Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Doug Lederman, Editor and Co-Founder of Inside Higher Ed, speak with Maria Flynn, President and CEO of Jobs for the Future. JFF is a nonprofit that sits at the intersection between workforce, education, policy, and practice. In our conversation, President Flynn talks about connecting college graduates with employment opportunities, the skills required in an evolving career marketplace, and the challenges of scaling a nonprofit within a volatile ecosystem. Topics include:

• Smooth transitions between college and the labor market
• What's expected of tomorrow's entrepreneurs and leaders
• The delicate dance required for working with so many diverse sectors
• Her advice for both seasoned and emerging leaders

Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Derrick Tillman-Kelly, Director of UIA's Fellows Program and Network Engagement, speak with Dr. Chantal Levesque-Bristol, Executive Director of the Center for Instructional Excellence at Purdue University. She enlightened us about her research on student-centered learning, what it really is versus what it's commonly perceived to be, and how it can be used to include marginalized or minoritized student populations in the learning outcomes they deserve. Topics include:

• Self-determination theory and its motivational building blocks
• The role of autonomy in student-centered learning
• Why changing instructional practice begins with a shift of instructor mindset
• The differences between student-centered learning and active learning
• How focusing on human motivation is an investment in people

Bridget Burns, Executive Director of the University Innovation Alliance, and Doug Lederman, Editor and Co-Founder of Inside Higher Ed, speak with Kim Wilcox, Chancellor of the University of California, Riverside. When he spoke with us last year, he'd just reopened U.C.R. for fall quarter amidst severe budget cuts and a surging pandemic. This time, he shares his wisdom about the impact of alliances in higher education, the ideals and realities of collegiate athletics, and yet another surge in the COVID pandemic. Topics include:

• A review of the UIA's noteworthy outcomes
• The value of institutional alliances in higher education
• How the U.C. system has approached the pandemic's challenges
• Rethinking the status and practices of collegiate athletics
• Leadership advice received and given
• Four book recommendations