Higher Ed Pulse
by Mallory Willsea
Latest episode
Pulse Check: The Alignment Gap (Beyond the Org Chart) — Pt 3
Pulse Check: The Alignment Gap (Beyond the Org Chart) — Pt 3
About this podcast
Higher Ed Pulse is your weekly no-fluff guide to AI in higher ed. Higher ed leaders are expected to master AI overnight. But let’s be real — no one has time to sift through every headline, hot take, or research report.
That’s why every Monday, we break down what actually matters — fast, clear, and to the point.
Want to sound like the smartest person in the room? You’re in the right place.
Higher Ed Pulse is hosted by Mallory Willsea and is a proud member of the Enrollify Podcast Network.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 600 episodes
- Pulse Check: The Alignment Gap (Beyond the Org Chart) — Pt 3 · 49 minIn Part 3 of The Alignment Gap, Jenny Petty trades her podcast host hat for a game-show host hat and challenges three higher ed marketing leaders to play The Price Is Wrong. Leah…
- The Invisible Applicant · 47 min · Episode 330Today's episode revisits Mallory's recent keynote from the 2026 AI Engage Fall Summit, “The Invisible Applicant.” During the keynote, Mallory argues that students decide before…
- Pulse Check: The Alignment Gap (Beyond the Org Chart) — Pt 2 · 32 minBack on Episode 1, Dr. Marcus Collins talked about culture as the real operating system of an organization. On this Episode 2, we ask how you actually measure it. Jenny Petty…
- Millennial Parents Expect More Than a Portal · 30 min · Episode 329Mallory speaks with Amber Kennedy, Executive Director for Content & Strategy at William & Mary, about the gap in college communications with parents post-enrollment. While…
- Pulse Check: The Alignment Gap (Beyond the Org Chart) — Pt 1 · 47 minWelcome to the debut episode of this new Pulse Check series, The Alignment Gap: Beyond The Org Chart. Host Jenny Petty is joined by Dr. Marcus Collins, Michigan Ross professor…
- Is Your Social Data Driving Decisions? · 26 min · Episode 328Mallory is joined by Perry Rockwood, Social Media Manager at BYU-Idaho, to explore how his team uses weekly engagement data like saves and shares to shape content strategy. Perry…
- Pulse Check: What Do We Really Need? — Pt 5 · 24 minIn the final episode of What Do We Really Need?, Ologie Marketing Director Erin Fields talks with Doug Edwards, Ologie’s Chief Strategy Officer, about turning that request into…
- The Alumni Program That Measured Joy · 30 min · Episode 327Mallory speaks with Anna Mottice, Director for Advancement Operations and Strategic Engagement at Antioch University, to explore the key insights Anna learned from overhauling…
- Pulse Check: What Do We Really Need? — Pt 4 · 25 minIn episode four of What Do We Really Need?, Ologie Marketing Director Erin Fields talks with Nathan Thornton, Ologie’s Senior Vice President of Creative, about making marketing…
- Does AI Traffic Actually Convert Better in Higher Ed? · 29 min · Episode 326Mallory chats with Nick DeNardis, Senior Director of Digital Experience and Innovation at Wayne State University, about how AI-driven search traffic behaves differently on higher…
- Pulse Check: What Do We Really Need? — Pt 3 · 31 minIn the third episode of What Do We Really Need?, Ologie Marketing Director Erin Fields talks with Chevonne Harris, Ologie’s Vice President of Strategy and the founder and CEO of…
- Higher Ed Needs Leaders Who Are Used to Disruption · 27 min · Episode 325Mallory speaks with Zach Hosseini, Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President for University Relations at Pace University, about navigating public mistrust in higher education…
- Pulse Check: What Do We Really Need? — Pt 2 · 23 minIn the second episode of What Do We Really Need, Ologie Marketing Director Erin Fields talks with Jen Johnson, Ologie's Chief Client Officer, about how colleges and universities…
- Inside the Index Tracking 200K Student Prompts · 31 min · Episode 324Mallory sits down with Granit Doshlaku, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Manaferra, to discuss the findings from Manifera's AI Index, which analyzed 200,000 prompts to…
- Pulse Check: What Do We Really Need? — Pt 1 · 23 minIn the first episode of What Do We Really Need?, Ologie Marketing Director Erin Fields talks with Alicia Camden, Ologie’s Associate Vice President of Digital Creative, about what…
