention – The Lumina report 2023 captures key points and finding, including the reasons for stopping out, considerations for enrollment, the cost of degrees, student loan forgiveness, the importance of belonging for students of color, the need for diversity among faculty and administration, the significance of reproductive rights and health laws, the relationship between political leaning and reproductive rights, and the value of diversity of thought in higher education.

June 21, 2023 July 2, 2024

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