Higher Ed Pulse

For this week's Pulse Check, we revisit Brendan Henkel's lightning session at the February Engage AI Summit, focused on using AI for application fraud detection. Brendan, AVP of Solutions Engineering at Element451, gives a crash course in how AI tools can flag potential fraudulent applications and have colleges and universities avoid losing millions. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mallory Willsea sits down with higher education strategist and former RHB president Sam Waterson to unpack a critical—but often overlooked—dimension of enrollment marketing and ed tech partnerships: evaluating the company behind the product. Rather than focusing solely on demos and deliverables, the conversation challenges higher ed leaders to examine corporate strategy, ownership structure, and business incentives before signing contracts. As budget season intensifies, this episode offers a timely lens into how institutional leaders can make smarter, more strategic vendor decisions. From private equity pressures to product roadmap promises, this discussion reframes how campuses should approach partnerships in an evolving ed tech landscape. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For this week's Pulse Check, we revisit Head of Content at Element451 Erin Newton's lightning session at the February Engage AI Summit, focused on human-centered design session for ethical and user-friendly AI. She breaks down what it really takes to design AI experiences that users trust. Centered on the principles of transparency, tone, and accuracy, Erin explores how institutions can evaluate and implement AI tools responsibly. This episode is a must-listen for enrollment marketers navigating the rapid rise of AI in higher education. If you're thinking about how to humanize automation while protecting your brand, this conversation delivers. View the session: https://youtu.be/QhRhhJHVX40 - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mallory sits down with Josh Dodson, VP of Performance Marketing and Analytics at BVK, to unpack one of the biggest questions in enrollment marketing today: what is actually driving enrollment? Their conversation challenges the false confidence many leaders place in dashboards, last-click reporting, and traditional attribution tools that were never designed to capture the full complexity of student decision-making. For higher ed marketers navigating long recruitment cycles, shifting privacy rules, and growing pressure to prove ROI, this episode offers a sharper framework for data analytics in higher education. It is a candid, timely listen for anyone trying to build a smarter marketing strategy for student recruitment without mistaking visibility for truth. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For this week's Pulse Check, we're revisiting Brian Piper's lightning talk from the 2026 AI Engage Summit earlier this month. In just 15 minutes, Brian will teach you how to auto-generate custom reports, without coding or getting IT involved. Watch the session: https://youtu.be/gBmn05-IdRE - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mallory Willsea sits down with Doug Gapinski, Account Director at 8th Light, to unpack the real story behind agentic AI. While LinkedIn hype suggests autonomous agents are replacing entire teams, Doug explains that the reality inside enterprise environments is far more nuanced. Agentic AI can unlock meaningful productivity gains—but only in the right contexts with clear guardrails and clean data. This conversation offers higher ed leaders a grounded perspective on where AI agents actually work, where they fail, and how institutions should begin experimenting responsibly. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to the 5th and final part of this Pulse Check series. In this episode, we turn to one of the most nuanced and hopeful findings in Ologie’s national study: across political identities, people want colleges and universities to be places for ideas, not ideologies. That sounds inspiring in theory. In practice, it raises harder questions. What does healthy dialogue actually look like on campus right now? How do students learn to navigate disagreement without collapsing into silence, defensiveness, or division? And what role should universities play in helping them build those skills? Host Day Kibilds is joined by two student leaders who are doing this work in real time. Kathleen Parks, student body vice president at Texas A&M University, and Mac Mahoney, president of the Dartmouth Political Union at Dartmouth College, share what it takes to create spaces for conversation, respectful disagreement, and meaningful exchange among peers. Together, they explore the difference between safe spaces and brave spaces, the importance of shared values and trust, and why civil discourse is not just a campus ideal but a lifelong skill. This episode is about what happens when students are given the chance to practice dialogue with honesty, humility, and courage, and why that matters far beyond graduation.Guest Bio (Kathleen Parks): Kathleen Parks is a senior at Texas A&M University studying society, ethics, and law, with minors in philosophy and leadership. She currently serves as student body vice president, where she helps represent student perspectives in university decision-making and works to support conversations rooted in shared values, leadership, and civil discourse. Guest Bio (Mac Mahoney): Malcolm “Mac” Mahoney is a senior at Dartmouth College studying politics, philosophy, and economics. He serves as president of the Dartmouth Political Union, Dartmouth’s student-run nonpartisan political organization, which hosts weekly meetings and debates that expose students to a wide range of political thought and encourage open, respectful dialogue across difference. Host Bio (Dayana Kibilds): With 15 years of experience, Dayana Kibilds has led award-winning work with universities around the world. An international keynote speaker and one of London, Ontario’s 20 Under 40, she is known for making complex ideas clear, practical, and possible. She loves to teach and share what she knows through her email book Mailed It!, as well as through her workshops, courses, her work with young professionals at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s Summer Institutes, and her weekly newsletter. A lifelong immigrant who grew up in six countries, Day is now happily Canadian and lives with her husband, Bruno, and son, Romeo. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mallory sits down with career strategist Robert Braathe to unpack the paradox shaping today’s workforce: nearly 80% of professionals don’t feel ready for the job market, while recruiters say they can’t find quality talent. Together, they explore how AI in hiring is reshaping career progression, what networking really means in 2026, and why impact—not titles—drives advancement. Related Links:In a job market this bleak, more candidates pay for ‘reverse recruiting’Your AI resume isn’t fooling anyoneLinkedIn Research: Nearly 80% of people feel unprepared to find a job in 2026, as two-thirds of recruiters say it’s harder to find quality talent - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In Part 4 of Pulse Check: The Reputation Rethink, we turn to one of higher education’s most important, and according to our research, most underserved audiences: alumni. Ologie’s national study revealed a striking insight: only 43% of respondents believe colleges and universities meaningfully benefit their alumni. Even more telling, most respondents hold college degrees themselves. These are alumni saying they feel least benefited by their alma mater. Host Day Kibilds is joined by Molly Ranz Calhoun, President and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association, to explore what’s behind that perception. From rising debt and economic instability to outdated engagement models focused too quickly on fundraising, alumni are questioning the return on their investment. Together, they unpack what alumni actually want: career navigation, community, personalization, lifelong learning, and systems of small, consistent support. This episode explores how institutions can shift from transactional outreach to long-term value exchange — and why alumni engagement must start long before graduation.Guest Bio (Molly Ranz Calhoun): Molly Ranz Calhoun is president and CEO of the Ohio State Alumni Association. As the leader of more than 630,000 living alumni, Molly has increased opportunities for students and alumni to interact, socialize, and collaborate for the benefit of Ohio State and the world. Always looking to give back, she has led countless community service efforts, including partnering with rival schools for projects in the cities of postseason football games. “I can’t imagine anything I’d rather be doing than serving my fellow Buckeye alumni at the greatest college in the world,” Molly explains. “I could never repay all that Ohio State has given me and my family, but I spend every day trying.” Host Bio (Dayana Kibilds): With 15 years of experience, Dayana Kibilds has led award-winning work with universities around the world. An international keynote speaker and one of London, Ontario’s 20 Under 40, she is known for making complex ideas clear, practical, and possible. She loves to teach and share what she knows through her email book Mailed It!, as well as through her workshops, courses, her work with young professionals at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s Summer Institutes, and her weekly newsletter. A lifelong immigrant who grew up in six countries, Day is now happily Canadian and lives with her husband, Bruno, and son, Romeo. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/https://twitter.com/mallorywillseaAbout The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.