The EdUp Experience

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! In this episode of The EdUp Experience, sponsored by the Black History and Culture Academy, we welcome Jasmine Chigbu, CEO at MTM - Minorities to Majorities!  MTM is a software company that maximizes the retention of BIPOC students by matching them up with scholarship and grant opportunities.  Jasmine tells her personal story of receiving over 300K to attend college after working all of the opportunities out there, which are hard to find.  MTM collates the different opportunities for BIPOC students to ensure that every student can pursue an education free of financial barriers.  Jasmine has led a team that, in four years, has connected with over 15,000 students in 10 countries to champion financial literacy. Jasmine has 4 years’ experience in start-up operations. As a student, she secured over $300,000 in scholarships and grants, motivating her to help other underrepresented students do the same. Jasmine is skilled in galvanizing MTM’s amazing team around its mission to revolutionize higher education. Jasmine is hyper-focused on leveraging technology to provide historically underestimated groups the opportunities they need to change their lives. Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us! Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us! ● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thanks for listening!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! This is The EdUp Experience President Series Episode #79.  In this episode, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we welcome Dr. Susan Engelkemeyer, President at Nichols College!  It's her first day of retirement and it's our honor to highlight the work of Dr. Susan Engelkemeyer and her impact at Nichols College and higher ed.  Hear Susan talk about the Nichols College Susan Engelkemeyer Institute for Women's Leadership carrying her namesake.  Susan talks about her ability to grow that endowment of Nicols by nine times during her tenure with prudent planning and financial stability planning.  She also discusses the impact of coronavirus on her decision-making plans toward retirement and how it changed her perspective on her future planning.  Finally, she discussed the future of higher education including the idea of "free college" and its limits on student engagement.  We can all learn so much from an outgoing President. As president, Dr. Engelkemeyer oversees a student body of 1,500 full-time and part-time students who are enrolled in Nichols’ undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs, and an alumni body of more than 12,000.  Nichols College develops tomorrow’s leaders through a dynamic, career-focused business education.  The College offers quality undergraduate degree programs in business, educator preparation and the liberal arts; graduate degree programs in business; and a comprehensive continuing education program. On average, more than 94 percent of its students are employed within six months of graduation. Another episode sponsored by our great friends at MDT Marketing! Get your free marketing consultation today! mdtmarketing.com/edup Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us! Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us! ● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thanks for listening! We make education your business!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! In this episode, sponsored by The Alliance for Innovation and Transformation (AFIT), we welcome Erika Liodice, the incoming Executive Director at AFIT!  The Alliance for Innovation and Transformation, better known as AFIT, is a 50-member organization at the front-end of reimagining what higher education looks like in the future.  Erika Liodice, the incoming Executive Director, talks with us about AFIT and how their membership learns from business, industry, and technology companies to better inform higher ed operations for students.  With monthly CEO networking sessions, to an upcoming summer session cemented by learning partners like Microsoft and the Granger Network, AFIT members are leading by example to show other higher education institutions how to innovate and transform their organizations in the face of unprecedented challenge and change. Erika Liodice is the incoming executive director at the Alliance for Innovation & Transformation (AFIT), an association for innovative CEOs of higher education institutions and related organizations. She joined AFIT in 2015 as the marketing coordinator. During her tenure, she has played a key role in many initiatives, including the development of AFIT's popular CEO Networking Sessions, which provide a monthly virtual venue for member CEOs and invited guests to have candid conversations about the disruptive changes and challenges facing their organizations. As AFIT's executive director, Erika will help set the organization’s strategic direction and oversee operations, learning partner development, membership growth, and programming. Prior to joining AFIT, Erika spent a decade working in sales, marketing, and advertising for some of the world’s most recognized brands. Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us! Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us! ● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thanks for listening! We make education your business!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! In this episode, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we welcome Simone Figueroa, President at U-Thrive Educational Services! At U-Thrive Educational Services, they build mental and emotional wellness programs for college students to develop resilience.  Many college students are unprepared for their new reality, and Simone talks about her own personal journey of challenge and redemption to underpin this conversation.  But wait.  Are today's students softer and more fragile than generations past?  Simone doesn't think so, but she does think that our ability to evolve as a society has made talking about mental health more acceptable.  