Shows / The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
The Higher Ed Geek Podcast explores the impact of edtech on the student experience by speaking with diverse leaders from institutions, companies, and nonprofit organizations. Each week we aim to provide an engaging, fun, and relevant dose of professional development that honors the wide range of work happening all across the higher ed ecosystem. Come geek out with us! The Higher Ed Geek Podcast is hosted by Dustin Ramsdell and is a proud member of the Enrollify Podcast Network.
Episodes
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live from the Show Floor at Illumia Momentum
In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we spoke with several attendees to get their immediate reflections and…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live from Illumia Momentum with Jennifer Chellew
In this final bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we talked with Jennifer Chellew from Illumia about their rebrand, how they…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live from Illumia Momentum with Jeff Koziol
In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we chatted with Jeff Koziol from Allegion about the digital evolutions…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live from Illumia Momentum with Maydee Ehster
In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we spoke with Maydee Ehster from Florida State University about how her and…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #324: Scaling Life Design for Every Student
For this episode, Dustin speaks with Kristen McMullen to explore how the “Designing Your Life” framework is being embedded at the College of Charleston to help…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live from Illumia Momentum with Alison Cove
In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we spoke with returning guest Alison Cove from USEFULL about her ever…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live from Illumia Momentum with Don Smith
In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we chatted with returning guest Don Smith from Illumia about his work with…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live from Illumia Momentum with Laura Newell-McLaughlin
In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we talked with Laura Newell-McLaughlin from Illumia about the increased…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live from Illumia Momentum with Chris Setcos
In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we spoke with Chris Setcos from Illumia to get his perspective on how…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #323: AI Governance, Skills, and the Future of Learning
For this week’s episode, Dustin and Dr. Aviva Legatt from EdGenerative discuss how higher education must urgently and intentionally integrate AI into learning…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live from Illumia Momentum with Zach Tussing
In this special bonus episode recorded at the recent Illumia Momentum conference, we sat down with Zach Tussing from Ellucian about his perspective on the…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at SXSW EDU with GP LeBourdais
In this final episode recorded at SXSW EDU, Dustin chats with George Phillip (“GP”) LeBourdais, a fellow FOHE member and Head of Learning at Edvisor.AI. He…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at SXSW EDU with Ana Homayoun
In this special episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU, Dustin speaks with Ana Homayoun, executive functioning expert, author, and founder of Green Ivy…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at SXSW EDU with Tanner Jackson
In this special episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU, Dustin chats with Tanner Jackson from ETS. He explains the ways his team integrates AI and why…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #322: Why Early Career Exploration Matters for Higher Ed
In this special episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU, Dustin chats with Greg Smith from Britebound about their recent rebrand and their expanding work…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at SXSW EDU with Ashley Beckner
In this episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU, Dustin spoke with Ashley Beckner from Lemnis about their unique funding model that sits at the intersection…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at SXSW EDU with Angelique Albert
In this special episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU, Dustin chats with Angelique Albert, CEO of the Native Forward Scholars Fund. She returns to the show…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at SXSW EDU with Enyi Okebugwu
In this special episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU, Dustin chats with Enyi Okebugwu from Imaginable Futures about his work creating effective support…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at SXSW EDU with Caroline Casagrande
In this bonus episode recorded live at SXSW EDU, Dustin talked with Caroline Casagrande from VectorEDU about the impacts of an active year of federal…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #321: The Importance of Fostering Global Citizenship for Today’s Learners
In this special episode recorded live on site at SXSW EDU, Dustin sits down with Shaun Carver, Executive Director of the International House at UC Berkeley as…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #320: Building Allied Health Talent at Scale Without Student Debt
