EdUp Insights

If you have traveled anywhere in the world, you have experienced the hassle of dealing with monetary exchange rates. A universal common currency, although a pipedream, would be a real godsend. But it’s not likely.  On the other hand, there is—or should be--a common currency that influences and enhances the social order by providing a civil forum in which to pursue different perspectives and world views with the goal of expanding understanding and knowledge beyond the boundaries of individual experience. That would be education, and in particular higher education. This hifalutin vision once defined America’s higher ed community and gave it a venerated and valued position in society. But today higher education is just one of many arenas where political and social issues are played out in contentious conflicts marked by misinformation and effrontery rather than collegiality and cooperation.  In this episode I’ll look at how and why this has happened and how to counteract the effects of the current situation.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

What happens when state governments and higher ed operate in silos? In this episode I’ll look at the current situation in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and what it portends for similar circumstances as states and higher education systems struggle to align their missions and budgets to serve their constituents in turbulent times. In particular, I’ll look at how a lack of coordination and fiscal precision in defining the relationship of financial resources to specific initiatives may undercut the ability of states and higher education to fulfill their missions.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Academic freedom and tenure have long been hallmarks of higher education’s role as a dispassionate referee for society. These conventions intend to define and defend the rights of scholars to pursue knowledge and engage in open inquiry without undue external pressure. In this episode I’ll examine how these protections are faring in a society awash with discord around free speech, censorship and general civil unrest. In particular, I’ll look at how the accountability that has penetrated the walls of academia may soon relegate academic freedom and tenure to footnotes in the history of higher education. 

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network

In the Dickens novella “A Christmas Carol” there is a message of hope for higher education. In this episode we’ll be visited by the Ghosts of Higher Ed Past, Present and Future.  I’ll discuss how we got from the “good old days” of higher education to where we are today, and what the future may hold, depending on the choices we make.  I’ll also look at some of the innovative initiatives both inside and outside the ivy-covered walls that may show us the way forward.

EdUp insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

Higher education is a significant investment, up there with purchasing a home or a car. And as with all major investments, there are expectations about the anticipated return and about how that expected return will measure up against reality.  In this episode I’ll look at what influences student and graduate expectations and why the gap between expectations and reality exists.  I’ll also have a suggestion about closing that gap.  

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

The current condition of higher education presents an interesting look at its role in American society and society in general.  But it begs the question of how we got here. This kind of cultural inquiry has traditionally been the domain of archeology.  In this episode I’ll examine the current topography of higher ed and excavate several strata down to discover how the ecosystem has evolved from earlier eras. I’ll then discuss what we might expect to see on the current trajectory of evolution, and what we might learn from the ruins of earlier epochs.  Dig it!

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

There is general agreement in higher education on where we are and where we want to go. The problem is how get from point A to point B, and more to the point, why institutions seem to get it wrong on a regular basis. In this episode I’ll examine some of the snags that plague the higher education planning process and offer some simple, modest suggestions on how to “re-think” the process.  I’ll also suggest how creativity and innovation can be employed to look at the path from point A to point B from a different perspective.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Well, at least nothing is impossible for the persons who don’t have to do it.  And in higher education that includes entrepreneurs and visionaries who identify the shortcomings of the current higher education and offer up high-level solutions that provide straightforward solutions to things like time to degree, accessibility, return on investment, and workforce needs. When I read such proposals, I have one nagging question. If it’s so easy, why hasn’t someone already done it? And the answer is that if it were as simple as it seems, someone would have done it.  In this episode I’ll explore what makes transformation in higher ed challenging and where would-be revolutionaries often go wrong in approaching the enterprise of higher education. 

