The Higher Edge

Latest Episodes:

Chief Data Officers: Giving Context to the Language of Data ft. Olivia Kew-Fickus Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

With data becoming increasingly important to people in many roles, the Chief Data Officer has become an exciting new position that’s replicating quickly throughout higher education.

The CDO is tasked with empowering institutions by providing key insights and critical context that help make sense of this vast array of information.

Olivia Kew-Fickus (https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-kew-fickus-53aa3023/), Chief Data Officer and Executive Director, Data & Strategic Analytics at Vanderbilt University (https://www.linkedin.com/school/vanderbilt-university/), shares how her experience working at the boundaries of different cultures has helped her advance the strategic use of data within the institution.

Join us as we discuss:

Carving the role of CDO from a blank slate (7:24)
How early work in Ukraine has shaped her approach as a Chief Data Officer (14:09)
How studies in languages and liberal arts helps with understanding data (18:52)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

Vanderbilt University: (https://www.vanderbilt.edu/ )
Vanderbilt and MRNA Research: (https://news.vanderbilt.edu/tag/covid-19-research/ ) and (https://news.vanderbilt.edu/vanderbilt-responds-to-covid-19/ ) and (https://www.vumc.org/medicine-public-health/covid-19-research )
Timothy Snyder's book, "Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin": (https://www.timothysnyder.org/books/bloodlands)
Continue the conversation: olivia@thehigheredge.com

And check out these additional resources:

2022 EDUCUASE Horizon Report for Data & Analytics: (https://library.educause.edu/resources/2022/7/2022-educause-horizon-report-data-and-analytics-edition )
Higher Education Strategic Planners Association: (https://hespa.ac.uk/ )

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Edge in your favorite podcast player.

National Student Clearinghouse: Inside Higher Education’s Data Collaborative ft. Roberta Hyland Oct 11, 2022

Show notes

The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) is a mission-driven organization that drives collaboration amongst institutions to support students across the country.

As a nonprofit and nongovernmental organization, the NSC plays a key role in supporting these institutions that enroll over 97% of higher education students and more than 70% the nation’s high-school students.

Roberta Hyland (https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberta-hyland-7825bb5/), Chief Data Officer at National Student Clearinghouse, takes us inside to share how she and her team are working to give school administrations The Higher Edge.

Join us as we discuss:

The NSC’s goals as a mission-driven nonprofit (3:19)

Helping school administrations understand their unique data (9:49)

Using data to aid students in natural disasters (20:19)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

Hyland@studentclearinghouse.org

National Student Clearinghouse - (https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/)

NSC Research Center - https://nscresearchcenter.org/

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Edge in your favorite podcast player.

Empowering Data-Informed Decisions for Students in the U.S. ft. Erin Velez Oct 04, 2022

Show notes

There are so many organizations that work to support higher education that *aren't* colleges and universities, such as RTI International, and the work they do to help empower data-informed decisions for students.

From the Department of Education's College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/ ) to preparing for the College Transparency Act (https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/839) currently going through the U.S. Congress, their work actively supports students across the country.

Erin Velez (https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-velez-82b11543/), Director of Education Research at RTI International (https://www.rti.org/), shares how she and the team at RTI are working to give students the higher edge when choosing a college or university.

Join us as we discuss:

RTI’s impartial role in higher education transparency policies (3:49)
What the College Transparency Act means for student-level data networks (SLDN) (10:49)
Prepping for the launch of a Federal SLDN (15:30)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast

Email address: evelez@rti.org

RTI International - https://www.rti.org/

College Transparency Act - https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/839

Department of Education College Scorecard - https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Edge in your favorite podcast player.

From Higher Education to Analytics Startup: Solving The Right Problem ft. Eric Spear Sep 27, 2022

Show notes

The demand for better analytics solutions is peaking at a time when many institutions are struggling to keep up.

What role do collaboration and on-the-ground experience play in accelerating higher education analytics?

Eric Spear (https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-spear-84158b100/), President of Precision Campus (https://precisioncampus.com/), tells us about his journey from working in higher education to founding a growing reporting and analytics company dedicated to advancing institutional research capabilities.

Join us as we discuss:

- Why vendor solutions in higher education are not plug-and-play (3:50)

- The collaborative nature of working in higher education (11:23)

- Overcoming challenges in institutional analytics (19:01)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

-eric.spear@precisioncampus.com

- PrecisionCampus.com

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Edge in your favorite podcast player.

Through the Transfer Gate: Breaking Down Student Transfer Barriers ft. Darla Cooper Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

An alarming number of students are not reaching a critical step in their journey toward a bachelor's degree — transferring their community college work to 4-year universities and colleges in order to continue their education.

When students can’t reach these goals, it undermines their ability to succeed after investing in themselves and their education. It feels like a fruitless task.

Darla Cooper, Executive Director of The RP Group, joins us to share what she and her research team discovered in their efforts to better understand the student transfer problem.