Simone reveals that they've just released a program for first-gen and limited-income students just launched this June! Simone Figueroa graduated Cum Laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Finance and concentration in Spirituality and Health. At the beginning of her academic journey, Simone struggled with her mental health and emotional well-being. It wasn’t until her Junior year when she fatefully stumbled upon a credit-bearing course in Mindfulness that she went from surviving in college to thriving. The effects of this course were so profound that it ultimately changed the trajectory of her career. Upon graduating, Simone went to work for Canyon Ranch, a premier Health & Wellness Resort in Tucson, AZ where she held various positions ranging from Operations Manager of Health, Healing & Spiritual Wellness to Director of Guest Experience. She then went on to start Conscious Living & Lifestyle, a coaching practice to support individuals in achieving physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Another episode sponsored by our great friends at MDT Marketing! Get your free marketing consultation today! mdtmarketing.com/edup Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us! Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us! ● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thanks for listening! We make education your business!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! This is The EdUp Experience President Series Episode #78.  In this episode, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we welcome Dr. Lynn Priddy, President & CEO, Claremont Lincoln University! Lynn joins us to talk about the change within higher education both from her new Presidential tenure and from her past experience of 14 years working with the nation's largest regional accreditor.  She discusses some really unique and provocative ideas for alternative models in higher education for both small and large institutions.  Ever heard of the team degree?  Lynn breaks down the idea and leaves us thinking about what general education should look like as we move forward through coronavirus and the impacts of a globally aware society.  Don't miss this one! Dr. Lynn Priddy’s career of more than 30 years has focused exclusively on higher education, where she is known as a collaborative change agent and passionate speaker. She is currently the Provost and Chief Academic Officer of National American University, which serves adult students at 35 campuses. Previously, she was Vice President for Accreditation Services at The Higher Learning Commission, the largest regional accreditor in the United States. There she also served in the roles of Director of Education and Training and Peer Review as well as Assistant Director of the Peer Corps and Support Processes. Prior to that she was Director of Institutional Research and Assessment, then Vice President of Planning, Evaluation, and Improvement, for Nicolet College, where she received the Board Award for outstanding service. Another episode sponsored by our great friends at MDT Marketing! Get your free marketing consultation today! mdtmarketing.com/edup Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us! Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us! ● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thanks for listening! We make education your business!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! In this episode of The EdUp Experience, sponsored by the Black History and Culture Academy, we welcome Robert B. Ahdieh, Dean & Endowed Dean's Chair at Texas A&M University School of Law with special guest cohost Arbazz Nizami!  Do you think you know the law?  Think again!  Bobby and Texas A&M invest in the human capital elements of education which shifts from "training lawyers" to "teaching law" to a broader audience.  Bobby brings law teachings to non-lawyers in fields like human resources, healthcare, and journalism.  Law is a public good and needs advocates, it's complex, and it's shifting - especially given covid and social justice events in the last year and a half.  Bobby brings important insights into the field of law and where it's headed. A graduate of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and Yale Law School, Robert B. Ahdieh served as law clerk to Judge James R. Browning of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit before his selection for the Honor's Program in the Civil Division of the US Department of Justice.  Ahdieh has served as a visiting professor at Columbia and Georgetown law schools, as well as at Princeton University. He has also visited at the Institute for Advanced Study, at the University of British Columbia, the University of Warsaw, and Singapore Management University, among other overseas institutions. Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us! Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us! ● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thanks for listening!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! In this episode of The EdUp Experience, sponsored by The EvoLLLution, we welcome Warren Valdmanis, Partner, Two Sigma Impact! Interested in hearing from one of the partners from the organization behind investment in the expansion of Penn Foster?  Warren talks to guests hosts Dr. Stacey Gonzales, and Holly Owens, about the meaning of social impact investing and how he assists organizations balancing the desires of shareholders with the necessity of serving stakeholders.   Warren discusses why investing in Penn Foster is so important to close the gap between K-12 and the workforce, particularly for those that aren't interested in the four-year-college route.  Through Two-Sigma Impact, Warren works to combine active, principled ownership and data science with the goal of achieving superior returns and positive social outcomes. Warren is a Partner at Two Sigma Impact. Warren comes to Two Sigma from Bain Capital Double Impact, where he helped to launch the firm’s first dedicated social impact fund and develop the firm’s strategic approach to social impact investing. Warren worked at Bain Capital from 2005 until 2019 and was a Managing Director with the firm from 2014 until his departure in 2019. During his tenure at Bain Capital, Warren worked for the firm’s North American private equity business from 2005 until 2012, and then for the firm’s Asian private equity business from 2012 until 2017, where he helped to expand the firm’s capabilities in Japan and was instrumental to the opening of Bain Capital’s office in Sydney. Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us! Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us! ● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thanks for listening!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! In this episode of The EdUp Experience, sponsored by Claremont Lincoln University, we welcome Brett M. Cooper, President & Co-Founder, Integris Performance Advisors / Best-Selling Author Do you want to hear from the author of the #1 rated book by Entrepreneur Magazine's "9 Must-Read Books for 2021"?  If so, you've come to the right place at The EdUp Experience Podcast!  Brett talks all about his best-selling book "Solving the People Problem", including why reading this book will help develop your inner self-awareness.  With more sense of self, and armed with better emotional intelligence tools, you'll be enabled to become a driving force for team cohesion, effectiveness, and productivity within your organization.   Brett is the visionary President of Integris Performance Advisors, a professional development firm he co-founded to expand the existence of healthy organizations and great places to work. By creatively bringing together concepts from The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (by Patrick Lencioni), The Leadership Challenge (by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner), Everything DiSC and Lean Six Sigma, Brett and his team have influenced thousands of people in government, non-profits and corporate America to work together in more productive, more effective and more human ways. Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us! Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us! ● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thanks for listening!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! In this episode, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we welcome Dr. Marni Baker-Stein, Provost/CAO, Western Governors University!  Marni talks about WGU's expansion while they've personalized the learning experience at scale.  She discusses the interesting concept of factored graduate return while detailing WGU's laser focus on access and degree attainment for low-income students and students of color.  Marni speaks the truth when she says that students need to be released from the term-based structure of higher education and the physical restraints that come with an on-ground attendance requirement.  She further discusses why reducing friction, which can be complemented with the right technology, is essential for students to stay engaged with their learning.  Finally, Marni discusses WGU's community of care, and the critical piece of longitudinal mentors. As Provost & Chief Academic Officer at Western Governors University, Dr. Marni Baker Stein is accountable for driving the University’s focus on academic quality and student success.  Stein has over 25 years of experience designing and scaling programs to improve access, affordability, and student success. Prior to joining WGU, she worked for educational institutions in the U.S. and abroad on the development and administration of pioneering high school, undergraduate, graduate, continuing, and professional programming models delivered through competency-based, online, and hybrid formats. These institutions include The University of Texas System, Columbia University in the City of New York, The University of Pennsylvania, The University of California Santa Barbara, Pennsylvania State University, SUNY Buffalo (Latvia), and the United States Information Agency (Turkey, Japan). Another episode sponsored by our great friends at MDT Marketing! Get your free marketing consultation today! mdtmarketing.com/edup Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us! Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us! ● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thanks for listening!

Welcome back to America’s leading higher education podcast! This is The EdUp Experience President Series Episode #77.  In this episode, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we welcome the American Public University System President, Dr. Wade Dyke.  Wade talks about what it's been like to take over the presidency of APUS in August of 2020, literally right in the middle of the pandemic.  He also discusses why APUS was at a competitive advantage pandemic-wise since it was built with the purpose to serve students.  Additionally, he opines on the rise of stackable credentials and their relationship to the traditional degree - and how the U.S. military perceives the value of a college degree in general.  Finally, Wade talks about the responsiveness of faculty at APUS to do what the military members, veterans, and public servants need in order to succeed in career and life. John Farrar, Director of Education at Google, guests hosts! Dr. Wade Dyke is President of APUS. He has a wealth of experience in education and business within private, non-profit and public enterprises. Before coming to APUS in August 2020, he served as CEO of Great Hearts Academies, a charter school network with some 19,000 students. Prior to that, Dr. Dyke was the president of Kaplan University (now known as Purdue Global University), where he worked for nine years in several jobs of ascending executive responsibility, including as Executive Vice President of Higher and Professional Education. He was instrumental in expanding online learning options for campus-based and online students while simultaneously enhancing policies and practices to promote growth and innovation throughout the Kaplan organization. Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode!  Contact Us! Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us! ● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thanks for listening! We make education your business!