Podcast appearances and mentions of eric stoller

It's 1987. The surf's up, the sun's out, and high school teacher Freddy Shoop is about to have the summer of his life… until he's roped into teaching remedial English to a group of students who would rather be anywhere else. In this episode of the Better Learning Podcast, Kevin, Eric, and Mark crack open Summer School, the cult classic that blends outrageous 80s comedy with a surprisingly insightful take on teaching, student motivation, and the eternal struggle between fun and responsibility. We break down what makes Mark Harmon's Mr. Shoop one of the most unexpectedly relatable teachers in movie history—does his unconventional, rule-breaking approach make him a terrible educator, or the kind of mentor students actually need? We also dive into the misfit classroom of 80s archetypes, from the horror-obsessed duo of Chainsaw and Dave to the overachieving student with test anxiety, and discuss how these characters still reflect real-world education challenges today.   Takeaways: Connecting with students has a huge impact Sometimes you need respect from students before they like you Have fun and be yourself Take the five seconds to say something individualized to a student     Connect with Eric Stoller: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esstoller/   Connect with host, Kevin Stoller: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinstoller/     Episode 221 of the Better Learning Podcast Kevin Stoller is the host of the Better Learning Podcast and Co-Founder of Kay-Twelve, a national leader for educational furniture. Learn more about creating better learning environments at www.Kay-Twelve.com.     For more information on our partners: Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/ Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/ Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/ EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/ Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/ Want to be a Guest Speaker? Request on our website

Eric Stoller of the Flag City Sluggers is my guest tonight and discusses what it is like to operate a summer collegiate team with a group of college students from the University. of Findlay The first-year Great Lakes League is based in Finlady, Ohio, and hopes to provide the area with baseball fun during the summertime.

