

The EdUp Experience
YOUR Higher Education Podcast
We welcome YOU to America’s leading higher education podcast! Hosted by Dr. Joe Sallustio, whose down-to-Earth approach & industry experience helps to make dry & complicated educational topics more fun & engaging to discuss. Elvin Freytes, Producer, brings YOU the most innovative leaders in higher education to the microphone. The EdUp Experience team brings over 40 years of experience in higher education - YOU will feel refreshed, upskilled, & reskilled after listening to this podcast.
LEARN MORE:
edupexperience.com
We make education YOUR business!
LEARN MORE:
edupexperience.com
We make education YOUR business!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 20, 2026 • 39min
How Higher Ed Leaders Are Getting AI Policy Wrong (& How to Fix It) - with Dr. David Hatami, Managing Director & Chief Policy Officer, EduPolicy.ai
It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Dr. David Hatami, Managing Director & Chief Policy Officer, EduPolicy.aiIn this episode, sponsored by the ELIVE 2026 Conference in Denver, Colorado, April 19-22, & the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR cohost is Dr. Michael Horowitz, Chancellor & Founder, The Community Solution Education SystemYOUR host is Elvin FreytesHow does EduPolicy.ai translate complex AI regulations into actionable guidance for higher education & why must AI policy leadership come from the top to create institution wide buy in?How should institutions implement umbrella AI policies with department specific sub policies since admissions, financial aid, academics & registrar all use technology differently with unique data needs?How does AI policy become a living document that stays active in institutional ecosystems rather than collecting dust & what happens when only half of users enforce policy like a city where only half the police enforce laws?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? Become an #EdUp Premium Member today!

Jan 19, 2026 • 43min
Why Pennsylvania's Newest College Might Outlive Its Oldest Ones - with Susan R. Snelick, President, Northern Pennsylvania Regional College
It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Susan R. Snelick, President, Northern Pennsylvania Regional CollegeIn this episode, President Series #439, powered by Ellucian, & sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR host is Dr. Joe SallustioHow does Pennsylvania's only rural regional college serve 10 counties without a single campus based facility & why is this model critical for eliminating education deserts across northern Pennsylvania?What happens when a public institution founded in 2017 operates independently from community college standards & how does this freedom enable innovation that traditional systems cannot replicate?Why are colleges, campuses, tech centers & business schools closing their doors in rural regions & what infrastructure costs are literally driving institutions out of business while education deserts expand?Extended Conversation for EdUp Premium Members: How can institutions deliver affordable accessible education through Teams meetings, remote learning & asynchronous formats while maintaining workforce development offerings that require in person training?What makes Workforce Pell simultaneously promising for equity & access yet nearly impossible to implement when federal restrictions clash with institutional business models & existing workforce training systems?What does the future demand when high school graduates are declining enrollment across 2 year & 4 year institutions & how must higher ed collectively rethink the value proposition to remain competitive in a global environment?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? Become an #EdUp Premium Member today!

Jan 16, 2026 • 47min
Why Insurance Companies & Universities Need the Same Technology Now - with Shouvik Paul, COO, Copyleaks
It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Shouvik Paul, COO, CopyleaksIn this episode, part of our Academic Integrity Series, sponsored by Integrity4EducationYOUR cohost is Thomas Fetsch, CEO, Integrity4EducationYOUR host is Elvin FreytesHow is CopyLeaks (named #153 on Inc. 5000 in 2025) bringing enterprise grade AI technology used by Bloomberg, Forbes, BBC & 450 plus companies to over 500 educational institutions & why are 10 to 15 universities switching to them monthly?How does Copyleaks' AI technology achieve 99.8% accuracy by analyzing word clusters like "attuned to these fluctuations" (used 102,000 times by AI vs 14 times by humans in 1 million papers) & patterns of usage rather than just flagging individual submissions?How does the AI source match database work to show professors side by side comparisons of student work against already published AI generated content & why does Shouvik say you need the human in the loop to make final academic integrity decisions?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? Become an #EdUp Premium Member today!

Jan 15, 2026 • 29min
What 23 Years at 1 College Teaches About AI - with Dr. Robert Wilson, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, Cedar Crest College
It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Dr. Robert Wilson, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs, Cedar Crest CollegeIn this episode, part of our Academic Integrity Series, sponsored by Integrity4EducationYOUR cohost is Thomas Fetsch, CEO, Integrity4EducationYOUR host is Elvin FreytesHow does Cedar Crest College treat AI as a design issue rather than a policing problem by building academic integrity into assignments & helping students understand ethical boundaries instead of just catching cheaters?How is Cedar Crest's math department using a custom LLM called Alchemy to teach students at their learning level instead of jumping straight to answers like popular AI models do & what does this mean for equity across student populations?How does a provost who's been at 1 institution for 23 years keep his fire burning by building programs from writing centers to MFA degrees to AI ready initiatives & what does he see as the future relevance question for higher education?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? Become an #EdUp Premium Member today!

