Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, and Doug Lederman, Editor and Co-Founder of Inside Higher Ed, speak with Dr. Shonda Gibson, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Texas A&M University, on the Weekly Wisdom Podcast. Dr. Gibson talks about what America needs most from higher education, the operational challenges and rewards for a major university system, how to best serve returning students, and humility and perspective as leadership attributes. Topics include:


• Innovation in higher ed begins with individual faculty and department chairs
• 
Examining the barriers that prevent institutions from putting students first
• Transcending schools’ or departments’ traditional battle for resources
• 
Career advice and recommended reading for higher ed leaders

Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, and Doug Lederman, Editor and Co-Founder of Inside Higher Ed, speak with Dr. Lisa Vollendorf, President of SUNY Empire State, on the Weekly Wisdom Podcast. President Vollendorf talks about what has shaped her as a leader, reversing higher ed’s tendency toward elitism, how leaders and institutions can grow through traumatic events, and the value of being present and making the best possible impact. Topics include:


• How educational status is a proven marker for longevity in the U.S.

• The problem with students losing credits when transferring between institutions

• Surviving both a regional wildfire and the stress of pursuing a harassment case
• Identifying and following your north star
• Two books supporting effective leadership

On this episode of the Weekly Wisdom Podcast, Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, and Doug Lederman, Editor and Co-Founder of Inside Higher Ed, discuss how higher ed leaders can best share their own positive, success-oriented approaches with other institutions. Together, they explore pitching scalable ideas from a place of commonality, respecting the time and interest of leaders at other institutions, owning and remediating mistakes, and speaking with a collective voice. Topics include:


• Framing a value proposition that doesn’t sound like a sales pitch
• 
Finding the right audience and understanding how the idea may be received
• 
Honesty, authenticity, and confidentiality

• The perils and advantages of transparency