The Higher Ed Geek Podcast

We’re proud to welcome Dr. Brooke Elliott, Dean of the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois to the show this week. She shares her perspective on leading with purpose during a time of rapid change in higher education. Dean Elliott discusses how a mission-driven culture, intentional innovation, and a commitment to expanding access have helped Gies grow its impact while preparing students for an increasingly dynamic workforce. Rather than chasing trends, Dean Elliott makes the case for building durable systems that empower faculty, strengthen student outcomes, and ensure institutions remain adaptable while staying true to their core mission.

In this week’s episode, Dustin speaks with Dr. Daniel Allen, President of La Salle University, about the institution's remarkable turnaround and the leadership principles behind its recognition as the "Comeback College." Rather than chasing flashy higher education trends, Dr. Allen shares how La Salle leaned into its core identity—prioritizing teaching excellence, student success, and a strong sense of community—to reverse enrollment declines and strengthen its financial position.

We welcome Leslie Gale from CampusESP to the show this week to talk about the evolving role of parents and families in the higher education journey. Drawing on new survey data from more than 43,000 family members, they explore how institutions can better support student success by delivering timely, relevant information and embracing parents as partners throughout enrollment, persistence, and beyond.

In this bonus episode recorded live at the eduWeb Summit in Orlando, we speak with Laura Beth of CLYDE about how AI is reshaping higher education marketing, communications, and public relations. They discuss why institutions need to rethink their websites as content engines for generating perception by AI rather than just destinations for human visitors. Laura Beth also shares how earned media, press releases, and even Reddit have become increasingly valuable sources for showing up in AI-powered search, and why there's no single formula for succeeding in this new landscape.

For this week's episode, Dustin speaks with Jenny Maxwell of Superhuman about the evolving relationship between AI and academic integrity in higher education. They explore how institutions can move beyond viewing AI as a threat and instead embrace more transparent, collaborative approaches that help students learn with AI while maintaining trust, accountability, and meaningful assessment practices.

In this bonus episode recorded live at the eduWeb Summit in Orlando, Nathan Monk from Prospectus Plus jumps on to talk about why the traditional college viewbook is overdue for a digital transformation. They explore how personalized, interactive digital publications can better engage prospective students, alumni, and other audiences while providing institutions with valuable insights into what content resonates most. The conversation also challenges higher education leaders to rethink long-standing assumptions by truly imagining what is possible versus limiting ourselves by the past.

This week, Dustin chats with Dr. Dave Duke, Chief Product Officer at McGraw Hill, about how AI is reshaping teaching, learning, and academic integrity in higher education. He highlights some new product developments for their learning tools as well as the recently released Sharpen Advantage. Drawing on his background in psychology and product design, Dave explores how students make rational decisions about AI use, why traditional views of academic integrity are becoming more nuanced, and how institutions can better support students in developing meaningful AI proficiency for the workforce.