The Innovating Together Podcast

Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, and Doug Lederman, Editor and Co-Founder of Inside Higher Ed, speak with Dr. Taylor Randall, President of the University of Utah, who was appointed to his current position in August 2021, and who brought his institution into the UIA. Dr. Randall talks about pragmatic optimism, setting expectations to manage transformation, reshaping curriculum based on student input, and how passion and creative tension can fuel positive change. Topics include:

• The leadership style that President Randall brings to the UIA
• 
Honoring obligation to stakeholders as a basis for innovation

• How to create a student-centric program
• 
Being guided by history and optimism

Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, and Doug Lederman, Editor and Co-Founder of Inside Higher Ed, speak with Dr. Paul LeBlanc, President of Southern New Hampshire University, who has served in his current position since 2003. Dr. LeBlanc talks about how he first introduced online education through disruptive innovation, what happens to schools that can't or won't evolve, the necessary discomfort of honesty in leadership, and personal stories as a critical tool in human connection. Topics include:


• Introducing technology to higher ed in the early days of the Internet

• Why some institutions are unable to succeed

• Challenges and benefits of owning the need for leadership course corrections
• 
Accepting opportunities that shouldn't be ignored
• Building a team through relational power

Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, and Doug Lederman, Editor and Co-Founder of Inside Higher Ed, speak with M. Brian Blake, President of Georgia State University as he approaches his one-year anniversary of leading the institution. Dr. Blake talks about how his early private sector career shaped his approach to academic leadership, the guidance and opportunities that he's offering his students, and managing the perceptions around a job well done. Topics include:

 

• The similarities between industry and academia
• A four-pillar strategy for the shared aspirations of Georgia State
• 
Human connections as the X factor in any strategy
• 
The importance of high-quality deliverables
• Recommended reading for any future president