The EdUp Experience

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Dr. Havidán Rodríguez, Commissioner Middle States Commission on Higher Education, & President of SUNY at AlbanyIn this episode, President Series #428, recorded Live from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education⁠ 2025 Annual ConferenceYOUR cohost is Lloyd Ricketts, Commissioner Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Vice President& Treasurer at Wilmington UniversityYOUR host is ⁠⁠Dr. Joe SallustioHow does the accreditation process provide value as an inclusive opportunity to rethink the institution, navigate challenges & help schools become bigger & stronger through peer review rather than 1 person behind a curtain dictating decisions?Why does maintaining focus on serving students matter most when facing regulatory & enrollment challenges because educating engaged global citizens who transform communities is what accrediting agencies like Middle States support?How is SUNY Albany celebrating its 180th anniversary by adding new academic programs, flourishing research & becoming a national leader in artificial intelligence while serving 1/3 low income students & 1/3 first generation students?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠⁠​subscribe today​⁠⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Honar Issa, Secretary-General, Dilan Rostam, Director for Higher Education, & Boushra Rahal Alameh, President, Kurdistan Accrediting Association for Education (KAAE)In this episode, recorded Live from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education⁠ 2025 Annual ConferenceYOUR cohost is Dr. Davie Gilmour, Commissioner, Immediate Past Chair of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, & President (Ret.) Emeritus of PennsylvaniaCollege of TechnologyYOUR host is ⁠⁠Dr. Joe SallustioHow did Kurdistan rebuild its education system after decades of war, embargos & disconnection from the international community by establishing KAAE in 2022 with Middle States as official partner to bring standardization & peer review to institutions?Why did 11 pilot universities & K-12 schools voluntarily participate in this model project with 4 additional institutions asking "why didn't you choose us" because competition drives them to implement standards & become founding institutions opening doors for globalization?How does introducing a ranking system within accreditation incentivize institutions to focus on mission centricity, governance, effectiveness & student outcomes rather than just financial burden or political challenges?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠⁠​subscribe today​⁠⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Kimberly Davenport, Commissioner Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Partner & Director of Corporate Responsibility at ScottMadden, Inc.In this episode, recorded Live from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education⁠ 2025 Annual ConferenceYOUR host is ⁠⁠Dr. Joe SallustioHow does ScottMadden bring unbiased corporate perspectives on governance, budget & operations to help higher ed institutions that are hungry for change but slow to evolve their business models?Why did Kim overcome initial nervousness about asking "simple" questions to realize her outside perspective from HR, policy & process development in other industries provokes valuable thoughts among academic commissioners?How does passion for education from having a mother who was a school teacher for 35 years drive the mission to create environments where students thrive & become great colleagues in conference rooms in a few years?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠⁠​subscribe today​⁠⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Margery Kraus, Founder & Executive Chairman of APCO WorldwideIn this episode, recorded Live from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education⁠ 2025 Annual ConferenceYOUR cohost is Michael Fischer, Commissioner Middle States Commission on Higher Education⁠⁠, Professor of Accounting, Emeritus; former Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs at St. Bonaventure UniversityYOUR host is ⁠⁠Dr. Joe SallustioHow does APCO Worldwide's 41 year old consulting firm with 1,200 people work at the intersection of business, government, public opinion & education to help institutions navigate troubled times & understand the "whys" behind federal policy changes?Why is now the time for optimism by reframing education through lifelong learning, non traditional students & collaboration between universities instead of perpetuating competitive institutional systems?How can higher ed create partnership between faculty & administrators, reimagine governance with accountability standards at every level & seize opportunities from policy changes rather than digging heels in?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠⁠​subscribe today​⁠⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Christina Weber,  Biology Honors Student, & Jesse Jacondin, Senior Research Analyst, Brookdale Community CollegeIn this episode, recorded Live from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education⁠ 2025 Annual ConferenceYOUR cohost is Terence Peavy, Lead Vice President for Institutional Field Relations at the Middle States Commission on Higher EducationYOUR host is ⁠⁠Dr. Joe SallustioHow did 1 second semester freshman increase student participation in accreditation from 3% to 21.7% by leading student to student outreach instead of relying on administrators?Why did creating 3 tiers of involvement (working group member, focus group participant & survey respondent) make accreditation accessible to busy community college students?How are students gaining career benefits, networking with presidents & earning potential internships requiring 45 hours per semester through accreditation involvement?