What does “free tuition” actually mean — and why isn’t it enough? In this episode, Dustin sits down with Van Ton-Quinlivan, CEO of Futuro Health and host of…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #319: How to Use AI in Admissions Without Losing the Human Touch
In this podcast swap episode, Dustin sits down with Ashish Fernando, Founder and CEO at EDMO as well as the host of the EDU Unlocked podcast, to unpack how AI…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #318: The Future of Digital Learning Is Integrated
In this forward-looking conversation, Dustin sits down with Andy Morgan, Chief Partnerships Officer at 2U, to unpack what digital education looks like in…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #317: Redesigning Digital Infrastructure for Gen Alpha and Beyond
In this episode, Dustin chats with Michelle Craig, Director of Marketing at AppsAnywhere, about how institutions can better support today’s digitally fluent…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #316: From Chaos to Clarity - AI’s Role in Higher Ed Operations
What if the path to transforming higher ed isn't about radical reinvention—but about finally using the tools we already have? In this episode, Dustin chats…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #315: Higher Ed, Free Speech, and the Future of Democracy
In this thought-provoking episode, political philosopher and Penn GSE professor Dr. Sigal Ben-Porath joins host Dustin to unpack one of higher ed’s most…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #314: Why Faculty Are Your Secret Marketing Weaponf
In this week’s episode, Dustin sits down with Brian Hartnack, Founder and CEO of Archer Education, for a rich conversation about the evolution of digital…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #313: Why Your Institution Needs to Elevate Its Digital Student Experience
Most students aren’t dropping out because they’re disengaged—they’re falling behind because your tech isn’t meeting their needs. In this energizing episode…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #312: Empowering Students to Understand and Influence the World
What do Montenegro, Gen Z protests, and open educational resources have in common? According to Julia Sherwin, everything. In this episode, Dustin Ramsdell…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #311: How Institutions Can Actually Win at Digital Transformation
In this premiere episode of the 2026 season, Dustin welcomes back Taran Lent, now CTO of the soon to be rebranded Illumia (formerly Transact + CBORD), for a…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #310: How InsideTrack Is Expanding What Success Coaching Can Be
In this final episode of the year, Dustin talked with Ruth Bauer, President at InsideTrack, who shared how the organization’s new Coaching Lab is expanding…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #309: Why Work-College Students Are Becoming Founders-in-Training
What if launching a business was a graduation requirement? At Paul Quinn College, that’s exactly what students are doing. In this episode, Dustin sat down with…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #308: Building the Future of Degree Management with Student-Centered Design
In this episode, Dustin chats with Sabih Bin Wasi, Founder and CEO of Stellic, about rethinking course registration, degree planning, and the broader student…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #307: How to Empower Student Retention Efforts with AI
What if your student success team had AI-powered tools that could prep meeting notes, flag at-risk students in real time, and prove the ROI of your campus…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #306: Inside the Tuition-Free University Serving 170,000 Students
Shai Reshef, founder of University of the People, joins Dustin to share how his radically accessible, tuition-free, accredited online university is scaling…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
BONUS: Helping College Students Use AI Without Losing the Plot
In this bonus episode, Dustin caught up with Annie Chechitelli, Chief Product Officer at Turnitin. After recording earlier this year at SXSW EDU, they…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at EDUCAUSE: How AI Transparency Is Changing Faculty-Student Relationships
In this final bonus episode recorded live at EDUCAUSE in Nashville, Dustin chatted with Jenny Maxwell, Head of Grammarly for Education at Superhuman (formerly…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #305: The Secret Sauce Behind UC San Diego’s Workforce Strategy
In this episode, Dustin chats with Shannon McDonald and Brandon Chavez from the Division of Extended Studies at UC San Diego about how continuing education can…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at EDUCAUSE: Navigating the Waves of Digital Transformation
In this bonus episode recorded live at EDUCAUSE in Nashville, Dustin sat down with Nicole Muscanell from the Research and Insights team at EDUCAUSE. Nicole…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at EDUCAUSE: How Ohio University Is Rethinking Dual Enrollment with Scalable Tech
In this bonus episode recorded live at EDUCAUSE in Nashville, Dustin chatted with Larry Tumblin of Ohio University for a fascinating look at how dual…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at EDUCAUSE: Unifying Housing Tech to Strengthen Student Success