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network 

In 1929 G.K. Chesterton provided a concise admonition about making decisions in life.  If you encounter a fence on the road, he advised, don’t take it down until you know why it was built in the first place.  In short, we need to understand how the status quo came to be before we change it. There may be a good reason for the fence, and removing it could have unintended consequences. In this episode I’ll pursue this line of reasoning as it applies to America (and elsewhere) today, and in particular how it should be instructive for higher education.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

In the last episode I looked at what is fueling the lack of confidence in higher education today and some of the basic decisions that will need to be made to restore the conviction that higher ed is vital to workforce success.  But another decision will need to be made to ensure that that the engine of higher education can continue to operate, namely a viable business model. The current not-for-profit model of higher ed is funded by the three-legged stool of state, federal and private funding.  In other words, higher ed is dependent largely on “the kindness of strangers,” to quote Blanche DuBois. The business model has been in large part related to the view of higher education as a common good that should be above societal and political influence. Well, that ship has sailed, and higher education is now seen as a public commodity from which the public demands accountability and return on investment.  In this episode I’ll challenge the not-for-profit model and suggest that an alternative is all around us. 

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

A number of recent studies reveal a lack of confidence in the role of higher education in preparing students for the workforce.  Misgivings about the efficacy of higher education come in large part from the conflicting perspectives of employers, students, and even within the higher education community itself, on the value of education in society. In this episode I’ll look at several of these studies and examine the decisions that will need to be made to keep higher education a relevant and viable part of the education to workforce pipeline.  In short, there will need to be coordinated decisions about who does what, where and when.  As we’ll see, it’s easier said than done.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

Hi, nice weather, eh? How about those Cubs?  Oh, by the way, have you heard?  The art of small talk is on the verge of extinction. Apparently, recent generations have replaced much of casual conversation with texts, Instagram and TikTok. But now they claim to be struggling with face to face interactions in personal and professional situations and are looking for help.  But is small talk really the problem? I don’t think so.  In this episode I’ll connect the dots from conversational ineptitude to widespread cultural clumsiness and look at some root causes.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

Why does the whole issue of student loan forgiveness seem to be dragging on endlessly?  What has been happening and where is the whole process now?  In this episode I’ll review previous efforts and look at how we got to where we are now—in negotiated rulemaking. I’ll look at what negotiated rulemaking is, how it works, and where it is likely to end up. 

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

In every election cycle we are subjected to discussions about whether we should abolish the Department of Education. Are there substantive issues here, or are we all attending a football game where education is the football and the playing field is politics? In this episode I’ll look at the major issues that are raised.  Why would we want to abolish ED, how would that be done, and what would that mean?  Join me at the stadium see how this game is played.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

Have you ever wondered why change in higher education seems to be so different from change in other sectors of society? Recently there has been discussion concerning whether changes in higher education like community colleges offering four-year degrees, shorter time to degree completion, and yes, online delivery are eroding academic rigor. But why we would assume that innovation and creativity would affect academic rigor at all?   I don’t think that advances in transportation like autos, trains or air travel impeded the progress of that industry.  And the development of incandescent and LED lights don’t seem to have impacted our lives negatively.  What makes higher education different?  The short answer is, “Nothing.”  At least it shouldn’t. In this episode I’ll explore the resistance to change in higher education and how  the shackles of complexity can be cast off to move higher education forward. And (surprise!) I’ll give an example of how it was already done once!

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

 As 2023 winds down, I’ll take a look at some of the conspicuous issues that occupied higher education and what they portend for the future. I’ll start with some sage advice about how to better understand these concerns by filtering out the noise introduced by influences like social media, political posture, and the general proximity of lots of misinformation on the internet. It’s actually pretty simple.  Then I’ll apply this counsel to current issues, including legislation affecting higher education, DEI, and political rhetoric.  It’s action-packed and thrill-a-minute, so don’t miss it.