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠⁠​subscribe today​⁠⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Jonathan Peri, Commissioner Middle States Commission on Higher Education⁠, & President of Manor CollegeIn this episode, recorded Live from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education⁠ 2025 Annual ConferenceYOUR cohost is David Rehm, Commissioner Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Misericordia UniversityYOUR host is ⁠⁠Dr. Joe SallustioHow does the Follow Up Activities Committee serve as the "emergency room" for institutions facing their most challenging circumstances & work through complex cases involving financial, political & leadership issues without being punitive but instead offering guidance to help them meet quality standards?Why is transparency & forthrightness from institutions so critical to the accreditation process & how do commissioners review 50 to 300 pages per case to drill down into underlying issues rather than just superficial problems?How are peer commissioners who work at colleges & universities themselves able to help institutions improve by sharing the same challenges they face while contributing boundless energy to 1 of the most highly functioning boards in higher education despite receiving no compensation for their service?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠⁠​subscribe today​⁠⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with France Hoang, Founder & CEO, BoodleBoxIn this episode, sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR cohost is Dr. Susan Ray, Associate Professor of English, Delaware County Community CollegeYOUR host is ⁠Elvin Freytes⁠How does an AI platform resolve the tension between productivity & productive struggle by making human to AI collaboration transparent while keeping student work private?What happens when you build infrastructure with unlimited access to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini & Perplexity with FERPA, SOC 2, GDPR & HIPAA certifications that anonymizes prompts & deletes data after 30 days?How does a portable AI toolkit allow students to build skills across courses & take their entire personalized system with them into their careers as a lifelong learning platform?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠⁠​subscribe today​⁠⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with W. Ila Peterson⁠, Professor of Mathematics & Director of Faculty Development, ⁠Arizona Western CollegeIn this episode, part of our Academic Integrity Series, sponsored by ⁠Integrity4EducationYOUR cohost is Thomas Fetsch, CEO, Integrity4EducationYOUR host is ⁠Elvin Freytes⁠How is Arizona Western College serving approximately 8,000 students across Yuma & La Paz County with online education while maintaining academic integrity, & why does Ila believe AI breaks down language barriers for their Hispanic serving institution?What creative faculty responses is Ila seeing like podcast style presentations instead of essays, 30 to 45 minute "technology snack" PD sessions on tools like Notebook LM, & why does she believe faculty ingenuity is key to adapting to AI?How does Arizona Western's current policy leave AI decisions to individual faculty with required syllabus statements, what institutional AI governance principles are being drafted for the next year, & why does Ila believe this is the 1st moment we're truly training students for jobs that don't yet exist?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠⁠​subscribe today​⁠⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Sophie Nguyen⁠, Senior Policy Manager, Higher Education, ⁠New America⁠ In this episode, sponsored by YELO FundingYOUR cohost is Darius Goldman, Founder & CEO, Career-BondYOUR host is Elvin FreytesHow does a think tank conduct 9 years of nationally representative surveys with 1,600 plus Americans & discover that while trust in higher ed is falling & costs are rising, belief in education's value still runs deep?What happens when you analyze public opinion data & find that the majority of Americans still think college is worth the investment, want their children to pursue higher education & believe career training programs need better visibility & employer partnerships?How do policy experts address the fundamental issues of affordability & perception gaps while navigating AI's impact on higher education & building solutions that require partnerships between colleges, states, employers & students?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at The EdUp ExperienceWe make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠​subscribe today​⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025

It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Dr. Maria Toyoda, President & CEO, WASC Senior College & University CommissionIn this episode, sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR host is Dr. Joe SallustioHow does a new CEO take the reins of an accreditation body serving 215 institutions & shift the narrative from compliance enforcers to champions of innovation & continuous quality improvement?What happens when accreditors focus on better data for better conversations & reject the misconception that they're just policemen instead of partners in advancing educational excellence?How does an accreditation leader navigate major disruptions in higher education through AI integration, short term Pell rollouts, & regulatory evolution while keeping students at the center of everything?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at The EdUp ExperienceWe make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠​subscribe today​⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!