In this episode of "Student Affairs Voices from the Field," Dr. Jill Creighton discusses transitions in Student Affairs with her guest, Dr. Chrissy Roth Francis, who made the leap from student affairs to a career in the tech industry. The episode highlights the challenges and opportunities faced by student affairs professionals considering a pivot into adjacent roles. Dr. Creighton emphasizes the importance of this discussion, acknowledging the diverse experiences within the field. Dr. Chrissy Roth Francis shares her journey through higher education, starting as an involved undergraduate student, pursuing a master's degree at New York University, and eventually landing a dream job at the University of Southern California, where she worked with international students. She later became the Director of New Student Services at UC Berkeley, overseeing orientation for a growing number of students. However, the transition to a "welcome week" structure became a significant challenge and contributed to her decision to pivot out of higher education. The conversation delves into why Dr. Roth Francis chose to pivot into the corporate world, specifically in talent development at LinkedIn. She highlights the transferable skills gained in higher education, such as problem-solving, strategic planning, and public speaking, which have proven valuable in her new role. Dr. Creighton discusses the various options available to student affairs professionals, including staying in the field, changing the field from within, or pursuing opportunities outside higher education. Dr. Roth Francis emphasizes the need for clear boundaries and work-life balance in her new career, a departure from the long hours and weekend commitments common in student affairs. She discusses the practicality of her decision, citing the desire for a better lifestyle and higher income as motivating factors. Both hosts express appreciation for student affairs professionals and the essential work they do in supporting students. The episode concludes with a discussion of career trajectories, with Dr. Roth Francis sharing her experience of initially taking a step down in her career to gain experience in the corporate world. She highlights the importance of recalibrating and expanding one's skill set while also acknowledging the financial benefits of her decision. Dr. Creighton emphasizes the need for higher education to adapt and connect with industry to prepare students with the skills necessary for success. She encourages SA professionals to explore all available options, connect with others who have made similar transitions, and conduct thorough research before making career decisions. In summary, this episode provides valuable insights for student affairs professionals considering career transitions, whether within or outside higher education, and highlights the importance of self-care and financial well-being in making such decisions. Please subscribe to SA Voices from the Field on your favorite podcasting device and share the podcast with other student affairs colleagues! TRANSCRIPT Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:02]: Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to seasoned experts. This is season nine on transitions in Student Affairs. This podcast is brought to you by NASPA. And I'm Dr. Jill Creighton. She her hers your essay, Voices from the Field. Host today's episode of Essay Voices from the Field is one for all of you who are considering a pivot into an industry that takes your well earned and well honed student affairs skills into adjacent roles.  Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:37]: So I'm pleased to introduce you today to Dr.Chrissy Roth Francis, who is a loud and proud former student affairs professional. In 2018, with a master's, a doctorate and eleven years of higher ed experience, she packed up her diplomas, conference name tags and pictures of orientation teams. She shed some tears and then ventured into the tech industry with her eyes and ears wide open. Chrissy is now the Director of Talent Development at LinkedIn, where she leads a team that onboards and develops the company's 3500 people managers. Chrissy has been an outspoken voice on LinkedIn for higher ed expats and for those still working on college campuses, but considering a pivot elsewhere. I want to acknowledge the importance of today's episode in Centering, the total experience of being a student affairs professional. For all of us who are thriving on our campuses, this is an episode that we're hoping you can hear where others are positioned for transition. And for those of you who are figuring out that maybe you are looking for other opportunities, maybe this one can be practical for you. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:33]: But to all of you, we appreciate you and all of the work you're doing to support our students on all campuses worldwide. Chrissy, we're so glad to have you on SA voices today. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:01:43]: So happy to be here. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:44]: We know each other through a mutual friend, dDr. Kelly Alvarado Young. So I'm going to give her a shout out right now. Kelly and I work together at WSU. So Kelly, if you're listening, hello. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:01:54]: Hey, Kelly, Chrissy, we really love to. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:56]: Start with getting to know our guests through your very excellent come up story. We'd love to hear your journey through higher ed and also the journey to your position now. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:02:06]: So happy to share it. Jill thank you for having me. My journey starts like almost everybody's journey in Student affairs. I was an undergrad. I was a super involved student. I love doing all the things at my college. And at some point I had that moment where somebody pulled me over and said, I think you should consider this as a professional. Go get a master's degree. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:02:26]: And I didn't know anything and I said, okay, let's go for it. Right? Like that story is very true for so many of us. Ended up getting a master's degree from New York University. Fantastic way to continue my involvement in a college and a university setting. Learned so much working all across that area. And then I ended up getting an incredible job at the University of Southern California. I really think this was the dream job that any entry level professional like me could only hope for. It was in the orientation space, but specifically it was working for international students. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:03:04]: So I had the honor of getting to onboard every new student to that university, but having a focus on students coming from all over the world and learning so much from them as they shared with me their cultures. I stayed several years at USC, and then I was ready for the big job. Ended up getting the big job at UC Berkeley, where I was the director of New Student Services. So still in the orientation space, which I really loved, this was the space that I focused on as an undergrad. Stuck with it all throughout my time in higher education. So when I was at UC Berkeley, I oversaw orientation for what started out as about 6000 students when I got there in 2013, 6000 students annually. By the time I left in 2018, we were onboarding about 10,000 students annually. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:04:00]: That's quite a scale up. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:04:02]: Yeah, it was a big transition over several years. But the biggest transition of that time was that when I got there, we had a summer orientation. So you all know the glory. Small groups cranking out session after session all throughout the summer. And at one point our higher up administration decided, let's go ahead and change it to a welcome week. Typically, welcome week orientations are only seen on very small campuses, medium campuses at the biggest. Definitely not common among large public universities. That was, I believe, to this day, one of the biggest challenges I will ever see in my career was shepherding our entire campus through a two year transition to get us to be able to successfully onboard 10,000 students in a welcome week structure. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:04:56]: It was a great endeavor. I had so much fun learning how to do it. And I'm not going to lie, it took everything out of me. And it is not at all a coincidence that I left soon after doing that. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:05:07]: So I think you're talking about what a lot of us are facing in higher education, which is extraordinary shifts in our work, high expectations from all of those around us, and likely working with some fairly limited resources. And this is all pre pandemic. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:05:24]: Yes. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:05:25]: So thinking about that and your journey, can you talk a little bit about what led you to pursuing the Pivot that you did? So we hear about higher education professionals going all sorts of places, customer success, sales, talent and development. The list is actually fairly long because our skills end up being quite transferable if we package them well. So how did you decide on L and D? Chrissy Roth Francis [00:05:48]: Yes, so you're absolutely right. When I was in higher education, I saw all those constraints all the constraints that probably all of us feel and see in the field and throughout my time there. Because of those constraints, I very much attribute my skills and my experiences to those constraints. So because of those constraints, I built up this massive portfolio of skills problem solving, navigating, tough times, working with stakeholders, public speaking. What about large scale programming with very little money, training leaders, switching directions because of politics or because of a strategic change in the university? All those things, right? Because of constraints and because of the skills and experiences that I accumulate, I believe it helped me be quite successful pivoting into the corporate world. So I now work, as you know, at LinkedIn in learning and development, talent development, where I get to leverage many of those skills that I use on a daily basis in higher education. So when I think about onboarding new students, we onboard new employees to LinkedIn every single week. When I think about training those student leaders on a weekly or a monthly basis at UC Berkeley and University of Southern California, I get to train people at LinkedIn also on a weekly basis. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:07:10]: When I think about problem solving, event planning, strategic planning, all the things that we used to do, I get to do that at LinkedIn all the time. So what I learned was that the skills were very much transferable. If anything, I very truly, strongly believe that we develop more skills in higher ed than probably any other industry. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:07:33]: That's a bold statement. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:07:34]: Oh, I mean it. I really do mean it, because given those constraints, we wear so many hats, and we have learned to be so successful and so resourceful with very few resources. And in other industries where you have the resources, you don't need to be that scrappy. You don't need to be so resourceful. You don't need to stretch yourself in all the different directions. So I do mean it, Joel, and I know it is a bold statement. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:07:59]: I really appreciate kind of hearing the confidence boost of the transferability of skills. I'm wondering if we can back up a little bit and talk about you said that it had taken everything out of you, and I think a lot of us can relate to how that feeling is. Sitting with many parts of the profession right now. There are some of us that are choosing to persist forward and power through that exhaustion. There are some of us who are looking to change the profession from within to make that not a thing as part of the culture of student affairs and higher education. And there are some of us who are going maybe there is greener grass in other places. I'm wondering if you can tell us about your decision to go for that third option rather than one of the first two. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:08:39]: Those are a great way to map out the three options. I have definitely been very public about my opting out for greener grass. And I think that all those options are fitting and perfect for whichever one that you want to choose. For me, it was a matter of I was recognizing that I wasn't living the lifestyle that I wanted to live. Meaning I had two little kids that I birthed when I was at UC Berkeley and I was struggling to find time with them between weekend trainings or night trainings, weekend retreats, or the three weeks straight where I nearly lived in the office because it was time for a welcome week. I also didn't make enough money, frankly, to really pay for my family and our growing needs. So for me, it was very practical. We were not able to do the things that we wanted to do. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:09:31]: I had been paycheck to paycheck my entire career, and now that I'm no longer paycheck to paycheck, I feel much more comfortable saying I was paycheck to paycheck. But back then, I don't think I was ever really free to verbalize how much of a struggle it was for me and my family to sustain on a higher education income. I also think about the people who are like, let's stay in, let's rise to the top, let's make it better, let's really fight to make higher education what it can be. And there are incredible people in higher education who I worked with closely, I adore, and they are in very high up positions, and I know that they are going to make the best that they can possibly do with the situation at hand. And by the way, I never even worked in higher education since COVID so I know it's only gotten more difficult for those people to be able to turn it around. For me, aside from the practicality of wanting a better lifestyle, I really left higher education because I didn't see a path forward for me, I loved working in orientation and I also knew that I wanted to keep climbing or keep moving around. And as I looked moving around, different types of jobs, not physically moving around, which also is very common in higher education. So when I thought about what could be next for me, I scanned my university, I scanned all other universities in the Bay Area, and I couldn't see or envision any jobs out there that would have been a pay increase, a level up, and that I would have appreciated or that I would have enjoyed. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:11:08]: So I looked at our Dean of Students, our VPSA, other high ups who I think most up and coming student affairs professionals aspire to become. And the more I worked with them and the closer I watched what their job was, the more I wanted to run away from that job. I just didn't want the crisis, I didn't want the budget woes, I didn't want a lot of the yuck that comes along with those jobs. And it takes a really special person to do those jobs and it simply wasn't for me. And that was how I really decided it was time to go find that greener grass outside of higher education. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:11:44]: Sometimes I call my portfolio trauma and drama. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:11:47]: It's a great description. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:11:48]: I wish it were not true. But part of the joy of the work is getting to hold space for students who really need an ear for their development. And then part of it too is caring for my well being and those things sometimes can't align, and then the question is what gives? And I think that's very true for a lot of people sitting in the CSAO or the Dean of Students seat. For me especially, I know that working with families of students who have passed away is the number one thing that weighs really heavy on my mind, on my heart, and on my mental health. And that is something they don't teach us how to do in graduate school. We figure it out along the way. And that is a special skill set and honestly, one that I wish I didn't have to have had developed over time because of what comes with it. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:12:33]: Jill, it's the perfect description of why you and people in like positions are so incredible and why I needed to bow out. I knew I didn't want to do it. I knew it wasn't right for me, and I don't even know if I would have been good at it because I didn't even want to give it a try. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:12:50]: So that transition space for you. I've heard you talk about this on a different podcast about being okay with a squiggly line for a career trajectory. Because in higher ed we often measure success by did you up level. And I don't know that that's a great measure of success because I also think in student affairs especially, we don't necessarily do a good job of succession planning from a skills up level. We teach people how to do their jobs and then we say, you're really good at your job. That means you must be ready for the next thing. We didn't necessarily develop the talent from a truly skills basis, whether it be management skills, leadership skills, scaling skills, all of those things. And so you've talked about it's okay to move, quote unquote, down a level or left, right, sideways, diagonally. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:13:38]: Tell us about that. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:13:39]: Absolutely. When I was in higher ed, as evidenced by my previous answer, I felt like I had to move up, had to out of pride, had to out of continually expanding my skill set and my opportunities, and also had to simply to garnish a higher salary. And what I learned was that there are other ways to be successful. And jumping outside of higher education, I knew that I was going to have to take at least a step down because I didn't have corporate industry experience. I didn't have the direct learning and development experience that HR professionals of six years had, even though I was much older and experienced than them. So I knew that I had to take a step down. I was a director and assistant dean at UC Berkeley when I left, and I knew that I wasn't going to become a director right away or I wasn't even going to be able to manage a team of individuals in the corporate world. So what stepping down allowed me to do was look at a variety of positions, take a lot of pressure off of me, and allow me to learn a brand new industry, expand my skill set, and really get comfortable in another space and also prove myself. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:14:56]: So I feel quite confident that because of the step down I took, I was able to launch myself a lot stronger and faster than other folks. So, yes, I needed the time to step down and recalibrate, but it very much paid off in the end. I will also say that my step down from higher education into the corporate world was leaps and bounds higher of a salary than anything I ever would have been making in higher education. So that, of course, made my step down a lot more palatable. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:15:29]: Thinking about all of the things that you did to transition, I know you've written a blog post I referenced, so I'll let folks know. Please check out Chrissy's blog on LinkedIn. It's called how higher ed pros can find greener grass by Dr. Chrissy Roth Francis. If you just Google for that, you'll be able to pull that blog up easily. Chrissy gives some really practical advice for those of you who are pivoting and if you want to go back and listen I think it was almost three or four seasons ago now. We did a crossover episode with the podcast pivoting out of with Dr. Jamie Hoffman, dr. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:15:58]: Tom Stuttert. They're both pivoters who took their doctoral degrees and entered the corporate worlds very, very successfully. So if this is you, please check those things out. Chrissy, I'm wondering if you can give us any advice for those that are persisting through the profession and know it's the right home for them. Things that you wish higher ed was doing now that you know what the corporate world is also doing. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:16:21]: There's just so many things, and I think for me, it starts out with folks in higher ed like me went to college, went to grad school, got all their jobs, and never left a college campus. So they don't have any clue what else is out there unless they have close friends or a spouse possibly, that work in the corporate world. So I've been quite surprised, happily surprised, by what I've seen outside of higher education. Things like people's well being are actually taken care of. Like, I shut down my laptop at 05:00 every day, and I don't worry about an on call or I don't have to work a weekend retreat. So for me, the work boundaries are much more firm and I don't have to worry about my student affairs life bleeding into my personal life. So that's a big deal is having people really be able to honor their boundaries and take care of themselves in a much more holistic way. You've heard me talk about salary quite a few times and when I was in higher education, I wasn't comfortable thinking that I deserved or that I needed a higher salary. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:17:34]: That to me was anti higher ed. Higher ed where we believe that we are sacrificing everything, including our family's lifestyles and our salaries to do the job. I would love to see people throughout all levels of higher education or education in general get paid much better commensurate with the work that they are actually doing, because the work is valuable and necessary and requires such a tremendous skill set and education that people should be paid accordingly. And I want to see that happen, which really means higher education needs to be restructured financially. And that's many more podcasts for you, Jill. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:18:13]: I think we just had an interesting conversation with Eric Stoller on kind of an adjacent topic and it was all about the transition and transformation of the digital space for higher education. And those two things for higher education to keep up with industry is going to be critical, especially because of the gradual but continual loss of faith in the value of higher education as a market for what people need to pursue after high school. We're seeing that decline happen in a lot of places, and for me, I believe that is because we've done a poor job of really telling the story of what an education can do or working in higher education can do. I'm still a firm believer. Higher education has a huge ROI, and that is because of the way it teaches you how to think about problems and solve problems with elasticity that you can't see if you go straight for other types of training. So that's the value for me, but we don't sell it well and we also aren't really connecting with industry well on what are the skills that students need to come out with with their degree in order to make it happen for them. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:19:10]: I think you hit it on the head right at the end there. It's that higher education is not connecting it with the industry. So we know what various industries need and are looking for, and higher education sometimes is a bit old school and traditional compared to what tech or other industries want. And when I think about a well rounded liberal arts education as a human being, I think that is absolutely the right way to go. I want someone who knows how to problem solve, who understands the history and who understands culture and different types of people. And when it comes to doing a job, some companies just want someone who knows how to code for example. And that's a gap, right? And I don't think either one is more right, but it is a gap that somebody needs to go ahead and be able to fill or at least sell how they're filling it. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:20:01]: And I'll give it a shout out to our career services colleagues because I know that they are doing it and creating that bridge. Yes, for sure. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:20:07]: Absolutely. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:20:08]: Chrissy, any other thoughts for our SA pros who are both persisting through the profession or those who are really thinking that maybe it's time for a shift? Chrissy Roth Francis [00:20:17]: When I started thinking about leaving higher education, I believe I knew about five people who had successfully left higher education because nobody talked about it back then. So I left in 2018, and back then I wasn't able to have conversations with people and let them know, this is what I want to do, help me build the skills or help me build a network to get there. Now, I hope that higher education is at a place where it's more open and even this podcast is evidence of that, that we can talk openly about people's needs and desires or even just thoughts about leaving higher education. So what I want people to know is there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who currently work in the corporate world from higher education. And you might not know us all because you're in your higher education bubble, but we are out there and we are thriving, and we are showing folks across various sectors that higher ed expats can do really well, and if anything, that we are incredible and we have an incredible skill set. So reach out to folks, get to know folks, learn what is out there. I didn't know any types of jobs. I didn't know different companies. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:21:32]: I didn't know anything when I was trying to get out there. And I wish back then that I had the network of higher ed expats that I do have now. So do your research. Take it as a second job for a few months and get to know people. Ask them what they do. Ask them about their company. Start learning about what you might want to do or what's important for you as you are looking to pivot out of higher education. And in those conversations, you might learn that, yes, indeed, it is time for you to jump out and you're going to learn some strategies on how to get out. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:22:07]: Or you might learn that you really love working in higher education and you do not want to leave. I've talked to people who were interested in Pivoting, and by the end of my conversation, I'm like, they are never going to leave, and they shouldn't leave because they got it going and they've figured it out. You need to make the best decision for you. And I just hope that you are able to make that decision based on all the data that you can accumulate. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:22:31]: And whether you are persisting in the profession or looking elsewhere. I want to express my gratitude to you personally for everything that you're doing to make student affairs and higher education a place that's really being the catalyst of change on our campuses and the safest places for the students. So thank you to all the out there. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:22:50]: Great job, everybody. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:22:51]: Keep it up. It's time to take a quick break. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:22:53]: And toss it over to producer Chris. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:22:55]: To learn what's going on in the NASPA world. Christopher Lewis [00:22:57]: Thanks, Jill. So excited to be back again in the NASPA world and as always, lots of things happening in this association really want to focus a little bit on some of the focus areas of NASPA. And many of you have been members of NASPA for a long time. You may think you know all that NASPA does, but I'll bet you that there are some things you might not know and some focus areas that you might not always be thinking about. Today, I would highly encourage you to go onto the NASPA website and there is a link at the top of the webput site, at the top of the website that says Focus Areas. If you go there, you're going to see that there are eight different areas that are focused on and NASPA is working to serve as a leading role in the innovations that are shaping the future of student affairs in many different areas. The focus areas that you're going to see on the website include career and workforce development, civic engagement, justice, equity, inclusion and diversity, student financial, wellness, health, safety and well being, policy and advocacy, student success, and supporting the profession. If you go under that tab on the website and you click on any of those different focus areas, you're going to learn more about each of the different areas. Christopher Lewis [00:24:23]: Each of those will be broken down and will allow for you to see different types of resources, different types of events, different types of blogs and awards that are available for you as a professional. So, for example, you click on Career and Workforce Development, you're going to see what that focus area is all about. You'll see some books that tie into that. You're going to see events that are specific to that specific focus area, some articles in the blog that are tied directly to that specific focus area, as well as some awards and initiatives that the association has that to encourage you to think about these focus areas in a different way. Again, not all of us are working in all of these different areas. Not all of us are thinking about these different areas. But through this resource on the NASPA website, you're going to be able to find out a lot more about what NASPA is doing, but also about resources that are available to you so that you can become more adept at these areas, as well as a better support for students in these areas. The other thing today that I'm going to talk about is a little bit of a breakdown of how NASPA is structured. Christopher Lewis [00:25:39]: All of you live in different areas of the world, and each of those areas is broken down into different regions and areas. And if you don't know what region you're in or what area that you are in based on where you live and what you do, I highly encourage you to go again to the NASPA website, click on Communities and go to Regions and Areas. And if you go to that, you're going to see that NASPA is broken down into regions within the United States that range everywhere from region one to region six. And you're going to find that of those regions, there are seven different areas because region four is broken down into east and west. Beyond that, there are two international areas that are broken down. The first is called the Lac or Latin America and Caribbean. And the other is Menasa, which is Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. If you want to find out more about what's happening in your region or what states are in your region, if there's specific things that are happening in the states that you live in, I encourage you to go and check out the regions or your area and learn more. Christopher Lewis [00:26:57]: Because there are directors of those regions, there are other leaders in those regions and areas that can help you, to connect you, to get you involved in different ways based on what's happening. And it's a great way to connect with people in your area that you can work with, on common goals, common vision, try to identify best practices, and more. Every week we're going to be sharing some amazing things that are happening within the association. So we are going to be able to try and keep you up to date on everything that's happening and allow for you to be able to get involved in different ways. Because the association is as strong as its members and for all of us, we have to find our place within the association, whether it be getting involved with a knowledge community, giving back within one of the centers or the divisions of the association. And as you're doing that, it's important to be able to identify for yourself where do you fit, where do you want to give back? Each week. We're hoping that we will share some things that might encourage you, might allow for you to be able to get some ideas that will provide you with an opportunity to be able to say, hey, I see myself in. That knowledge community. Christopher Lewis [00:28:18]: I see myself doing something like that. Or encourage you in other ways that allow for you to be able to think beyond what's available right now, to offer other things to the association, to bring your gifts, your talents to the association and to all of the members within. The association, because through doing that, all of us are stronger and the association is better. Tune in again next week as we find out more about what is happening in NASPA. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:48]: Chris, once again, you're always such a wonderful voice for our NASPA World segment. Thank you for teaching us what's going on in and around NASPA. Chrissy, we have reached our lightning round on the show, which is about seven questions in 90 seconds. You ready to go? Chrissy Roth Francis [00:29:03]: It's timed. You didn't warn me it was timed. Okay, here we go. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:09]: We don't put like a 60 minutes ticker on the back end or anything. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:29:12]: I'm going to accept the challenge here. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:14]: All right. Number one, if you were a conference keynote speaker, what would your entrance music be? Chrissy Roth Francis [00:29:18]: Thunder. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:19]: Number two, when you were five years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? Chrissy Roth Francis [00:29:23]: A mail Judy. And by that I mean our mail person. Her name was Judy, and I wanted to be her. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:29]: Number three, your most influential professional mentor. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:29:32]: I'm not going to say one. I'm going to say there are a collection of people that I look to for different reasons and in different capacities who all have inspired me in very different ways. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:43]: Number four, your essential higher education. Read. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:29:46]: You know what? I was always a very big fan of Schlossberg. We're talking about transition, and I worked in orientation, so for me it was all about schlossberg. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:54]: Number five, the best TV show you binged during the pandemic. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:29:57]: I just finished watching. Is it still the pandemic? Does that count? Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:02]: I think so now. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:30:04]: Okay. I just finished watching Suits. I have never binged such a long show because it is multiple seasons, multiple years. Great to actually learn what that show was all about. I loved it. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:15]: Number six, the podcast you've spent the most hours listening to in the last year. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:30:19]: I am a big fan of Reed Hoffman's masters of Scale. Reed Hoffman is the founder of LinkedIn, and he features different companies who have really figured out how to get big very quickly. So it's been a great education for me to learn more about the corporate world. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:35]: And finally, number seven, any shout outs you'd like to give personal or professional. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:30:39]: Shout out to everybody who is doing all the great work in higher education. Shout out to all those folks who have helped me along the way. Get out. And like you talked about Dr. Tom Stutter, so didn't mention earlier, he was actually my very first boss outside after I graduated with my master's. So it's quite fun that we have both ended up on this side. I'm going to give another shout out. I'm just going to go through all my people. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:31:04]: Andreen Kaibi, who was my very first boss, who actually encouraged me to go into higher education. And then lastly, I will say Dr. David Serat, who was a critical person for me in higher education as I considered leaving higher education. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:31:19]: It's been such a pleasure to have this conversation with you today, Chrissy. I'm sure that there are many others that would like to connect with you. How can folks find you after the show airs? Chrissy Roth Francis [00:31:28]: Y'all can find me on LinkedIn. You can find me at Dr. Chrissy Rothfrancis. I post a good amount on LinkedIn. A lot of it is targeted toward folks in higher education considering to get out of education. So find me on LinkedIn. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:31:41]: Thank you so much, Chrissy, for sharing your voice with us today. Chrissy Roth Francis [00:31:44]: It's been my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:31:47]: This has been an episode of SA Voices from the Field brought to you by NASPA. This show is always made possible because of you, our listeners. We are so grateful that you continue to listen to us season after season. If you'd like to reach the show, you can always email us at savoices@naspa.org or find me on LinkedIn by searching for Dr. Jill L. Craighton. We welcome your feedback and topic and especially your guest suggestions. We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a colleague about the show. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:32:16]: And please like rate and review us on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you're listening now. It really does help other student affairs professionals find the show and helps us become more visible in the larger podcasting community. This episode was produced and hosted by Dr. Jill L. Creighton SAP Mi. Produced and audio engineered by Dr. Chris Lewis. Guest coordination by Lu Yongru. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:32:37]: Special thanks to Duke Kunchan University and the University of Michigan, Flint for your support as we create this project. Catch you next time.

