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For this month’s episode, Kathy Lueckeman joins the Top of Mind family. A tech leader within her own right, Kathy most recently served as chief strategy officer at Olivet Nazarene University (ONU). After completely transforming ONU into a modern campus, Kathy is here to give an inside scoop about the cultivation and success of that project, the relationship between digital transformation, enrollment, and retention, and how ONU’s tuition-free program is allowing its student to feel the utmost comfortability. 

What does a Chief Transformation Officer do? This leadership position can take on many forms depending on the institution, but one thing is for sure: it is never strictly about “technology.” In this Top of Mind episode, Kristophyre McCall, chief transformation officer for University of Maryland Global Campus, sits down with us to talk about his experience during his rookie year as UMGC’s first leader in this role. Tune in to hear all about what makes a chief transformation officer successful, and why more colleges and universities are creating this position to drive results aligned with their missions and goals. 

Blockchain technology (blockchain) has a growing influence on higher ed. An institution that is well on its way to becoming the first blockchain university and knows this better than any other is Maryville University. In part two of this Top of Mind episode, Dr. Feng Hou, chief digital evangelist for Maryville University and visionary leader and advocate for the adoption of blockchain, completely immerses listeners in its possibilities by giving them an inside scoop into his intuitions blockchain journey. 

Blockchain technology (blockchain) has a growing influence on higher education. An institution that is well on its way to becoming the first blockchain university and knows this better than any other is Maryville University. In this Top of Mind episode, Dr. Feng Hou, chief digital evangelist for Maryville University and visionary leader and advocate for the adoption of blockchain, completely immerses listeners in its possibilities by giving them an inside scoop into his intuitions blockchain journey. 

Is a transcript the best way to truly reflect a student's academic learning experience? Temple University’s registrar Bhavesh Bambhrolia believes that while the traditional transcript is safe and secure, it is limiting in communicating a student's growth and development from a cumulative experience. In this Top of Mind episode, Bambhrolia gives listeners a glimpse into an emerging generational tool for tracking the student experience—the Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR).  

Vicki Tambellini, President and CEO of Tambellini Group kicks off this year’s Top of Mind podcast series. The current state of higher education, although hard to generalize, is very much institution-dependent. However, one universal fact that rings true is that institutions are working on a smarter, not faster, approach. Listen in as Vicki shares what she expects in the coming year and evaluates which predictions came true and evolved last year.

Jazz musician and CIO for the Georgia Tech Foundation, Dwight Dozier, joins the Top of Mind podcast family this month to discuss creativity in leadership. Describing his role as more relational than transactional, Dwight, whose focus is on donor and alumni engagement, emphasizes relationships, staying connected with students beyond graduation, and recognizing that the philanthropic efforts of alumni are the preliminary steps to a particular recruitment cycle. Making relevant parallels to his career in music and hitting on topics such as mass personalization and trends emerging in AI and machine learning to data interconnectedness and a frictionless experience, listen in as Dwight shares gems to put CIOs and institutions on a path toward innovation. “Like music,” he shares, “technology is constantly changing and evolving.” 

"Whether it's at NASA or a university system level job, a CIO wants to be able to expand the scope of our technology and systems to impact the largest number of people." In this month's Top of Mind Podcast, host Elizabeth Farrell is joined by the Vice President of Information Technology Services and Chief Information Officer at Washington State University, Dr. Sasi Pillay, to discuss how he views the role of a CIO. Starting at NASA, Dr. Pillay moved to higher education because working with young students was exciting and it allowed him to continue to work in a learning environment. In regards to IT, there are more similarities than differences between higher education and science, according to Dr. Pillay. The most critical one is keeping the constituents' needs at the forefront. Listen in as Dr. Pillay explains his strategy of enhancing the student experience via administrative system deployments and degree planning programming that's accessible to both current students and alum.

It is no argument that modernizing at any institution is a learning curve. In this month's Top of Mind podcast episode: "From Butler to Enabler: How IT Services Empower Teaching and Learning," Alison Robinson, associate vice president and deputy CIO of the Division of Information and Technology Services at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, joins host, Elizabeth Farrell in discussing this curve; specifically, the role technology teams play in enabling teaching and learning. For Robinson, enabling and supporting mean two different things, and the difference represents that change in modernizing your IT organization. Your IT department can serve as either a butler—you need a tool, and I'll bring a tool—or as a partner—specializing in service management.