EdUp insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

The value and place of the humanities have been questioned as higher education looks to adapt itself to the priorities of a dynamic society.  In this episode I will argue that the value is in some measure dependent upon the place.  Specifically, higher ed has allowed the humanities to become an amorphous amalgam of disciplines that are difficult to identify or define as a cohesive set of subjects that are of consequence to the academy or to the general public. I’ll take one specific example, literary studies, and put it into the context of why the humanities in general don’t get no respect. My contention is that there is no “house” where the humanities reside as a clearly defined, integrated set of subdisciplines, like, for instance, business.  How can this happen?  Drop in and find out.

EdUp insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Higher education has a unique ability to act for the benefit of the pubic good, if can stand above the fray.  It should not, therefore, permit itself to be diverted into playing the role of a second-rate political force or influence.   In this episode I’ll look at how higher education can be a platform that challenges social values and policies without encouraging, fostering, or worse—participating in—chaos. Higher education is not a club, a trade association, or a lobby. Can it can encourage and accommodate a diversity of opinions without taking a public stance on societal issue?  Should it? We can learn a lot about this from a seminal report from the 1960’s, another turbulent time.  You may be surprised how higher ed can remain relevant and constructive now, as it was then.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

American culture is struggling with a variety of influences today that affect its ability to define a strategy to move the country forward in productive ways.  The tensions produced by wokeism, political ideology, and cancel culture are magnified through the lens of social media. This, in turn, impedes our ability to develop a cohesive culture that can drive a rational and focused strategy for advancing the national interest.  In this episode I’ll look at the alignment of culture and strategy generally, and how higher education can cut through societal dysfunction and its own cultural dissonance to develop a unified culture and strategy. 

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network

In the last episode I looked at external factors influencing change in higher education. But there are also internal tensions that exacerbate the current turmoil and encumber higher ed’s ability to remain connected and relevant to society.  In this episode I’ll look at one of the chief offenders: the management structure of higher education. I’ll explain how the current structure—which also the old structure—is out of step with the rest of the business model that is driving the American economy, and why this is a bad thing for higher education.  In particular I’ll look at the tension between administration and faculty that frustrates both sides and hampers the constructive evolution of the higher ed community.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

Higher education is undeniably going through a transformation.  But what exactly is causing it?  There is a diversity of opinions as to what has brought us to the current volatile condition of the education industry.  In this episode I’ll look at some of the variety of perspectives on the root causes of change and the major external forces at play as higher ed struggles to remain viable and relevant.  I’ll look at the situation from the micro and macro viewpoints as I try to sort out the trees from the forest, and vice versa.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

The student loan/debt relief picture is as muddy as ever.  In this episode I’ll outline three basic categories that are currently in play and the status of each. They include the borrower defense category, the 2020 campaign promise category, and the recent category announced by the Biden administration.  Spoiler alert: There is no good news for borrowers in any of these categories.  I’ll explain why and what we can expect going forward, assuming that we ever go forward.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network

There are numerous examples of higher education not being able to get out of its own way in order to serve students. Some of my favorites (not) are barriers to transfer of credit among institutions and the craziness involved in accessing Title IV funding. Another repeat offender is the issue of duplicative programs.  This issue comes in two basic flavors.  One that is found in a number of states is the struggle of community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees in select fields that four-year institutions claim duplicate existing programs.  Another is infighting among four-year institutions as they compete for students within or across state borders. Situations in the State of Maryland highlighted this flavor recently. In this episode I’ll look at the some of the issues involved and what higher education might think about in order to address this and other concerns that require attention.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