In this episode of "Student Affairs Voices From the Field," Dr. Jill Creighton welcomes Dr. Eric Stoller, the VP of Marketing and Digital Content at territorium, for a conversation about the evolving landscape of higher education and the role of technology in student affairs. They discuss various trends in higher education technology and how it impacts both academic and student affairs divisions. Dr. Stoller traces his journey from his early experiences as a marketing specialist at the University of Illinois, Chicago, to becoming a respected thought leader in the higher education technology space. He emphasizes how technology has become an integral part of the entire higher education experience, noting the importance of CRM tools, mobile apps, and the shift toward hybrid and remote learning during the pandemic. The conversation delves into the changing value of higher education credentials and the importance of measuring and verifying outcomes related to critical thinking, skills development, and employability. Dr. Stoller discusses the growing focus on micro-credentials, badges, and the idea of a learner's "digital wallet" to showcase skills and experiences. They also touch upon the need for interoperability in higher education technology and how data and analytics will play a more significant role in student affairs, helping institutions understand student needs and provide better support. The episode concludes with a discussion of the evolving role of student affairs in helping students navigate diverse pathways to success, emphasizing the need for personalized support and pathways for learners, regardless of whether they complete a degree. This episode sheds light on the transformative impact of technology on higher education and how student affairs professionals can adapt to these changes to better serve students in an evolving landscape. Please subscribe to SA Voices from the Field on your favorite podcasting device and share the podcast with other student affairs colleagues! Transcript Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:02]: Welcome to Student Affairs Voices From the Field, the podcast where we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to seasoned experts. This is season nine on transitions in Student Affairs. This podcast is brought to you by NASPA. And I'm Dr. Jill Creighton. She her hers your essay, Voices from the Field host today on SA Voices, I'm pleased to bring you a conversation with Eric Stoller. Eric is the VP of Digital at territorium with over 20 years experience in higher education and education technology. As a Strategist writer and thought leader, he founded and led a global higher education consultancy from 2010 to 2019 and created the Student Affairs and Technology blog for Inside Higher Ed. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:46]: Previous Ed Tech roles include leadership positions at list. Ed tech element 451 and Gecko engage. Earlier in his career, he was an academic advisor at Oregon State University and a marketing specialist at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Eric. Earned an associate's degree, a BA in Communications and an EDM. In College student Services Administration. Eric, welcome to SA Voices. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:01:07]: Thanks so much for having me, Jill. Great to be here. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:09]: It's really great to see you. For our listeners, Eric and I met, I'm going to say 2005 maybe. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:01:16]: I think dinosaurs were just still roaming the earth. Yeah, it would have been 2004. Five Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:25]: I think we were just escaping the trends of dial up internet and smartphones weren't smart yet in that time. So Eric and I actually worked together in the Office of Student Conduct when we were graduate students. So it's really lovely to see old friends and see careers blossom. And I'm really looking forward to talking about your transition today because I think you have a really unique one for someone who received their master's in Higher Ed. So would love to start with if you could tell us about your current position. And we always like to begin with a good come up story. How did you get to your current seat? Dr. Eric Stoller [00:01:57]: A good come up story, I love that. Well, so my current role is Vice President of Marketing and Digital Content at territorium, which is a global ed tech company that is all about bridging education to employability. And we'll probably get into that later on in the show. And it gets highly technical and I can't wait to dive into that. In terms of how I got into this seat, it is a long, winding story that started on a gravel road in Iowa, and I'm not going to bore your listeners with the full, you know, I went to community college, went to university. I thought I was kind of done with higher education. And then I actually started working at the University of Illinois at Chicago way back in the day in marketing and just loved the work. I was located within Student Services, and that's when I sort of first learned about what student affairs was even all about. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:02:42]: And was, as I am today, still very much into technology back then. And even I remember calling up Kevin Krueger, who's now the executive director for NASPA or the president of NASA. I'm not sure the exact titles nowadays, but Kevin and I had a conversation when I was very new to the field, and I said to him, why is the information Technology knowledge community, as it was known then, why is it gone? Because they had just gotten rid of it. And his first thought or question know, who are you? And I said, yeah, I'm just new professional, kind of bothering this leader of this association, or at the time, I think he was the associate director. Anyway, I went out to Oregon State, as you referenced, and I got my master's degree in higher education. Worked in a variety of different areas from enrollment management, financial aid, registrars, kind of a stint at Student conduct, was an academic advisor. And then during that time when I was an academic advisor, I started writing for Inside Higher Ed. I started the Student Affairs and Technology blog and just loved that experience as a writer for Inside Higher Ed. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:03:41]: And it was also at that time when I started getting invitations to go out and do some freelance work and consult for institutions and speak at events. So I stopped working full time for Oregon State and I became a consultant for nine years in the US, the UK and beyond, various global events and working with institutions all over the place. And the focus was all around digital engagement. This was when sort of social media was kind of coming into its own still and really focusing on how student affairs divisions could just transform what they were doing with all things digital. Because the origin story of student affairs is one that it was all about face to face, one on one experiences with students. And technology was seen because my Grad program, it was what, 2004, when I started, and technology was seen as this kind of gets in the way of that student experience. You fast forward to today, almost 20 years later, and the idea that technology would be separate from the student experience is something that people would never think about. It's really connected deeply. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:04:40]: And so I had this nine year experience as a freelancer, and then I started working for a higher ed chatbot company that was based in the UK and Scotland and did that for a little while, went back to Freelancing, and then I worked for a higher ed CRM company. You're getting kind of a theme here in terms of my Ed tech experience, right? Sort of chat bot to CRM. And then we moved to the Netherlands in 2022 from the US. And so I was doing Freelancing again, and a connection of my wife, professional connection, started talking to me about this potential marketing role at territorium, and they were launching their kind of US presence. territorium as a company has its origins in Monterrey, Mexico, and we're all over Latin America in terms of providing testing and a learning experience platform as well as our comprehensive learner record. But we hadn't really had as much of a presence in the US. And so we launched this US team back in December of last year that's for listeners on the call. I can't even do the math now. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:05:42]: Right? 2022. And so been with territorium since then and leading on all things marketing and digital combination of leading, strategy, producing, execution, go to market, a lot of things that are not part of our Master's degree program that Jill and I went through, but connected to both my undergraduate experience as a PR and marketing major. And then of course, my deep connections and network into higher education have kind of got me to this place. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:10]: So I'm going to just do a quick backup to a terms definition. You mentioned CRM, which might not be a term that's familiar to those in Higher Ed. Can you define that for us? Dr. Eric Stoller [00:06:18]: Of course. So this is where things really get interesting because as you know, every institution in the US kind of does things differently. If they're a college, they're a university, they're a community college. The structures, the systems, some institutions have divisions of student affairs, some have smaller sort of scale depending on their organization. But the one thing they all have in common is they all recruit students, they have admissions and they have recruitment. And whether they use a higher ed specific CRM, which is back in the day, it would have been a Customer Relationship Management tool, which is effectively how you keep track of who you're trying to recruit and communicate with them and engage them on a level from maybe they're a junior in high school or if they're an adult. Learner how you're connecting with those folks through a variety of communication vehicles like email, SMS or maybe a chat bot. How it's all interconnected. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:07:10]: So there's the Gargantuan CRMs out there like Salesforce or I happen to be working for Element 451, which is a much smaller shop, but they have quite a few clients as well. That's the CRM. I think the interesting thing about being in Higher Ed is I always say that you live in an acronym soup because you've got all the associations for higher education, all the different tools and platforms. You've got the SIS, the Student Information System. I mentioned the Comprehensive Learner Record, which is shortened down to Clr, which is a record of skills and experiences and credentials for learners. That goes far beyond the transcript because it goes inside the classroom and outside the classroom. So that's the clr. And so, yeah, if we need to, we can have a glossary of Terms attached to this podcast. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:07:53]: In terms of all the acronyms that I might mention, I think for Higher Ed pros, most of these things you're already familiar with, you just didn't know. That's what it was called in corporate land, but things you're quite familiar with. I think the one that we've been using lately is Slate in terms of our CRM for prospective students. It's quite a popular rising one right now. So you do know these things. You just maybe got a new term to associate with it. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:08:15]: I think if you work in enrollment management, if you're in the admissions side, you're in these tools on a daily basis. I think it's one of those things if you're in student conduct or academic advising or every sort of functional area has its set of digital tools that it uses on a day to day basis. But when I was at Oregon State as an academic advisor, I was in banner every single day. And so that was the tool of choice. That's from Elusion. In terms of providers, I'll try not to too much name dropping, but I think that in terms of the Edtech universe, there's so many different providers because so many different functional areas require just different tools to help with the work that they're doing. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:08:53]: One of the reasons I was really looking forward to our conversation is because you can talk about transitions in the digital space. A lot of the conversations we've had this seasons are personal transitions in career, which you've certainly had. But I think one of the things you've always had your finger on the pulse of in higher Ed is how digital kind of arenas, the digital vertical for higher education has really changed and reshaped the way that we do the work in our campus based positions. So I'm wondering if you can talk to us a little bit about that process and what you've seen in terms of trends and bed tech field is really new 2030 years in terms of its boom. So any trends that you're seeing in terms of how educators are using these tools really well, yeah. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:09:34]: I mean, I think it's always good, like you said, to kind of look back where things were. When I was writing for Inside Higher Ed, I remember going to EDUCAUSE a couple of different times. The annual Educause Conference, which is kind of a giant ed tech convention. And most of the providers back then, those events, they were very much focused on the academic experience side of things. There weren't a lot of providers that were doing things that would even slightly sort of go into the student affairs areas. And now you fast forward to today and Edtech providers are in kind of every single space within institutions. As we've already referenced, the CRM tools have become extremely important because with the approaching enrollment cliff for that traditionally aged population, which is kind of a loaded phrase anyway in terms of what is traditional, but that sort of 18 to 22 year old, that population of university, that's a decline. There's just not as many young people that will be going into higher education. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:10:33]: And so the CRM becomes a tool that is even more important as you communicate, as you hone your message, as you try to showcase the value of your institution, of the degrees that students will receive and earn and other systems as well. I mean, it used to be the digital experience was much more based on the staff or administrators who were at their desk with a big screen and students would come to their office and they would sort of navigate a system on behalf of the student. And then mobile apps kind of really entered in in a meaningful way. And no longer are students sort of tethered to an individual and their desk and their office, but they can look things up on their phone and they can access a variety of services. They can ask questions to 24/7 chat bots. They can look at their course schedule. They can look at various activities and events on campus. Now, of course, when you said this, you referenced the question. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:11:29]: You kind of framed it as on campus. I think what the pandemic did was it showcased the need to serve and support students who weren't necessarily going to be on campus, or at least accelerated. Maybe more of a hybridized environment where students were on campus for a portion of the time, but they were also on their computers at home because it used to be that all your lectures were in a big auditorium. And then the idea of the sort of the flip classroom came into play. Professors were recording their lectures and students could listen to a lecture at home and so that the discussion would actually happen when you went to the classroom. And then with the Pandemic, it sort of said, okay, everything's going to be remote for certain people. And it was interesting because you start thinking about how did student affairs serve learners, who historically student affairs would have been saying, okay, in res life, there's no such thing as remote. Students are actually physically located on campus. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:12:27]: But then say, what about the other side of our institution that was serving adult learners or online only learners or people that were coming in for micro credentials, they were never going to set foot on campus. They maybe came once a year, if that. And so technology has really embedded itself throughout the entire higher education experience because the higher education experience has changed. It's such a blended, multimodal thing where students are learning through their phones, they are communicating like we are right now through zoom or other media like this because you don't have to be bound to a certain geography. You could be in Iowa and studying an institution in Oregon, or you could be in Berlin and studying at an institution in South Carolina. So the variety pack now and I think that's where I think back to our higher education master's program. And the fundamentals that we were taught were still very much constrained to a sort of model that was still constrained in some ways. It's like know, we were on a basketball court, for example, and we knew where the boundary lines were for everything, and we knew, like, okay, here's the two baskets, and we know how things work. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:13:39]: But then all of a, you know, I live in Europe now imagine if that basketball court was transported to a football pitch, which is enormous in size and different boundaries and different scope and scale. And I think that's where higher education finds itself. It's having to, as a sort of nebulous thing, now recruit students that in the past might not have been recruited because, like I said, that enrollment decline for a certain demographic, and so all these technologies are really coming into their own. For instance, the territorium, one of the things that we've been really talking about a lot is this idea that why do people go to college? Why do people pay the bill? Why do the people get into debt? Most of us were not financially wealthy enough to just pay for school right away. You have to get a loan. You pay your student loan off over the course of a lifetime or however long it takes. And what's the value of higher education? Right? Yes. It's the experience. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:14:30]: It's about giving back to your community. It's about access. But by and large, most people go to university because they want to improve their overall employability or their chances for a career that will perhaps lead to financial stability because that's why they're doing it. And higher ed, I think, for the longest time, hasn't really talked about that. We shy away from that. We shy away from the fact that people are going to get their BA in English, for instance, and they're going to get in $50,000 worth of debt. But they're doing it because they love writing, they love the work, they love the art. But at the same time, is there a connection to employment at the end of that journey, or are universities just leaving students in debt? And so I think that's where you may have heard people talk a lot about the skills based economy. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:15:16]: And I went to community college for my first two years. I got my Associate of Arts. My brother, he went to the same community college. He got a two year technical degree. That's what he has, a technical degree. And he has done really well for himself career wise. And I think one of the things, when people hear the word skills based economy, they think, well, that's more technical or community college workforce based. But universities are really getting into that space now when it comes to micro credentials and badging and trying to sort out the sense of, okay, it's not just about a pretty campus. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:15:48]: It's not just about a winning football team. It is about what's the direct correlation to you get this degree or you get this credential and it's going to have a direct impact on your success? Because right now I think there's something like 39 million Americans have some college but no degree, and yet that accompanies that with a ton of debt, right? So there's a lot of issues there. And so how do you take folks who have maybe some college but no degree and let them showcase the sort of skills that they have, even though they don't have the diploma, because they might have a transcript that shows that they've taken five classes, but at the same time, how do they show that to employers? Because employers look, traditionally, employers wanted to see the diploma or that you've earned your 40 year degree or you've earned your Master's or whatnot. And so I think that part of the things that higher ed has had in the past is, okay, we've kind of built this foundation of these are our core technologies. But I think there's this transition to, okay, what are some of those core technologies that might need to change, might need to evolve? Because if you're a registrar, for example, you need something more than just a transcript because you're no longer just awarding ABCDF, you are awarding micro credentials. You're giving badges away to students. Faculty members are sort of looking at, okay, my students are learning these skills during the course of this particular class, and now we're going to award them badges that never would have happened 510 years ago. And now you've got employers saying, hey, we are going to hire students based on these skills that they have that are verified by the institution. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:17:15]: Those are really important points because what we're seeing is a transformation of the value of higher education that's not just US. Based, that's globally. Because when we look at what a degree means, I believe it means something extremely different to those of us working in the academy, to those folks that are outside of the academy looking to employ people who need individuals who can demonstrate critical thinking, problem solving skills, technical knowledge, all of those things. And that's part of what the degree is designed to do. But I would believe that, especially at a liberal arts institution like mine, we're teaching ways to think, not just facts and figures and things like that. And you need both. So the question is, how are we transitioning not only our offerings at the university as a whole from a credentialing perspective, but how are we also doing that in student affairs? And how can technology support those transitions for what the work needs to look like? So I'm wondering if you have any thoughts on that. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:18:12]: Yeah, well, I think part of it has to do with the fact that because you mentioned critical thinking, critical thinking is a huge part of the experience of higher education and a lot of student affairs programs the underpinnings of those programs definitely includes critical thinking, equity conversations, cultural diversity conversations. And I think that all those aspects, they just weren't measured in the past. Right, so what did you actually learn throughout your experience that wasn't in the classroom? NASPA, for as long as I can remember, has always talked about learning reconsidered. Right. That learning happens throughout the experience of a student, regardless of where they are on campus, off campus, in a class, outside of the class. And so I think that is part of the work that student affairs is going to have to do going forward, because there's a lot of scrutiny right now, obviously, on institutional budgets and outcomes. And the two big R's, of course, are recruitment and retention. And student affairs plays a big part in both of those areas. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:19:08]: And so I think that the student affairs side of things in terms of transforming kind of what was done to what is being done and what will continue to be done, is going to be verifying and measuring those outcomes so that there's a tangible way to sort of I mentioned badges earlier. How many student affairs divisions are awarding badges to students? You think a lot of times about badges is maybe coming from the academic affairs side of the house. I think that look at Career Services shops, look at the evolution of Career Services because like career centers, they have probably one of the most important roles at institutions. And yet for the longest time, not so much now, but for a long time it was, okay, I'm a junior or a senior, I'll go and talk to career services kind of at the end of my institutional experience before I graduate. And now you see Career Services, they're front loading their engagement with students. So they're at orientation, they're there at first year experience courses, and they're also working alongside employers to connect students to this idea that this is just a step in your journey and we're going to try to help you along. And so I think we're going to see a lot more student affairs divisions awarding badges and getting into the LMS, getting into the badge systems, either coming directly out of a clr or it comes from another provider. I think that's the other thing with this is Ed Tech providers have been very insular in the past. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:20:28]: Like, we've got a platform and it only works with our platform. And so student data is kind of stuck in this database that's very proprietary and an organization called Oneed Tech, unless you're really deeply involved in sort of the Ed Tech space, you might not be aware of them. But one of the big facets of their work is interoperability sort of this idea that all these digital assets that students have are like Lego and that you can kind of plug and play them independently of a certain system. So, for example, if you have a digital wallet, that has all of your badges and has your skills, your credentials, all that stuff in there, you can take it to another institution. Kind of how students transfer from community college maybe to a university, but usually that's with a traditional transcript. But the overall vision will be learners will have this wallet of all of their verified skills and experiences and credentials that they carry with them in an interoperable plug and play type way. And so the sort of sovereignty of learners becomes a much bigger part of the conversation because there's a lot of data that has been part of this as well. And in student affairs, we don't really talk about data. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:21:36]: We don't talk about sort of the technical piece because we've been so much about the soft skills, the one to one. If you want to be a dean of students, you're not necessarily getting into a huge portion of the data unless maybe it's connected to retention or some other issue on campus directly. But the Ed tech space, there's so much data that is coming out of that. And so the thing I think will be interesting to see with student affairs throughout every functional area will be the various dashboards and analytics and outcomes coalescing into a space where you can sort of see, okay, where are students at? What do they need? What kind of support do they need? How is that going to influence things that we're doing programmatically as well as for the next as a student goes to another institution for the kind of a handoff, so to speak, because it won't just be your data is stuck at some institution. It's going with you. It's actually traveling along with you, and it might be enabled in some sort of bitcoin wallet that's kind of independent from an institution that's kind of a buzword. But at the same time, that's kind of the ultimate goal, I think, for a lot of companies that are thinking more about the openness of all this. I mean, when you think about the space that I'm currently in and how we interface into higher Ed, it's not just know, NASPA and Acro are playing a big part in this. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:22:53]: Acro is the Admissions and Registrars Association. They're kind of the home of registrars professionally and technically. Usually that's where the transcript resides. The Lumina Foundation, the big organizations focused on learning and outcomes over the years to even Walmart, because Walmart, I think they're the largest employer in the US. And one of the largest globally. They employ a huge number of people. And so they're thinking about the pathways from higher ed into different careers. I think the pathways piece is one I also want to introduce to this conversation, because it's important to give learners pathways even if they don't graduate, so that people aren't just left with debt and a handful of credits. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:23:31]: What is it they're actually going to be able to get, even if they don't finish. Because as you know, Jill, sometimes success for one person is just a couple semesters of college and that is like a hugely successful outcome for them. Whereas for a lot of other people, maybe it's graduation, maybe it's master's degree, maybe it's a certificate. Success is very much an individualized thing. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:51]: Still, it's time to take a quick break and toss it over to producer Chris to learn what's going on in the NASPA world. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:23:57]: Jill's, so excited to be back again in the NASPA world. A ton of things happening in NASPA. So many of us have been hearing a ton about artificial intelligence. We are starting to explore it or delve deeper into it on our own college campuses. And in the most recent Leadership Exchange magazine, which you all have access to as a member of NASPA, the editors and authors of that magazine did delve deeply into artificial intelligence in the Metaverse and really asked a broader question of whether our profession, whether student affairs is ready for this. It was a fascinating article and definitely a fascinating magazine. To delve much deeper into this topic. I highly encourage you to go to the NASPA website and you can go under publications to the Leadership Exchange magazine and log in and be able to read that for yourself. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:25:03]: If you want to check out all the different professional development opportunities, and I know I share a lot of them with you on a regular basis, but if you go under the Events and Online Learning tab, you're going to find everything that is happening within NASPA and around NASPA, all the different professional development opportunities that are available. And this is a great way for you to be able to find things that connect with your professional growth and professional learning that you want. And it will open up opportunities for you to be able to see different ways in which you can grow and learn in your own professional journey. So lots of things happening in NASPA, lots of ways to stay connected with NASPA. Start at the NASPA website, naspa.org, and go and check it out for yourself. Every week we're going to be sharing some amazing things that are happening within the association. So we are going to be able to try and keep you up to date on everything that's happening and allow for you to be able to get involved in different ways. Because the association is as strong as its members and for all of us, we have to find our place within the association, whether it be getting involved with a knowledge community, giving back within one of the centers or the divisions of the association. Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:26:24]: And as you're doing that, it's important to be able to identify for yourself where do you fit, where do you want to give back each week? We're hoping that we will share some things that might encourage you, might allow for you to be able to get some ideas. That will provide you with an opportunity to be able to say, hey, I see myself in that knowledge community. I see myself doing something like that, or encourage you in other ways that allow for you to be able to think beyond what's available right now, to offer other things to the association, to bring your gifts, your talents to the association and to all of the members within the association. Because through doing that, all of us are stronger and the association is better. Tune in again next week as we find out more about what is happening in NASPA. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:27:19]: A wonderful NASPA World segment as always, Chris, we really appreciate you keeping us updated. What's going on in and around NASPA? Eric, we are now at our lightning round. I have 90 seconds for you to answer seven questions. You ready to roll? Dr. Eric Stoller [00:27:31]: That's like one of those if a train leaves Chicago heading 5 miles an hour kind of questions. I'm ready to go, Jill. Let's go. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:27:36]: All right, question number one. If you were a conference keynote speaker, what would your entrance music be? Dr. Eric Stoller [00:27:42]: Well, I've been a conference keynote speaker for many different events, so I always like to go with the Glitch mob. They were always pretty good. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:27:49]: Number two, when you were five years old, what did you want to be when you grew up? Dr. Eric Stoller [00:27:52]: When I was five years old, I was a little kid in Iowa on a gravel road. I think I wanted to be probably an NBA player because then I would have pavement. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:01]: Number three, your most influential professional mentor. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:28:04]: Gosh, there have been so many. I'd say one of the most influential professional mentors I've ever had. Just one. So Kevin Krueger, when we were doing our pre show talk, he's been an instrumental part of my career over the years, and I always appreciated his leadership at NASPA. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:20]: Number four, your essential higher education. Read. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:28:23]: I would be remiss if I did not say Insidehired.com. I Know that Scott Jassic is retiring as Editor co Editor Of Inside Higher Ed. It's still, in my view, one of the best sites out there for comprehensive coverage of what's going on in higher ed. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:37]: Number five, the best TV show you binged during the pandemic. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:28:40]: Oh, gosh, that was years ago now. The best show? Well, my second son was born during the pandemic, and I watched ridiculous amounts of things late, late at night. I would say some sort of Scandinaro thing on Netflix, because that was kind of what I was into at the time. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:56]: Pandemic's been over for years for you. It's only been over for eight months. Where I'm at. Number six, the podcast you spent the most hours listening to in the last year. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:29:04]: I would say anything from the Enrollify Podcast network. I like the work that they've done. I feel like their shows are really put together nicely, and there's always interesting topics in terms of higher ed innovation and technology. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:17]: And finally, number seven, any shout outs you'd like to give, personal or professional? Dr. Eric Stoller [00:29:20]: First of all, I'd just like to say thank you to Jill for asking me to come on the show. I think that it's always nice to reconnect with folks from Oregon State. So I'll just give you a big shout out because it's been a blast to follow your career sort of vicariously through social networks and social media know you've been just a huge leader around the globe. I mean, you've been everywhere, it seems. So I'm going to give Jill a shout out because I don't think she probably gets enough on these things. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:45]: Thank you. Appreciate it. Eric, it's been such a joy to catch up with you. I've also followed your career just on social. This is the strength of weak ties. I'll cite Granavetter here as a scholar that I read a lot in my public administration doctorate program. But the Strength of Weak Ties, we haven't spoken maybe ten years probably, but it's so lovely to understand and see how we're both contributing, knowing we started off as babies in grad school. And it's very nice to see what success looks like and means for various people from that time in our lives. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:15]: And if folks would like to reach you after the show, how can they find you? Dr. Eric Stoller [00:30:17]: Territorium.com? Or you can always just Google Eric Stoller. Something will come up, most likely. My email is Eric@territorium.com. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:25]: Eric with a C. Exactly. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:30:27]: E-R-I-C. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:28]: Thank you so much for sharing your voice with us. Dr. Eric Stoller [00:30:30]: Thanks so much, Jill. It's been great. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:32]: This has been an episode of SA Voices from the Field brought to you by NASPA. This show is always made possible because of you, our listeners. We are so grateful that you continue to listen to us season after season. If you'd like to reach the show, you can always email us at savoices@naspa.org or find me on LinkedIn. By searching for Dr. Jill L. Craighton. We welcome your feedback and topic and especially your guest suggestions. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:58]: We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a colleague about the show. And please like, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you're listening now. It really does help other student affairs professionals find the show and helps us become more visible in the larger podcasting community. This episode was produced and hosted by Dr. Jill L. Creighton Seth Me produced and audio engineered by Dr. Chris Lewis. Guest coordination by Lu Yongru. Dr. Jill Creighton [00:31:23]: Special thanks to Duke Kunshan University and the University of Michigan, Flint for your support as we create this project. Catch you next time.