Join us as we discuss:

Findings from the "Through the Gate" student transfer study (5:32)
The role of gender, race, ethnicity, or region on transfer rates (12:26)
How to positively influence the student transfer journey (22:31)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

The RP Group - https://rpgroup.org/
Through the Gate Transfer Initiative - https://rpgroup.org/through-the-gate
African American Transfer Tipping Point (AATTP) Study - https://rpgroup.org/All-Projects/ArticleType/ArticleView/ArticleID/269
ECMC Foundation - https://www.ecmcfoundation.org/
Lumina Foundation - https://www.luminafoundation.org/
Continue the conversation: Darla@thehigheredge.com

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or listen on our website (https://www.thehigheredge.com) or search for "The Higher Edge" in your favorite podcast player.

Higher Education Research: The Innovation Game ft. Aeron Zentner Sep 13, 2022

Show notes

With the rise of big data, traditional higher education research has been undergoing an accelerated evolution. Accessibility of information enables everyone to engage and share diverse perspectives freely.

Scientific breakthroughs seem to be happening at lightning speed. It begs the question: What qualifies as innovation today?

Aeron Zentner (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aeronzentner), Dean of Institutional Effectiveness: Research, Analytics, Accessibility, Accreditation, Planning, & Grants at Coastline College, joins me to share his insights into higher education research.

Join us as we discuss:

- The future direction of higher education research (3:32)

- Aeron’s fun take on what really qualifies as innovation today (16:40)

- How researchers can disrupt higher education (23:28)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Coastline College - https://www.coastline.edu

- Aeron@thehigheredge.com

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or our website or search for The Higher Edge in your favorite podcast player.

The New Protectors of Higher Ed Privacy ft. Pegah Parsi Sep 06, 2022

Show notes

Big data has been a global hot-button issue for several years, which has led to a major focus on higher ed privacy.

Lack of transparency and ugly intentions can leave students open to abuse of their autonomy. But a passionate group of professionals are leading the charge in protecting our students from hostile actors.

Pegah Parsi, Chief Privacy Officer for the University of California San Diego, joined us to share her thoughts on privacy in the higher ed space and why it matters even more than we may think.

Join us as we discuss:

- The erroneous conflation of security versus privacy (10:24)

- Prioritizing transparency over long-winded legalese (12:31)

- Opportunities for collaboration in the privacy sector (20:00)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- University of California San Diego’s Privacy Website - https://privacy.ucsd.edu/

- International Association of Privacy Professionals - https://iapp.org/

- Pegah@thehigheredge.com

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Edge in your favorite podcast player.

The Importance of the Thoughtful Question ft. David Potash Aug 30, 2022

Show notes

Everyone learns differently, but simply asking the right questions can open doors to innovation and growth.

David Potash, President of Wilbur Wright College, City Colleges of Chicago, stresses that real questions are critical to the human educational experience. We can learn from each other by giving people in the higher ed community spaces to collaborate and make better decisions together.

After all, the only bad question is the one that goes unasked.

Join us as we discuss:

- The importance of asking questions and how they shape us (3:31)

- Higher ed’s role in supporting America’s Latino students (20:04)

- How to measure student success beyond job placement (28:26)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- David Potash

- Wilbur Wright College, City Colleges of Chicago

- The Digital Quad

- Excelencia in Education

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Edge in your favorite podcast player.

Higher Education as a Cloud-Based Community ft. Rick Smith Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

Higher education IT does more than just keep the lights on.

These men and women are also partners working to empower institutions with technology to realize operational and strategic goals and improve systems necessary for students and faculties to succeed.

In this episode, I’m joined by Rick Smith , Chief Information Officer at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine .

Rick gave us an insider’s perspective of the critical importance of IT to institutions with ambitious goals and how education compares to other industries.

Join us as we discuss:

- How PCOM escalated digital transformation after COVID (12:34)

- IT as a player in driving innovation for higher education (18:54)

- Tools for solving different IT challenges on an institutional level (24:29)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- richardsm@pcom.edu

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Edge in your favorite podcast player.Higher education IT does more than just keep the lights on.

Change-Makers and Rule Breakers in Higher Education Aug 05, 2022

Show notes

Everyone loves a good story.

Brendan Aldrich believes the world of higher education is full of change-makers and rule breakers, and that their stories should be shared.

These are the tales of growth and real change that positively impact our lives for the better.

As the founder and Head of Business Development at Invoke Learning, Brendan has connected with many people like himself who have helped drive change at colleges and universities across the country.

Join us for our inaugural episode as we provide the roadmap for our new show, The Higher Edge - a podcast dedicated to diving into the stories behind our pioneers in higher education.

Join us as we discuss:

- Why storytelling is the focal point of The Higher Edge (2:58)

- Brendan’s background working with higher ed institutions (4:02)

- How negative feedback can be a vehicle for positive change (5:31)

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

- Brendan Aldrich - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanaldrich/

- Invoke Learning - https://www.invokelearning.com/

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website or search for The Higher Edge in your favorite podcast player.

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