- What Rising CMOs Are Rarely Taught · 40 min · Episode 323Mallory welcomes back Jenny Petty, Vice President Industry Relations and Advisory Services SimpsonScarborough, and Marina Cooper, Head of Brand and Marketing at The Johns Hopkins…
- Pulse Check: The Value of Higher Ed: Spoiler Alert, It's More than ROI — Pt 4 · 22 minIn the final part of this Pulse Check series, Host Michele Ehrhart welcomes Jason Cook, Vice President for Marketing and Communications and Chief Marketing Officer at Baylor…
- Should Colleges Be on Snapchat? · 31 min · Episode 322Mallory sits down with Erik Toedt, new business leader at Snapchat, to discuss how higher education institutions can effectively reach 13- to 18-year-olds amidst tightening…
- Pulse Check: The Value of Higher Ed: Spoiler Alert, It's More than ROI — Pt 3 · 23 minIn Part 3 of this Pulse Check Series, host Michele Ehrhart is joined by Tom Addonoizio, Vice President for University Communications & Chief Marketing Officer, to discuss the…
- Pulse Check: Understanding The Modern Student Journey — Pt. 4 · 32 minIn this final episode of our pulse check series, Understanding the Modern Student Journey, Faton Sopa talks with Mark Hatton, Director of Admissions and Marketing at Webster…
- How to Make the Case for Your Best Idea · 36 min · Episode 321Mallory is joined by Natalie Gleason, VP of Marketing at Portico, to discuss the critical skill of building internal advocacy for new ideas. They explore why change efforts often…
- Pulse Check: The Value of Higher Ed: Spoiler Alert, It's More than ROI — Pt 2 · 26 minIn Part 2 of this Pulse Check series, Michele Ehrhart talks with Merianne Roth, Vice Chancellor, Marketing & Communication at Texas Christian University, to explore why a college…
- What Comes After CMO? · 31 min · Episode 320Mallory is joined by Rob Zinkan, founder of Navigate Gray, to discuss the career trajectories of higher education chief marketing officers. While corporate CMOs often advance to…
- Pulse Check: The Value of Higher Ed: Spoiler Alert, It's More than ROI — Pt 1 · 27 minIn the debut episode of this new Pulse Check Series hosted by Michele Ehrhart, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer for the University of Memphis, we are joined by Dave…
- How AI Decides Which University Has the Best Alumni Network · 30 min · Episode 319Mallory interviews Kim Infanti, Executive Director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement at Syracuse University. Kim discusses launching Ask Orange Alumni, an AI-powered platform…
- Video Without a Plan Is Wasted Money · 42 min · Episode 318Mallory welcomes Phil DiMartino and Marisa Uluski from 5 Tool Productions to explore how higher education institutions can transform video from a simple production line item into…
- Is Higher Ed Deploying AI Backwards? · 31 min · Episode 317Mallory is joined by Amy Still from ZeeMee and Paul Garner from Western Carolina University to dissect new data regarding student perceptions of AI in the admissions process…
- Pulse Check: Understanding The Modern Student Journey — Pt. 3 · 34 minIn Part 3 of this Pulse Check series, host Faton Sopa sits down with Stephanie Geyer, associate vice president for marketing and brand strategy at the University of Montana, to…
- What Your Chief of Staff Knows That You Don't · 34 min · Episode 316Lindsay Nyquist, Chief of Staff at Occidental College, and Dr. Miriam Merrill, Chief of Staff at Hamilton College, join Mallory to discuss the inaugural Chief of Staff Summit…
- Pulse Check: Understanding The Modern Student Journey — Pt. 2 · 39 minIn Part 2 of this Pulse Check, Understanding the Modern Student Journey, host Faton Sopa is joined by guest Robert Kadar to dismantle the outdated reliance on traditional…
- Higher Ed's Hero Cycle · 31 min · Episode 315Mallory hosts Higher Ed Pulse with guest Jenn Hayes, Associate Dean for Marketing & Communications at Cardozo School of Law in New York, to discuss higher ed’s recurring “hero”…
- Pulse Check: Understanding The Modern Student Journey — Pt. 1 · 35 minIn the debut episode of this new Pulse Check Series, Understanding the Modern Student Journey, host Faton Sopa sits down with higher education marketing strategist Kristin…