Top Doc Clinics Miami is hosting The Health, Wealth, and Self Summit in Miami, Florida June 3rd to June 5th, 2022, at the Four Seasons Brickell. Top Doc Clinics Miami is one of Florida's leading sports medicine, rejuvenation, and performance restoration clinics. They offer scientific procedures that will detoxify the body and restore it to optimal levels. If you're looking for opportunities to shrink back and play small, the Health, Wealth, & Self Summit will convince you to do otherwise. This weekend, doctors, CEOs, investors, tech founders, professional athletes, and industry leaders will be descending upon Miami's legendary Four Seasons Resort in Brickell to learn from the nation's best and brightest. The summit will feature presentations by industry leaders such as Omar Periu (Serial Entrepreneur/ Author), Patrick Ziemer (Best-Selling Author of P.E.M.F.), Dr. Marlene Siegel, DVM, Mark Gordon, MD, FACC, NFL Coach Terry Robiskie, (Retired NFL Head Coach & Super Bowl Champion), Eric Stoller, Patrick Porter, Gibson Sylvestre, MBA, Douglas Grant, and Bert Oliva. The Health, Wealth, and Self Summit will bring together some of the nation's top doctors, chiropractors, dentists, professional athletes, financial advisors, life coaches, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, educators, keynote speakers, and mental health advocates. There will be numerous breakout sessions aimed helping people navigate through challenging times. Each guest will be given the opportunity to share his or her best ideas as well as hear from the nation's leading doctors, business leaders, financial advisors, and medical experts. Guests will be challenged to use the knowledge gained to go serve on nonprofit boards and make positive changes in underserved communities. They will learn to live longer, stronger, and together.Time & Location:Friday, June 3rd until Sunday, June 5th, 2022. Four Seasons Resort:1435 Brickell Ave, Miami, FL 33131.People interested in optimizing their health and vitality can explore all of Top Doc Clinic's services at the Four Seasons Resort, 1435 Brickell Ave, Miami, FL 33131.For more information on Top Doc Clinic's offerings, you can visit https://betoplocal-topdocclinics.ropstambpo.com/Via KISSPR.com Press Release Distribution Service - Media Contact: Az@kisspr.com

