The EdUp Experience

It's YOUR time to #EdUpIn this episode, President Series #420, powered by ⁠⁠⁠Ellucian⁠⁠⁠, & sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR guest is Brad Baca, President, Western Colorado UniversityYOUR co-host is Gregory Clayton, President, EducationDynamicsYOUR host is Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠How does a 125 year old teacher's college serve 43 million adults with some college & no credential through targeted degree completion programs?What happens when a rural mountain university at 7,800 feet builds programs around place, from outdoor industry MBAs to high altitude exercise physiology?How does a president with 23 years at 1 institution navigate state funding, AI adoption, & strategic focus while running the highest collegiate stadium in the nation?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at The EdUp ExperienceWe make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠​subscribe today​⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

It's YOUR time to #EdUpIn this episode, part of our Academic Integrity Series, sponsored by ⁠Integrity4EducationYOUR guests are Kaela Lindquist, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Accountability & Conflict Resolution, & Amy S. Kelso, Senior Associate General Counsel, Office of Legal Affairs, The University of North Carolina at CharlotteYOUR cohost is Thomas Fetsch, CEO, Integrity4EducationYOUR host is ⁠Elvin Freytes⁠How does a 32,000 student research university manage academic integrity when students say "I didn't want to download ChatGPT because I thought you'd catch me cheating"?What happens when you shift from transactional punishment to transformational education & create remediation outcomes instead of just failing students who violate academic integrity policies?How does a unique attorney administrator partnership prevent legal issues before they happen & why is trust more important than catching cheaters in preparing students for the real world?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠& ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠The EdUp Experience⁠We make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠⁠​subscribe today​⁠⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

Dr. Roger Parrott, a 30-year university president from Belhaven University, shares insights into innovative leadership and education. He discusses the impact of offering free master’s degrees to undergraduates and how it saves families money. With a radical approach to decision-making, he eliminates committees, making choices in just 45 minutes. Parrott emphasizes the importance of faith integration in education and suggests that institutions should focus on capturing opportunities rather than rigid planning.

Jarred McNeely, Chief Academic Officer at Sonoran Desert Institute, shares insights on online trade education, focusing on practical skills in gunsmithing and drones. He discusses innovative hands-on learning methods delivered from students' homes, emphasizing video demonstrations over traditional written work for validating competency. Jarred advocates treating AI as a tool rather than a threat, and highlights the importance of open-book testing to prepare students for rapid industry changes. His practical approach aims to bridge education and real-world applications.

Join Dr. LaMont Jones, Managing Editor for Education at U.S. News & World Report, as he dives into the evolving landscape of college rankings. Discover how families can leverage U.S. News' vast resources for better educational choices. Dr. Jones discusses the importance of outcomes-based metrics over traditional prestige, and how community colleges and alternative paths offer impressive ROI. He also explores the impact of AI on admissions and shares strategies for colleges facing the demographic cliff, all while maintaining a focus on transparency and mission clarity.

Dr. Aondover Tarhule, President of Illinois State University and a climate/hydrology scholar, shares his inspiring journey from Nigeria to university leadership. He discusses strategic enrollment management to combat demographic declines and emphasizes the need for programs that align with workforce demands. Dr. Tarhule reveals how data analytics helped the university improve student retention by addressing financial barriers and course failures. He also outlines initiatives that transformed nursing and engineering programs to meet local industry needs.

It's YOUR time to #EdUp In this episode, part of our EdUp Extra series (because who doesn’t love a little extra goodness in their life), & sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR guest is Brent Richard, CEO, IMG AcademyYOUR host is ⁠⁠Elvin FreytesHow does a 50 year old tennis academy transform into a 600 acre boarding school with 1,600 student athletes taking 4 hours of academics & 4 hours of sports daily while teaching resilience like algebra?What happens when 60% of high school students play sports but only 500,000 NCAA roster spots exist for 8 million athletes & why does IMG's survey show 95% of families care about sports as education over money?How does the "Varsity-Lite" model let universities double enrollment by recruiting student athletes to 2nd & 3rd teams using existing fields & why are High Point & Liberty already proving it's profitable?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at The EdUp ExperienceWe make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠​subscribe today​⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

It's YOUR time to #EdUp In this episode, part of our EdUp Extra series (because who doesn’t love a little extra goodness in their life), & sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR guest is Dr. Susan Ray, Associate Professor of English, Delaware County Community CollegeYOUR host is ⁠⁠Elvin FreytesHow does an AI transparency journal transform students from viewing AI as "always cheating" (35%) to becoming confident digital citizens?What happens when 89% of students already use ChatGPT weekly but arrive at college with zero guidance on ethical use?How does integrating AI across composition curriculum achieve 100% retention rates & prepare students for careers where 71% of employers prefer AI skills?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at The EdUp ExperienceWe make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠​subscribe today​⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

It's YOUR time to #EdUpIn this episode, President Series #417, powered by ⁠⁠⁠Ellucian⁠⁠⁠, & sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR guest is Dr. Kimberly Beatty, Chancellor, Metropolitan Community College-Kansas CityYOUR co-host is Christi Segal, Vice President Managed Services & Executive Business Engagement, EllucianYOUR host is ⁠⁠Dr. Joe Sallustio How does a community college serving 18,000 students across 5 campuses get approval to offer bachelor's degrees in respiratory care to fill critical workforce gaps?What does it take to be 1st runner up in Dancing with the Stars Kansas City style while leading a major community college?How can higher education adapt to AI & changing student expectations without compromising rigor & services?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at The EdUp ExperienceWe make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠​subscribe today​⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!

It's YOUR time to #EdUp In this episode, part of our EdUp Extra series, & sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR guest is CT Turner, CEO, GED Testing Service YOUR cohost is Darius Goldman, Founder & CEO, Career-BondYOUR host is ⁠⁠Elvin FreytesHow does a proficiency based program serve 1 million test takers yearly & achieve 85.5% semester to semester college persistence?What happens when a 39 year old single mom with an autistic son uses GED to enter nursing school & get off Medicaid?How does GED serve over 90 countries, including refugees born in camps who use the credential as their only pathway out?Listen in to #EdUpThank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp!Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠⁠● Join YOUR EdUp community at The EdUp ExperienceWe make education YOUR business!P.S. Want to get early, ad-free access & exclusive leadership content to help support the show? Then ⁠​subscribe today​⁠ to lock in YOUR $5.99/m lifetime supporters rate! This offer ends December 31, 2025!