In this bonus episode recorded live at EDUCAUSE in Nashville, Dustin sits down with Justin Price, VP of Global Customer Experience at StarRez, to unpack the…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at EDUCAUSE: Enabling a Better Digital Ecosystem for Student Success
In this bonus episode recorded live at EDUCAUSE in Nashville, Dustin speaks with Nicole Engelbert, VP of Product Strategy at Oracle, about how institutions can…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #304: Optimizing Tech Stacks to Elevate the Student Experience
What happens when your institution has too many systems—and none of them talk to each other? In this episode, Dustin chats with Justin Beck, CEO of Gravyty…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at EDUCAUSE: Rethinking Readiness for Students in the AI-Enabled Workforce
In this bonus episode recorded live at EDUCAUSE in Nashville, Dustin spoke with Ryan Lufkin, VP of Global Academic Strategy at Instructure, about the current…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at EDUCAUSE: The Secret to Scalable, Accessible Learning Environments
In this bonus episode recorded live at EDUCAUSE in Nashville, Dustin chats with Gaurav Bradoo from Logitech about how colleges and universities can embrace…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at EDUCAUSE: Exploring the EDUCAUSE 2026 Top 10 Trends Report
In this bonus episode recorded live at EDUCAUSE in Nashville, Dustin sits down with Crista Copp and Mark McCormack from EDUCAUSE to unpack their just-released…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live at EDUCAUSE: Why Student-Centered Tech is the Future of Higher Ed
In this bonus episode recorded live at EDUCAUSE in Nashville, Dustin has an energizing conversation with Jeff Dinski and Mike Wulff from Ellucian. They discuss…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #303: Creating Learning That Sticks with Video, Voice, and Vision
Stephen Laster, CEO of Panopto and a 25-year veteran in the edtech space, joins Dustin to talk about how smart technology—and especially AI—can elevate…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live from EdTech Week: Building Better Pathways for Private Public Partnerships
In this bonus episode recorded live from EdTech Week 2025, Dustin chats with Matt Stinson, CRO at Starbridge. They discuss Matt’s journey to joining the team…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Live from EdTech Week: Why Creating More Immersive Learning Content Matters
In this bonus episode recorded live from EdTech Week 2025, Dustin chats with K. Rocco Shields, CEO of Genius Academy. They discuss the important work her and…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #302: How to Teach Creative Confidence in Higher Ed
What if innovation didn’t require a stroke of genius—just a willingness to be a little “-ish”? In this episode, Dustin chats with Tessa Forshaw and Rich…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #301: Why Visibility Doesn’t Equal Trust in Higher Ed Marketing
We’re pleased to have Faton Sopa from Manaferra back on the show this week (listen to his previous episode!) to discuss the recent research his team produced…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #300: Driving a New Path Forward for Higher Ed Messaging
In this milestone 300th episode, Sophie Nguyen, Senior Policy Manager at New America, joins Dustin to unpack the newest findings from the new 2025 Varying…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Celebrating 300 Episodes of The Higher Ed Geek Podcast!
We’re popping into your feed with a very special bonus episode to commemorate 300 weekly episodes of the podcast. Dustin shares some brief notes of gratitude…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #299: Reimagining Tutoring as a Student Success and Career Development Tool
Samyr Qureshi, Co-Founder and CEO of Knack, returns to the podcast to unpack how his team is reshaping peer tutoring into a powerful engine for student success…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #298: How Accreditors Can Be Catalysts for Innovation in Higher Ed
Dr. Maria Toyoda, newly appointed president of the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), joins Dustin for a refreshingly candid conversation…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #297: Reinventing a 175-Year-Old Institution for the Digital Age
What do you do when your institution no longer needs acres of land and buildings? You sell it and build a more agile, student-centered future. In this episode…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #296: How AI Can Optimize Marketing Attribution
In this episode, Dustin sits down with Mike Stratta, CEO of Arcaléa, to unpack how AI is reshaping marketing strategies across industries—and what that means…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #295: How to Redesign and Optimize Course Development with AI
What does it actually look like to teach with AI — and teach about it — in higher ed today? In this episode, Dustin chats with Dr. Evan Kropp, Executive…
- The Higher Ed Geek Podcast
Episode #294: Reimagining Student Assignments with AI and Transparency
What if AI could make student writing more honest—not less? In this episode, Dustin sits down with Eric Wang, VP of AI at Turnitin, to talk about the launch of…