Whether enrollment is the hot topic on campus, or it’s about increasing revenues through non credit learners, brand matters. 

For decades, higher ed has been able to live off students knocking on (and often breaking down) the door. 

But the new constituents - especially the lifelong learner has numerous options to choose from, and marketing becomes a mission-critical area of excellence at each institution. 

In this episode two of the Beyond partners discuss the current state, and why it is so important to have a conversation about the transformation of brand at most schools. 

Historically the IT department in Iran has sat in the back taking orders from every other department on what needs to be ordered, what needs to be fixed, and what strategy to implement. That is a broken approach that will not lead to a sustainable future. In this episode the beyond partners discuss why that’s the case. 

Why this transformation is so important and urgent:

1. The great resignation is taking its toll on all industries, but higher ed’s talent pool is not as deep as most. We’re not in the tech or sports entertainment lanes - where there is an abundance of talent pouring in. Every person we lose to another industry is an exponential loss. 
2. No matter how good a school’s technology strategy, enrollment strategy, brand, or location is, if we can’t keep good people happy - especially those with deep institutional knowledge - continuity and sustainability are at risk.
3. People spend a majority of their waking hours at work. If they can’t find fulfillment, appropriate reward, and opportunity in that work, they deserve better. So it’s just a matter of whether your school will get (or keep) the best people in this next 3-8 year battle for talent, or if you’ll be left with the ones who just care enough to show up and punch a clock. 

Chancellor Gonzalez (1/4)

Necessity is the mother of invention. When resources are limited, schools like Maricopa County Community College have started to look elsewhere for not only funding. But this was not only a financial necessity, it was also an opportunity for the school to partner with industries that could set their students up for success after graduation. Listen in as Chancellor Steven Gonzalez talks about this new approach.

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In January of 2020, Dr. Steven Gonzalez assumed the role of Interim Chancellor for the Maricopa County Community College District, one of the largest community college systems in the nation, serving nearly 200,000 students with the support of 10,000 faculty and staff across 10 colleges.

He has nearly 25 years of instructional and administrative experience in higher education. He served as the eighth president of Gateway Community College, one of the 10 Maricopa Community Colleges. Dr. Gonzalez has also served on the National Community College Hispanic Council, as an executive board member, the community college Survey of Student Engagement as a member of the Board of Directors, the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the National Institute of Staff and Organizational Development, and the Arizona Post Secondary Education Board of Commissioners.

He has recently published an article in the New Directions for Community Colleges Journal.

Doing something different takes unconventional thinking and bold ideas. But how do these qualities meld with the ideas of courage and confidence? Those who believe they can get by on courage alone may be misleading themselves in that they know they’re not taking the right path. This can translate into students who go through college, and complete their courses to the best of their abilities, but still feel lost while entering the workforce.  

In this episode of the Changemakers series, Chancellor Ben Nelson of Minerva University speaks about the perception of courage, confidence, and problems in education regarding disconnection from the classroom and the working world.

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Chancellor Ben Nelson is the founder of Minerva with a passion to reinvent higher education. Prior to Minerva, Nelson spent more than 10 years at Snapfish where he helped build the company from startup to the world's largest personal publishing service. Prior to joining Snapfish, Nelson was president and CEO of Community Ventures, a network of locally branded portals for American communities. 

Nelson's passion for reforming undergraduate education was first sparked at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where he received a Bachelor of Science in economics. After creating a blueprint for curricular reform in his first year of school, Nelson went on to become the chair of the Student Committee on undergraduate education, a pedagogical think tank that is the oldest and only non-elected student government body at the University of Pennsylvania.

President Santa Ono (4/4)

As the prices of tuition in domestic universities rise, many face the challenge of being priced out of higher education. But there may be hope beyond their country’s borders. The emerging student — specifically international students — may begin looking very different than just another affluent student seeking to learn abroad. 

In this episode of the Changemaker series, President Santa Ono of the University of British Columbia discusses how emerging international students may seek more affordable opportunities at universities in other nations, and what this means for nations with conflicting political interests.

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President Ono is a president of a Canadian school and a former president of a U.S. school which brings an enlightening perspective to the conversation around global education. President Ono was the 28th President of the University of Cincinnati, and today, he is the 15th President of the University of British Columbia.

Chancellor Ben Nelson (1/4)

If the goal of Higher Ed is to prepare its students to make a positive global impact, we cannot do so by cutting off our universities from the rest of the world.

In this episode of the Changemakers series, Chancellor Ben Nelson of Minerva University discusses the importance of inclusivity and diversity in higher education.

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Chancellor Ben Nelson is the founder of Minerva with a passion to reinvent higher education. Prior to Minerva, Nelson spent more than 10 years at Snapfish where he helped build the company from startup to the world's largest personal publishing service. Prior to joining Snapfish, Nelson was president and CEO of Community Ventures, a network of locally branded portals for American communities. 

Nelson's passion for reforming undergraduate education was first sparked at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, where he received a Bachelor of Science in economics. After creating a blueprint for curricular reform in his first year of school, Nelson went on to become the chair of the Student Committee on undergraduate education, a pedagogical think tank that is the oldest and only non-elected student government body at the University of Pennsylvania.

President Mark Lombardi (4/4)

Is your organization more afraid of success than it is of failure?

Executing on innovation in higher education requires finesse, knowledge, and intense drive. But above all, it demands courage. 

In this episode of the Changemakers series, President Mark Lombardi of Maryville University concludes his guest appearance with a discussion around the courage to fail and the importance of creating a safe environment in which to do so. He also talks about how finding the most courageous people in your organization and putting them in a room together can create a magnetic pull that can inspire your entire university to take action toward innovation.

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Dr. Mark Lombardi has served as president of Maryville University since 2007. In that time, Maryville has achieved unprecedented growth and earned national distinction for leading a digital revolution in higher education.