This fast-paced show drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.Lenell Hahn, Director Of Admissions at Southeast Missouri State University, sits down with host Eric Stoller to chat about the biggest challenges and innovations happening in the realm of student engagement. Together they discuss:What kind of technologies are necessary for the survival of colleges and universitiesHow SEMO attracts students with personalized digital marketing strategiesWhat means of communication are working to connect with prospective students?Why data lakes (or data lake houses) are crucial for decision making.

This fast-paced show drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.Andrew Flagel, President and CEO of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, sits down with host Eric Stoller to chat about the biggest challenges and innovations happening in institutions. Together they discuss:The need for partial credit and experience-based education.Digital transformation as a means to enhance access and equity.What opportunities can partnering with private sector organizations provide?What are the next largest issues schools will be confronting?

This fast-paced show drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.On this episode of In Your Element, Eric Stoller has an across-the-pond conversation with Colum Cronin, Senior International Officer at Dublin City University. Tune into this episode to learn the following:Some of the biggest challenges facing student success professionalsWhat most universities don't “get” about student engagementThe future of student engagement and why it's not pizzaSome of the differences between higher ed in the US versus in IrelandLearn more about this episode in our show notes.

This fast-paced show drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.In this episode of In Your Element, host Eric Stoller is joined by Ray Lutzky, Director of the Academic Network at InStride and Adjunct Professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering.Together, Eric and Ray discuss the growing sector of employer-funded educational partnerships and other topics such as:The future of corporate partnerships with universities across the countryThe challenges institutions are facing as more and more students focus on career advancementWhat is the value of a traditional degree in this career-focused environment?How can colleges continue to maximize online learning to better serve students post-pandemic?The ongoing digital transformation in enrollment and marketing offices across campusesLearn more about this episode in our show notes.

This fast-paced show drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.Christina Ferrari, Assistant Director of Student Engagement, Columbia University, sits down with host Eric Stoller to chat about the biggest challenges and innovations happening in higher ed. Together they discuss:How the shift to virtual events has changed the future of student engagement.The need for robust student activities and connections for graduate students.What can institutions do to ensure students are aware of engagement opportunities both in-person and online?Can online and virtual settings facilitate engaging development experiences?Learn more about this episode in our show notes.

This fast-paced show drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.Nik Higgins, Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer at The Ambassador Platform (TAP), sits down with host Eric Stoller to chat about the biggest challenges and innovations happening in higher ed. Together they discuss:What is an Experience Communication Management (XCM) platform?How harnessing the authenticity of a current student experience can be a solution to higher ed's biggest issuesWhy peer-to-peer experience-based tools provide equity for students from underrepresented communitiesHow the pandemic has upped the pace of adoption in digital transformationHow universities and colleges can benefit from technologies used in other sectorsLearn more about this episode in our show notes.

This fast-paced show drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.Vanessa Didyk, CEO of ZeeMee, joins Eric Stoller to chat about the ZeeMee app and how the digital connection landscape has rapidly changed as more and more students report feeling lonely. Together, they discuss the importance of connection among peers and how ZeeMee helps colleges foster the kinds of relationships that are beneficial to Gen Z students. Topics covered include:Why students, and especially incoming or prospective students, need a space of their own to form bonds.How schools can use ZeeMee to quickly and seamlessly run student events.What sort of insights schools can glean from ZeeMee's student analytics.What digital functionality will be standard for all students in the next two to three years?Learn more about this episode in our show notes.

On this week's episode of The Enrollify Podcast, we feature a recent conversation between Eric Stoller and Cliff Holekamp that was originally published on the In Your Element podcast — a sister show to The Enrollify Podcast. This fast-paced dialogue drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.Cliff Holekamp is the Cofounder & Managing Director of Cultivation Capital. On this episode, Eric and Cliff discuss:The ethical and financial ramifications of a needs-blind admissions modelWhy university programs like entrepreneurship are becoming more and more popularHow recruiting and retention go hand in handThe rise of technological innovation across universities and why colleges are really tech companiesIf you are not already subscribed to In Your Element, you can do so here.Learn more about this episode and about our sponsors in our show notes.

This fast-paced show drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.On this episode of In Your Element, Eric Stoller has a wide-ranging conversation with Josh Moody, education reporter for US News and World Report. Tune into this episode to learn:What prediction about how Covid would affect colleges was the most off?How the rise of OPMs has impacted higher education.What will become of tests like the SAT and ACT in a test-optional future?The lessons four year institutions can learn from the community college model in a post-pandemic job market.What technological changes institutions must implement in order to cater to today's student.Learn more about this episode in our show notes.

This fast-paced show drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.Cathy Sandeen, President of California State University - East Bay joins Eric Stoller for a fascinating talk on this episode of In Your Element. In this deep dive chat, Eric and Cathy discuss:How things are going right now at CSU East Bay and for the entire CSU systemHow a university leader keeps people engaged when students are on-campus/online and faculty and staff are coming back after being remoteHow the events of 2020 changed the ways in which higher ed thinks about (and fosters) student engagementHow the role of the university president has changed over the past few yearsThe biggest challenges going forward for higher educationLearn more about this episode in our show notes.

This fast-paced show drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.On this episode of In Your Element, Eric Stoller has a deep-dive conversation with Melanie Gottlieb — Interim Executive Director at AACRAO. Tune into this episode to learn the following:What are the current challenges facing enrollment management professionals, including registrars?How difficult is it for institutions to find people right now to fill roles, especially entry level positions that have completely changed in scope, responsibilities and expectations?Why do enrollment analytics and predictive models matter?What role will Ed Tech play in the future of college recruitment and admissions?How do EM and HE leaders in general move forward into a post-pandemic reality?Learn more about this episode in our show notes.

This fast-paced show drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of everything from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education.On this episode of In Your Element, Eric Stoller has a deep-dive conversation with Mordecai Brownlee, President of Community College of Aurora. Tune into this episode to learn the following:How does someone with a student affairs background become a community college president?What's the 6-month plan for a new higher ed president?How do community colleges rebound from the damage done by the pandemic?How does student engagement happen with community college students?Learn more about this episode and about our sponsors in our show notes.

This fast-paced show drops listeners into a compelling conversation about higher education. In Your Element host Eric Stoller from Element451 asks innovative leaders about the challenges, wins, and future of all things higher ed, from meeting enrollment numbers to equity in education. His five-question format gets to the heart of what's happening in each guest's corner of higher education. We bring you not only a look at traditional four-year institutions and the organizations that serve them, but perspectives related to community colleges, online education, edtech, digital marketers, workforce development, and more. The unifying theme: how do we all rally around students' needs to help them succeed? This podcast is a collaboration between Enrollify and Element451.

Eric Stoller discusses the higher ed tech landscape and provides helpful advice for colleges and universities evaluating digital tools. Episode Transcript Eric Stoller: My rider says I need to be thanked at least three times  Joel Goodman: Exactly. And you will be, so at least, at least three times. Jon-Stephen Stansel: A jar full of… Continue reading Episode 36: Software, stewardship, and the student experience

Join us as we chat with Eric Stoller and learn about his journey from marketing to higher ed, to consultant, and now higher ed adjacent.   

Join us as we chat with Eric Stoller and learn about his journey from marketing to higher ed, to consultant, and now higher ed adjacent.   

Student services expert Eric Stoller explains that the way colleges serve students has changed quickly during the pandemic and why those changes are just the beginning.