Jan 14, 2026 • 53min
How Does Serving the "Top 100%" Challenge Everything Higher Ed Measures? - with Dr. Edward Bush, President, Cosumnes River College
It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Dr. Edward Bush, President, Cosumnes River CollegeIn this episode, President Series #438, powered by Ellucian, & sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR host is Dr. Joe SallustioHow does a community college president lead the 9th most diverse institution in the nation while challenging traditional higher ed metrics that fail to capture the full spectrum of student success stories?What does it mean to serve the "top 100%" of your population & why are 17,000 students across every demographic turning to one Sacramento institution for everything from dual enrollment through workforce upskilling?How can community colleges redefine accountability when traditional first time full time freshman statistics are engineered to undercount transfer students, adult learners & the non credit population creating massive economic impact?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? Become an #EdUp Premium Member today!

Jan 13, 2026 • 53min
Student Centered, Innovation Driven - with Dr. Rick Muma, President of Wichita State University
It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Dr. Rick Muma, President, Wichita State UniversityIn this episode, President Series #437, powered by Ellucian, & sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR co-host is Page Keller, VP of Academic Relations, KnackYOUR host is Dr. Joe SallustioHow does a president build an Innovation Campus with over 50 companies like Airbus, Deloitte Smart Factory & NetApp where 12,000 students make nearly $40 million per year while gaining real world experience in public private partnerships?What happens when a university surpasses $600 million in research awards, achieves the highest enrollment in its 130 year history & hyper focuses on affordability, access & feeding the talent pipeline for economic prosperity?How does a president document the transformation of a 130 year old university into a $600 million research powerhouse & innovation campus model in a book (Student Centered, Innovation Driven:A Guide to Transforming Higher Education) that other institutions can learn from?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? Become an #EdUp Premium Member today!

Jan 12, 2026 • 35min
AI in Higher Ed: What Grammarly’s Rebrand Means for Students & Faculty - with Jenny Maxwell, Head of Education (GM), Superhuman (formerly Grammarly)
It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Jenny Maxwell, Head of Education (GM), Superhuman (formerly Grammarly)In this episode, part of our Academic Integrity Series, sponsored by Integrity4EducationYOUR cohost is Thomas Fetsch, CEO, Integrity4EducationYOUR host is Elvin FreytesHow does Superhuman support millions of students with AI that enhances writing, builds curiosity, & strengthens learning rather than enabling cheating?Why was the authorship workflow created, & how does it protect students from false accusations while giving faculty clarity on how work is produced?How can AI help higher ed redesign outdated assignments, improve relationships between faculty & students, & create more personalized, reflective learning?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? Become an #EdUp Premium Member today!

Jan 9, 2026 • 48min
What Happens When 60 Leaders Discover Traditional Workforce Prep Is Broken? - Kristen Fox, Chief Executive Officer, Business-Higher Education Forum
It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Kristen Fox, Chief Executive Officer, Business-Higher Education ForumIn this episode, sponsored by YELO FundingYOUR host is Dr. Joe SallustioHow does a national nonprofit bridge business & higher education to prepare 2.8 million students for an AI economy changing faster than traditional curriculum cycles?What happens when skills half life shrinks rapidly & both employers & educators realize the historical workforce preparation approach isn't working in a labor market transformed by generative AI?How does BHEF unite over 60 leaders from community colleges through 4 year institutions & corporate partners employing 3 million workers to expand work based learning & embed real skills into degrees?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? Become an #EdUp Premium Member today!

Jan 8, 2026 • 38min
AI in the Classroom: What Faculty Need to Know About Integrity, Engagement, & Student Success - with Dr. Rebecca I. Hopkins, Vice President of Learning, Western Technical College
It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Dr. Rebecca I. Hopkins, Vice President of Learning, Western Technical CollegeIn this episode, part of our Academic Integrity Series, sponsored by Integrity4EducationYOUR cohost is Thomas Fetsch, CEO, Integrity4EducationYOUR host is Elvin FreytesHow does Western Technical College support a diverse learner population by treating most academic integrity issues as developmental moments tied to citation, idea integration, & authentic learning?How are faculty using clear AI syllabus statements, alternative assessments, performance tasks, portfolios, & in person skill checks to guide ethical AI use & strengthen academic integrity?How does Western’s faculty development model, including a multi year new faculty experience & ongoing AI focused training, help instructors redesign assessments & improve engagement across online, hybrid, & in person learning?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? Become an #EdUp Premium Member today!

Jan 7, 2026 • 1h 1min
What If Higher Ed Stopped Selling Degrees & Started Unlocking Human Potential Instead? - with Dr. Suzy Siegle, President & CEO | Professor of Management, Walsh College
It's YOUR time to #EdUp with Dr. Suzy Siegle, President & CEO | Professor of Management, Walsh CollegeIn this episode, President Series #436, powered by Ellucian, & sponsored by the 2026 InsightsEDU Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 17-19,YOUR co-host is Darius Goldman, Founder & CEO, Career-BondYOUR host is Dr. Jodi (Ashbrook) Blinco, Vice President for Enrollment Management Consulting, EducationDynamicsHow does an upper division business & technology college partner with community colleges to create seamless transfer pathways that serve the 85% of students who are now the majority, not the alternative?What happens when institutions embrace continuous learning beyond degrees, offering dual doctorates, certificates, & professional development that keeps professionals competitive as AI & machine learning disrupt entire disciplines?How can higher ed leaders shift from blaming external circumstances like demographic cliffs & value questions to taking ownership of their response, adapting their models, & staying massively focused on delivering transformational outcomes that unlock human potential?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? Become an #EdUp Premium Member today!