All across the higher ed landscape, institutions are faced with choices on how to move forward—or not—in the face of persistent headwinds. Some colleges and universities have simply chosen to close their doors in the face of financial hardship.  Others have opted to downsize or pursue mergers. Still others have looked to significant restructuring, like West Virginia University.  With the exception of outright closures, the goal of these changes should be to allow institutions to continue to do the most good for the most students. As we are seeing, this involves making difficult decisions on managing resources. There is often a focus on structural and physical resources—buildings and grounds, for instance. There is also considerable attention paid to human resources, including faculty and staff, and the impact on student services.  In this episode I’ll discuss the basic resource that drives all of this: finances.  The simple truth is that if higher education cannot ensure its own fiscal viability, it cannot continue to fulfill its essential mission to serve the public good.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Higher education is increasingly earning low grades in the execution of mergers, acquisitions and partnerships.  And that doesn’t even include school closures, which rate a solid “F.”  Why are we struggling so much in an effort to find a new way forward for higher education? Maybe it’s because we lack a solid curriculum that provides a template for implementation and assessment of these various actions.  Except for closures, of course.  One fundamental flaw in these endeavors is poor performance in the area of due diligence. The goal of due diligence should be an investigation or audit of a potential investment. There is usually a focus on fiscal, economic and legal matters. In this episode I’ll discuss a key part of due diligence that is often overlooked, missed, or just ignored when higher education is involved—PEOPLE. 

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Information is all around us, but it’s always important to know what the experts have to say on any topic. We all want information that is current and accurate. But what is current is not always accurate, and what is accurate is not always current. Higher education is no different. So the question of the day is how to sift through the sea of information out there to get at what it is that we want to know from reliable sources.  What constitutes an “expert” is dependent on a number of factors, including the specific kind of information being searched, and profile characteristics of the searcher.  It is also dependent on the sources of information that searchers choose access. In this episode I’ll explore how all this goes into determining where to look for “experts” and how to assess their “expertise.”

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Have you ever wondered how well colleges and universities are preparing students for the workforce?  More to the point, have you ever wondered how the perspective of the higher education community compares with that of employers and students?  Well, wonder no more.  In this episode I’ll look at the results of several studies that will reveal how well higher education thinks it is doing at career preparation, and what students and employers think. And I’ll look beyond technical professional preparation to the soft skills that employers are seeking in today’s workforce.  In particular, I’ll discuss the value of effective communication in ensuring workplace success. 

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Higher education is all about data and information.  But is this  “knowledge”?  More to the point, what’s the difference?  The same traditional sources have churned out studies and reports for decades with almost no change in results.  Facts and figures go in and are digested, but not much seems to come of it.  So the studies are replicated, with the same results.  The data and the “knowledge” build up with very few plans to do anything. Knowledge without a plan is just, well, knowledge.  Some have called this “analysis paralysis.”  I call it “information constipation.”  Tune in and find out why.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

A recent ACE study reports that college and university presidents are serving for increasingly shorter periods of time, and a majority of those currently in office don’t plan to be there—or in higher education at all—within five years. Presidents find themselves assailed by scandal, politics, business woes, and general scrutiny as never before.  All of this sounds familiar.  It sounds like the pressures that CEOs in corporate America have been subject to all along. So what’s the deal with higher education?  What makes it different? Why are presidents struggling, failing, and abandoning the ivy walls?  In this episode I’ll explore what makes the college presidency today so thorny and what higher education leaders can do about it.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Innovation and transformation in higher education (and elsewhere) is not just about brilliant insights or unfettered creativity.  That part is easy. The key is perseverance in the face of overwhelming obstacles and resistance.  If failure is an option, it is inevitable. Excuses are the remnants of forsaken aspirations.  Progress is the result of determination, grit and tenacity. Excuses and progress start from the same place, but they end very differently. The most successful innovations eventually become the status quo and are the foundation for the next transformation. I’ll discuss a significant example of all of this as I describe the phenomenon of the University of Phoenix from its beginning in 1976 to its rise as a leading innovator in higher education.  You may be amazed at how little you really know about the university, or how much it affects how higher education conducts its business today.  So tune in.  What have you got to lose?