The definition of student experience is an ever-changing one. As technology advances, students’ expectations shift to newly introduced possibilities. Inevitably, this affects student experience. However, what’s important to consider is whether implementing a solution just because it’s available is worthwhile to your institution. In this episode, new show host Elizabeth Farrell talks to Dr. Melissa Harts, former Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President at Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC). Dr. Harts gives listeners an inside scoop on how PHSC leveraged technology to drive a more positive student experience while maintaining personal interactions. 

Just like on-campus students, remote learners expect a quality student experience from their higher ed institution. Providing a quality experience coincides with modernizing and simplifying virtual services, yet the work toward this can not be done until institutions understand what problems they are solving. In this episode, Katelyn Ilkani talks with Darcy Van Patten, Chief Technology Officer at the University of Arizona. Darcy shares her perspective and expertise on how the University of Arizona plans to use CRM and user research to solve the problem. 

The COVID-19 Pandemic expedited the timeline for technological modernizations at many institutions. As the fall semester approaches, a new normal is expected. Institutions are reflecting on what they learned and deciding which new adopted practices to continue. In this episode, Katelyn Ilkani talks with Jason Parkhill, Interim Chief Information Officer at Colby College. Jason shares how the pandemic brought innovation to Colby, highlighted inequities on campus, and prompted new insights into the future of higher ed. 

As higher education institutions continue to roll out vaccination and testing protocols that will be applied going forward, the role of technology (and campus tech leaders) is central to making these new requirements work. In this Top of Mind Podcast, Janet Scannell, Chief Technology Officer at Carleton College, shares her perspective from the CTO role on how she and her team have been involved (and continue to shape) pandemic protocol. She discusses how COVID and emergency planning have helped drive collaboration and alignment across functional areas at the college.

Tambellini Top of Mind Podcast host Katelyn Ilkani interviews Augie Freda, Data Steward at the University of Notre Dame, about data governance. Freda explains how Notre Dame manages data and secures student privacy. He points out the importance of considering the size and source of the data when making decisions.  

The Council of Independent Colleges has created a course-sharing consortium. The platform allows students to take digital courses offered by other institutions similar to their own. In this episode, Katelyn Ilkani talks with Dr. Bryan Boatright, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and University Registrar at the University of Mount Union. Dr. Boatright explains how the course sharing works, shares lessons learned, and highlights some successes of the consortium.

Over the past year, admissions leaders have worked hard to maintain a positive, collaborative culture in a remote environment. Lukman Arsalan, Dean of Admission at Franklin and Marshall College, speaks with host Katelyn Ilkani about creating a top-notch remote employee experience. Arsalan has taken a newly created position at the college and was hired during the pandemic, so he met his employees virtually. He explains how he and his team have met the challenges, all while working remotely. 

Katelyn Ilkani speaks with Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Laura Bray about raising scholarship funding. As Vice President for College Advancement and External Communications, Bray shares her experiences over the past year as head of fundraising. She describes MATC’s “Healthcare Heroes Fund” and how her team raises funding to support graduates who need to pay for licensure to obtain employment. The conversation focuses on how MATC is working toward ensuring equity in their scholarship awards, and Bray describes their participation in the “Moon Shot for Equity.”

Vicki Tambellini, President and CEO of the Tambellini Group, speaks with Katelyn Ilkani about the current state of higher education and what to expect in the coming year. Tambellini discusses the high-stress environment in which many of us find ourselves as a result of the pandemic and how it is affecting the workplace and decisions for the future. Her predictions touch on the adoption of more sophisticated budget and planning tools, the move to the cloud, and institutions combining operations.

Dr. Mordecai Brownlee, Vice President for Student Success at St. Philip’s College, discusses the benefits of experiential learning with host Katelyn Ilkani of The Tambellini Group. Dr. Brownlee shares thoughts on helping college students prepare to enter the workforce, emphasizing the role of experiential learning in career exposure. Topics include student engagement and success, the role of technology in experiential learning, and the importance of transferrable skill sets.

The Tambellini Group’s Katelyn Ilkani interviews San Cannon, Associate Vice Provost for Data Governance and Chief Data Officer at the University of Rochester. Cannon explains the duties of a Chief Data Officer and why higher education institutions should consider establishing such a position. Topics include technology’s role in data management, the importance of establishing relationships with stakeholders, and resources for those who want to learn more about data governance.