Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, and Doug Lederman, Editor and Co-Founder of Inside Higher Ed, speak with Freeman Hrabowski, retiring President of University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Hrabowski talks about what he's learned over the years, what incoming leaders can expect from the current state of higher ed, and how they can best prepare themselves for the challenges of leadership. Topics include:

• Developing a sense of when to speak and when to listen

• Communicating the value of higher ed at a time when it's being questioned

• Learning more about students and helping them grow as people
• 
Universities' role in the future of democracy

• How strong leadership must include humility and self-care

Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, and Doug Lederman, Editor and Co-Founder of Inside Higher Ed, speak with Michael Rao, President of Virginia Commonwealth University. He talks about VCU joining the UIA, positivity among like-minded leaders, the benefits of shared experience and data, and the importance of maintaining an affirmative, human tone. Topics include:

• The broader mission of higher ed institutions and their leaders

• Previous experience with and future hopes for collaboration between presidents

• His strategy for minimizing partisan politics on the university board

• How he plans to announce VCU's new membership in the UIA


Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, and Doug Lederman, Editor and Co-Founder of Inside Higher Ed, speak with James Kvaal, U.S. Under Secretary of Education. He talks about leadership at the federal level, understanding the perspectives of advocates from outside the government, and the critical details of what it takes to be an effective communicator. Topics include:


• Emulating the best qualities of high-profile leaders with whom he's worked

• How nonprofit sector experiences improved his effectiveness as a federal appointee

• How education policy happens

• The future of American higher ed that he'd like to see

• The difference between what we say and what others hear