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

A recent post by Joe Sallustio (@JoeSallustio) on LinkedIn raised several interesting points about how higher ed views and responds to the competitive education landscape. He points out that higher ed is attuned primarily to institutional competition within the higher ed community, and so marketing is largely focused against other institutions within the community.  But he also points out that the competitive environment today extends far beyond the boundaries of traditional academe, and  that the “interest funnel” for students looking for education opportunities is much wider at the top as new players now offer alternative pathways in the education arena.  This changes the whole competitive perspective and marketing strategy for the higher education sector.  Or at least it should. In this episode I’ll expand on Joe’s insights and discuss a key element in all of this:  Differentiation. I’ll ask how higher education can differentiate its value vis a vis the plethora of education options available for prospective students.  And I’ll tell you how we did it in the old days.  You may be surprised.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

One of the biggest obstacles to success in higher education (and elsewhere) is operating in silos. The ability to see the big picture from multiple perspectives is key to providing a comprehensive education experience. Institutional units need to understand what is happening in other parts of the enterprise and how the units must work together to deliver a quality, value-added education.  The ability to perspective switch is also essential to an institution’s ability to remain viable and sustainable.  In this episode I’ll discuss an example from my time in higher education administration and delve into an innovative approach developed and implemented at National University in California.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

In Episode 59 I took a look at the level of confidence that presidents and chief financial officers have in their institutions’ viability and higher education in general.  I still don’t get how the relatively positive outlook of these groups aligns with the trends toward closures, downsizing, mergers and acquisitions that we are witnessing.  But recent studies from Gallup and Insider Higher Ed offer other perspectives, provided by the American public and university business officers. In this episode I’ll look at the erosion in confidence expressed by the general population, and how the view of business officers varies from that of other higher education leadership concerning the health of the education sector. And more importantly, we’ll consider the road going forward. Or not.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

A new iteration of a Gainful Employment rule is now scheduled for implementation in 2024.  Various versions of the rule, or something like it,  have been around since 1965. (See episode 15 for some commentary). You will be pleased to know that I am NOT going to rehash the jumble of consumer protection arguments and scandals that have plagued this rule for decades.  Instead, I’m going to suggest that the current conjugal relationship of federal bureaucracy and political hijinks doesn’t seem to promise connubial bliss.  It looks pretty much like the same old stuff, recycled yet again in hopes that this time the bond will hold. Good luck with that. 

So maybe it’s time to look elsewhere, through a less myopic lens, for a solution that holds the promise of a long-term undertaking that actually benefits students.  I’ll let you focus through my lens in this episode.  See how you like the view.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network.

The recent federal spending bill that ends the repayment moratorium on student debt and the Supreme Court decision on student loan debt forgiveness mean that loan repayments will likely resume this fall for millions of borrowers. Without the one-time forgiveness plan that was denied, there could be a significant strain on the Office of Federal Student Aid as the load of loans to be serviced is more than anticipated. Meanwhile, the government is scrambling to get a Plan B in place to provide relief to affected borrowers. But all of this ignores the real problem, namely that the student loan system is broken.  The process of applying for, receiving and repaying federal financial aid needs a complete overhaul.  There are relatively simple loan models (at least compared to student financial aid) for things like real estate and cars, among other commodities.  It may be time to take higher education for the commodity it is and provide access to a loan system that is transparent and user friendly.  In this episode I take a look at all this.  Tune in. 

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network

There is an ongoing debate as to whether a college degree is “worth it.” In this episode I’ll explore the notion of “worth it” and what experts, including major business and government authorities, have to say.  I think you may be surprised at what they have to say and what it may mean for the future of higher education.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Piecing together a picture of the future of higher education is like working on a jigsaw puzzle without knowing what the final puzzle will look like. Sometimes the pieces have strange shapes and sizes.  And they may not provide clues as to how they fit together to produce the final picture.  In this episode I’ll look at a couple of pieces of the puzzle that I think are parts of the big picture.  But do they give us a clue as to what the big picture will look like?  Tune in and find out! 