With millions of students around the world forced to learn at a distance during lockdown and many universities providing virtual solutions in the short term, how is technology aiding or disrupting the student experience – from recruitment through to learning? This episode we speak with Eric Stoller, a thought leader in education technology and the student experience. With a background in student affairs, academic advising, student experience, career development, digital identity, wellness orientation, technology and communications, Eric has worked with literally hundreds of institutions, educational bodies and tech providers, both in the UK, Europe and the United States, where he is currently based. You can find him on Twitter @EricStoller or for more about his work here

EZ TALK LIVE is a live interacted streaming show that airs every Tues 4-5 pm pst on eZWay Broadcasting and Voice America it is distributed to iHeart Radio, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and many other podcasts. It is also aired live on http://ezwaywalloffame.com/live and ROKU, APPLETV, AMAZON Fire, My TV To Go and Simul TV but mainly can be followed watched on our... http://facebook.com/eztalklive - Facebook page Each episode features a skilled business and entertainment expert. Today's guest experts are: Eric Stoller founder of Champion Mindset Events. Megan Di Martino is a New York girl deep in the heart of Texas! A lifelong creator of beauty with a serving, mentoring spirit. Kool Boy which is an award-winning professional street dancer and is known as the most featured pop locker in west coast hip hop bmusic videos in the world. James Dentley is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, philanthropist, and one of the nation's top Life and Business Strategist.

EZ TALK LIVE is a live interacted streaming show that airs every Tues 4-5 pm pst on eZWay Broadcasting and Voice America it is distributed to iHeart Radio, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and many other podcasts. It is also aired live on http://ezwaywalloffame.com/live and ROKU, APPLETV, AMAZON Fire, My TV To Go and Simul TV but mainly can be followed watched on our... http://facebook.com/eztalklive - Facebook page Each episode features a skilled business and entertainment expert. Today’s guest experts are: Eric Stoller founder of Champion Mindset Events. Megan Di Martino is a New York girl deep in the heart of Texas! A lifelong creator of beauty with a serving, mentoring spirit. Kool Boy which is an award-winning professional street dancer and is known as the most featured pop locker in west coast hip hop bmusic videos in the world. James Dentley is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, philanthropist, and one of the nation’s top Life and Business Strategist.

—Follow Me Online Here:YouTube: http://youtube.com/danielpuderInstagram: http://instagram.com/danielpuderFacebook: http://facebook.com/danielpuderSnapchat: http://snapchat.com/add/daniepuderWebsite: http://danielpuder.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/danielpuderOfficial Website: http://danielpuder.com—Daniel is an advocate for education as a daily learner, while his vision is to create inspired, passionate, loving youth who are committed to lead significant and purpose driven lives! He is an author, professional speaker, and professional athlete, all of which play a key role in his unique approach to working alongside youth, parents, educators, community members and business leaders in order to provide long term and sustainable results within our schools and businesses in our communities. He travels around the world leading school assemblies, workshops, training seminars and keynote speaking presentations that focus on providing people with the tools and resources needed to be effective mentors. Daniel’s focus and love is being the Founder & CEO of his 501(c)3 Non-Profit that he founded in 2010, My Life My Power World Inc. (MLMP), which provides an evidence-based curriculum and training program to PreKindergarten to 12th grade Schools and Universities who have a desire to impact and transform their student’s lives through mentoring. Over the last few years he has also expanded his expertise into the for-profit world and has now founded 3 more companies. He is currently serving as the CEO of Transformational Technologies®, GPS For® LLC, and Co-Founder/Partner of My Life My Brand LLC. While Daniel’s background is that of a professional athlete (Undefeated Mixed Martial Arts Fighter and Champion of WWE’s Tough Enough Competition), he goes on to tell his story of overcoming challenges and adversity when he was younger. While growing up, he was bullied and harassed almost daily by his peers because he was overweight and labeled with learning disabilities. Over a decade later, and after much success, he decided to use his celebrity title in a way that could truly make a difference for children and teenagers who themselves are facing challenges - not just bullying. Thus, My Life My Power began and since then, Daniel has made it his life’s mission to be build the next generation of mentors that can impact millions of our youth! ACCOMPLISHMENTS Because of Daniel’s dedication to youth, he has received numerous awards such as Humanitarian of the Year Award for the Golden Badge Foundation, Honorary Service Award from the California Parent Teacher Association, sworn into the United States Marine Corp League in 2015, sworn in as a Kentucky Colonel in 2016, and Humanitarian of the Year Award for Heroes For Freedom in 2017.

Our guest this week is Eric Stoller, VP of Digital Strategy for GeckoEngage. He speaks about his unique journey through higher education and living abroad in the United Kingdom for five years. --- Subscribe and listen via iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, or Google Play. Find the full show notes at higheredgeek.com/podcast Our podcast is a proud member of the ConnectEDU Podcast Network. --- Music by pond5.com

In this episode I caught up with Eric Stoller, VP of Digital Strategy for GeckEngage. We talked digital transformation, what that means for digital skills, chatbots, recruitment and much more. If you would like to get in touch with Eric, you can do so directly through the GeckoEngage website. Links Eric Stoller (Twitter) GeckoEngage (Twitter) Dan Axson (Twitter) Technology Enhanced Learning (Twitter) Inside Higher Ed The Lego Movie Jisc Digital Capabilities

Eric Stoller from GeckoEngage joins us to chat about... chatbots! In his role as Gecko's VP of Digital Strategy, what does Eric mean by digital transformation? What changes must take place on campuses in order to effectively use conversational technologies? Eric will share what listeners need to know about what's new in this evolving space and how it can improve both efficiency and outcomes. (Order a free copy of The Ultimate Guide to Chatbots for Higher Education.) Eric is the new VP of Digital Strategy at GeckoEngage, a leading provider of higher ed chatbots. You might know Eric from his Inside Higher Ed blogs over the past nine years, or as a higher education digital engagement consultant. Eric’s work is focused on how conversational technologies can provide around-the-clock support to enhance the student experience.

Eric Stoller is the vice president of digital strategy at GeckoEngage. You may know him from his articles on Inside Higher Ed, his speaking engagements and his consulting work around digital engagement. He’s always loved doing marketing and public relations, but never wanted to work for an agency. Eric’s experiences in student development services at University of Illinois Chicago and enrollment management at Oregon State University really cemented interest in the intersection of technology and student success. He’s had an incredible and unique journey through the world of higher education.

This is part 2 of our excellent chat with higher Education consultant, writer and blogger Eric Stoller – do go and check out part 1 if you haven’t already.Here, we continue to reflect on Eric’s time living and working in the UK and learn what he’ll be telling people on the other side of the pond once he returns home.Find Eric on Twitter @EricStollerInspiration on TAP is a podcast brought to you by The Access Platform – an online tool that is redefining student recruitment by offering you an authentic connection to prospective students anywhere in the world. Find out more at http://theaccessplatform.com

To launch our new podcast, we’re joined by higher education consultant, writer and blogger Eric Stoller. Eric is one of the sector’s most influential thought leaders and we were delighted to sit down with him for a lengthy chat before he and his family moved back to the USA, after spending the last five years living and working in the UK.In our chat, we talk about the differences between the Higher Education sectors in the UK and the USA, what campaigns have caught Eric’s eye in recent years, why the term ‘digital native’ is a problem and loads, loads more.Find Eric on Twitter @EricStollerInspiration on TAP is a podcast brought to you by The Access Platform – an online tool that is redefining student recruitment by offering you an authentic connection to prospective students anywhere in the world. Find out more at http://theaccessplatform.com

Welcome to the very first episode of our brand new podcast What the edtech!? In this episode, our host, Laura Kidd, is joined by education consultant and thought leader, Eric Stoller, head of change - student experience, Sarah Knight, and Kardi Somerfield, senior lecturer in digital marketing and advertising at The University of Northampton. Like this podcast? Subscribe via iTunes or add the RSS feed to your favourite podcast app. You can also visit the Jisc website for more content.  

Welcome to the very first episode of our brand new podcast What the edtech!? In this episode, our host, Laura Kidd, is joined by education consultant and thought leader, Eric Stoller, head of change - student experience, Sarah Knight, and Kardi Somerfield, senior lecturer in digital marketing and advertising at The University of Northampton. Like this podcast? Subscribe via iTunes or add the RSS feed to your favourite podcast app. You can also visit the Jisc website for more content.  

Eric Stoller is a higher education consultant, writer, and speaker. He currently serves as a writer/blogger for InsideHigherEd.com and is a soon-to-be father! He is also arguably one of the best-known thought leaders in the higher education space.  Hear his story on this week's episode. And of course, Why Does He Social?!  Share your thoughts on this week's episode with #WhyISocial Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Google and Otto Radio.  Follow at @WhyISocial. Connect with Eric on Linkedin. Do you have someone you'd like to see on the show? Tweet me at @CBarrows or @WhyISocial using #WhyISocialGuest  The Why I Social podcast is brought to you by Zoomph. Zoomph transforms digital marketing with real-times streaming analytics. Our platform provides you with an end-to-end solution to ignite your content, your marketing, and your business from start to finish. Learn more about Zoomph at http://bit.ly/WhySocialAnalytics

We welcome the always amazing, Eric Stoller to the podcast this week! Dustin and Eric chatted about Eric's journey to being his own boss and how he does the freelance student affairs work on his acclaimed Inside Higher Ed blog, speaking engagements, and consulting gigs. For all those looking to invest in their "side hustles", this is the episode for you! Find the full show notes here: http://bit.ly/1KuOUtg