Student Affairs NOW

Drs. Shannon Leddy and Lorrie Miller, co-authors of Teaching Where You Are: Weaving Indigenous and Slow Principles and Pedagogies, discuss indigenous approaches to teaching and learning. They integrate perspectives, histories, and values from many different Indigenous cultures across North America to offer insights to guide different ways of approaching teaching, learning, education, and being.

Join Crystal Garcia, an expert in minoritized student experiences and associate professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, alongside OiYan Poon, co-director of the College of Admissions Futures Collaborative. They discuss the first 100 days under the current administration, revealing significant shifts in higher education policy. The conversation dives into the struggles of marginalized students, the balance of compliance versus pushback, and the vital role of faculty activism in advocating for equity. Their insights inspire hope and resilience amidst turbulent times.

Assessment experts and student affairs leaders discuss the multi-level assessment process and how to utilize it as a leadership practice. This conversation helps explain this approach, what it offers, examples of how it is being done, and tips. They discuss assessment beyond measurement, leading learning and operations, as strategic planning, and through relationships.

In this episode, host Heather Shea is joined by Dr. Brendan Cantwell and Dr. Demetri Morgan to break down a wave of federal actions reshaping higher education. From the NIH’s ultimatum on DEI to a new executive order on accreditation—and threats to university tax-exempt status—they explore what these moves mean for institutional governance, research integrity, and academic freedom.

Dr. Paul Dosal reflects on his 15 years as an innovator, champion, and leader of student success and well-being. He shares lessons from creating institutional transformations for student persistence and retention through deliberative and intentional approaches, breaking down silos, predictive analytics, and creating cultures of care. He highlights blending technological tools and personal connections and relationships for holistic and systematic approaches to student success and well-being.

In this episode, Dr. OiYan Poon and Dr. Demetri Morgan join Heather Shea to unpack three pressing developments shaping the current landscape of higher education.

In this episode of Student Affairs NOW, host Heather Shea is joined by Dr. Jason Cottrell, a longtime career employee at the U.S. Department of Education who was among the 1,300 staff members recently laid off. Jason shares insights into the role of the Department, how federal agencies navigate transitions between administrations, and what these layoffs mean for education policy. He also reflects on his own journey from higher education into federal service—and what’s next as he returns to the field of student affairs.

Dr. Demetri Morgan and Dr. Felecia Commodore join host Heather Shea to explore the escalating pressures facing higher education, including the lack of board engagement in defending institutional autonomy, rising federal influence, and the unjust revocation of student visas.

A renewed sense of purpose is gain after the smallest gesture from a student brings beauty to chaos.

In this origin story, Dr. Brooks shares his inspirational journey to the professoriate. Filled with triumphs as well as tragedies, his story reminds us of the importance of making your own path - one step at a time.