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

In the 1960’s, calculators completely changed how we teach and think about math as an essential part of the liberal arts. Higher education was skeptical, but has now embraced the technology.  Now it appears that ChatGPT may have a similar effect on the teaching and practice of writing.  In both cases, technology has developed tools that present a multitude of opportunities and challenges at all levels of education, not just specific to the respective disciplines of math and writing.  Possibilities are now unlocked for a complete change of how we view the liberal arts and integrate them into the development of a curriculum that cultivates well-rounded citizens.  In this episode I’ll discuss the shift away from the monolithic notions of math and writing and look at what might go into a new core of liberal arts education.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

In January I published a prescient episode entitled “The Myth of Student Loan Forgiveness.” I am going to republish it today, not just to beat my chest, but to remind us all of what happens when politics and ideology contaminate higher education. The Supreme Court decision should not have been a surprise to anyone.  And not because of conservative vs. liberal judges. This issue was in large part an election campaign promise that had no legs from the start. It was like promising your kids that you are taking them on vacation to Disneyland when you know that you can’t afford it and that it is very unlikely to happen. That means you don’t have the authority to make the promise.  Shame on you. 

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Recently released 2023 figures on enrollment trends in the U.S. show an interesting picture of how higher ed looks coming out of the pandemic. There may be some stabilization of the losses that already existed and were exacerbated by the effects of COVID.  But how that stabilization is being realized is a complex combination of trends and sub-trends that we can document but not really explain.  In this episode I’ll explore what the latest data suggest.  And I’ll look at how the data look through the lens of student engagement, leaning on the insights of Dr. Jenny Darroch from Miami University (OH).  What can we blame on COVID, and what can we blame on ourselves?  Check it out.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

I am unabashedly obsessed with the business model of higher education. My contention has been, in many episodes of this podcast, that higher ed needs to pattern itself after the business model that drives the American economy.  A crucial element of this model is the supply chain that takes raw materials and transforms them into finished products that are distributed to end users.  This model applies to everything from baby formula to computer chips.  But how about higher education?  You bet.  In this episode I’ll lay out how raw materials (aka students) are procured and subjected to a variety of processes that are designed to produce  finished products (graduates) that benefit the workplace and society.  I’ll also lay out the weak links in education’s supply chain and what can be done about them.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast network

There’s a recent hot debate over what should or should not be taught in the classroom and who has input to curriculum at all levels, especially concerning gender-related topics.  Much of the heated rhetoric surrounds Florida bills HB 1557 and SB 266.  If you don’t know what these are, or you do know and haven’t read them, you could be part of the problem, not the solution. But what do you really know about the FACTS involved in the debate?  You may be surprised to learn what the bills actually say versus what opponents want you to think they say.  In this episode I’ll winnow out ideology from reality as I explore what these bills actually do and what some people say they do. And I’ll call out the risk of relying on second-hand information in forming opinions. This is not about politics or culture wars. It’s about having informed positions. The bottom line is, regardless of your position, it should be based on fact, not ideology.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

Confidence in Higher Education?

A recent study indicates that presidents and chief financial officers have confidence in the financial viability of their institutions and the future of higher education.  These results come at a time when we are witnessing an unprecedented number of college closings, mergers, and acquisitions.  How do we reconcile how scholastic leadership feels and what we are witnessing in the higher ed sector? Tune in to this episode for my take:  NO COMPRENDO.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience podcast network.

GPT Update

So what’s the big deal here?  I have lived through major technological and social developments like color television, computers (no, grasshopper, they haven’t always been around), mobile phones and space travel. I expect to live though ChatGPT, too. I already deal with AI on a daily basis; GPT is just the next thing (check out episodes 41 and 42 of Insights).  Society is beginning to come to terms with it—oh, except for higher ed. In this episode we’ll look at GPT from the perspectives of instructors and students to see some of the latest “insights” (pun intended).

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience podcast network.

We all have lists that help direct our lives.  So does higher ed.  The National Student Clearinghouse has a list of people who have attended college but never completed a degree or other formal course of study.  It’s called the Some College No Credential list. Supposedly this list identifies individuals whom Institutions can help bring back into the higher education fold. This list triggered a lively conversation on LinkedIn recently, ignited by Joe Sallustio. In this episode I’ll highlight some of the key issues.  For instance, what the heck is a “credential” anyway?  And why does higher ed hold the conviction that  education is not legitimate unless it is validated by a formal piece of paper,  and that the current higher ed structure is the only avenue to getting that paper?

The bottom-line question is that while SCNC lists may be interesting for higher education and the NSC, do they mean anything to the people who get put on the list?  Has it occurred to anyone that maybe people are OK with where they are with their education and don’t want/need more? What if we ASK people whether they have enough education and whether they want more, rather than TELL them that they need to do to get off an artificial list?  Personally, I don’t want to be part of a list that would have me.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience podcast network.

In the last episode, I looked at pipelines to the university presidency and what the future of the presidency might look like.  My observation is that if we don’t change what we put into the pipeline, that leads to the presidency, we shouldn’t expect something different to come out the other end. The same is true for institutions. We have to look at what goes into making a university, and what we can expect the result to be. It has been suggested that institutions like the Ivies and public mega-universities  can be models for future institutions. I disagree. These are fine establishments, but they represent higher ed’s legacy, not the future. They are products of a set of previous socioeconomic conditions, politics and purpose that are all different today. So where do we look for indications of what the future will look like? I think we should study institutions that are changing the pipeline by changing the mix of what goes in—and what is coming out. These places do not aspire to be like traditional models.  They are using measured, responsible strategies to forge a new model. They are not trying to go big.  They are going small to get big. We'll look at one.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

A recent ACE study looks at the state of university presidents in the United States.  It provides the latest data gathered in areas like diversity, experience, tenure, and the future plans of today’s crop of institutional leaders. Much of this data is not earthshaking, but it reveals some of the confusing mindset that plagues efforts to transform the office of the president. Specifically, it looks at some pipelines that lead to the presidency and what they portend. The simple truth is, whatever you put into a pipeline comes out the other end. In this episode I’ll discuss how to get what we want out of pipelines by looking at what we put in.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience Podcast Network.

54.  Elvin Freytes Comes Clean Season 5.4 4/30

So where do all the EdUp podcasts come from?  How did it all start?  And what’s the story behind the best-selling book “Commencement: The Beginning of a New Era in Higher Education”? It all looks pretty slick and cool.  But there are a lot of moving parts behind this multimedia network. In this episode, I take a look behind the scenes with Elvin Freytes,  EdUp co-founder and producer, and contributing author of “Commencement.”  Don’t wait for the movie--find out all about this ground-breaking higher education juggernaut as Elvin confesses all in this action-packed episode.

EdUp Insights with Bill Pepicello is part of the EdUp Experience podcast network.

I have often advised colleagues, collaborators, and anyone else against embracing complexity. Why?  Well the not-complex answer is that complexity is the adversary of progress.  Complexity, at its core, is predictable and comfortable.  Uninspired approaches to repetitive routines often produce, unoriginal and easily anticipated results. Complexity is snug and secure, but it’s not a path to progress and innovation.

So, what is the alternative?  Glad you asked.  The alternative to complexity is chaos. Chaos is unpredictable and leads to a search for order and reason that may be simple, direct, and effective.  Tune in to this episode for details.

One of the themes in the book Commencement: “The Beginning of a New Era in Higher Education” is leadership.  The book contains in depth discussions, as well as illuminating examples, of what leaders in higher education are thinking and doing.  In this episode I’ll share some of my recent thoughts on how leaders are made, and the realities of success and failure.  No theory here, just lessons learned. As Yogi Berra once said, “You can’t think and hit at the same time.” Find out how that applies to leadership in higher ed.

EdUp Insights is part of the EdUP Experience Podcast Network