- Who Owns AI Search? · 33 min · Episode 314Mallory is joined by Andrea Gilbert and Mike Bell from Everspring to discuss their latest AI search trends report. The report finds big brand universities can be cited in AI…
- Pulse Check: Funnel Vision: One Campus, Two Markets — Part 4 · 54 minIn this episode of Funnel Vision, Rishab Malhotra sits down with Valpo’s LeAnn Hughes and Rosa Alvarado to discuss how their team turned around a decade of enrollment decline…
- The Dashboard is the Last Place Your Enrollment Problem Shows Up · 30 min · Episode 313Mallory is joined by Megan Cabrera, Director of Strategic Enrollment Management at Okanagan College, about an enrollment trap she calls “residual momentum,” where funnels look…
- Pulse Check: Funnel Vision: One Campus, Two Markets — Part 3 · 49 minIn Part 3 of Funnel Vision, host Rishab Malhotra welcomes Anna Esaki Smith, author and co-founder of Education Rethink, to examine the critical state of higher education. Moving…
- Higher Ed's Fundraising Model Is Broken · 40 min · Episode 312Howard Heevner, co-founder of the National Alumni Survey, argues the core problem with institutional giving isn’t debt, apathy, or generations rejecting philanthropy—82% of…
- The LinkedIn Double Standard Costing Higher Ed Its Best Marketers · 38 min · Episode 311The higher education sector is facing a quiet talent crisis: a staggering 74% of higher ed marketers are actively considering an exit from the industry. Mallory sits down with…
- Pulse Check: Funnel Vision: One Campus, Two Markets — Part 2 · 47 minIn Part 2 of this Pulse Check series, host Rishab Malhotra sits down with Clay Harmon, executive director of the Association of International Enrollment Management (AIRC), and…
- Live from Engage Summit 2026: Conference First Impressions from Carrie Phillips and Brian Piper · 12 minCarrie Phillips chats with Brian Piper, host of AI for U, live at Engage Summit 2026 in Charlotte, NC.
- The Real Reason Higher Ed Mergers Fail · 31 min · Episode 310The financial pressures squeezing higher education are real, but when it comes to the complex world of mergers and acquisitions, focusing solely on the spreadsheet is a critical…
- Pulse Check: Funnel Vision: One Campus, Two Markets — Part 1 · 55 minWelcome to this brand new Pulse Check Series, hosted by Rishab Malhotra, Founder and CEO of AIDO. Higher ed has been running two separate plays for too long. Domestic over here…
- Reunited with Seth Odell · 14 min · Episode 309On this special episode of Higher Ed Pulse, Mallory Willsea sits down with former co-host and higher ed marketing leader Seth Odell at the inaugural Let's Go Upstate Retreat in…
- Pulse Check: Your Guide to Engage Summit 2026 · 16 minEngage Summit 2026 is almost here, and the excitement is building. In this special episode of Pulse Check, Engage emcees Brendan Henkel, AVP of Solutions Engineering at…
- The SUNY AI Mandate · 29 min · Episode 308Artificial intelligence is moving faster than most institutions can govern it. For the 64 campuses within the State University of New York (SUNY) system, that challenge became…
- Google Search is AI Search: What May's I/O Announcement Means for Higher Ed · 26 min · Episode 307On this episode of Higher Ed Pulse, host Mallory Willsea sits down with Katy Campbell, newly named CEO of VisionPoint Marketing, for an urgent conversation about the future of…
- Pulse Check: Tales from a Community College AI Think Tank — Part 3 · 33 minOn this episode, host Adam HedeBrink-Bruno explores what AI adoption really looks like for small businesses, regional organizations, and community partners navigating rapid…
- Before You Hire an AI Consultant, Do This · 34 min · Episode 306On this episode of Higher Ed Pulse, host Mallory Willsea sits down with Ed Cabellon, Interim Vice President for Student Experience at Frederick Community College, for a…
- Pulse Check: Tales from a Community College AI Think Tank — Part 2 · 32 minIf your campus has plenty of AI activity but remains a little light on the strategy, you’re not alone. Many higher education institutions are running lots of experiments without…
- The 13 Milliseconds That Decide Your Enrollment Funnel · 25 min · Episode 305Related Links: Mastering the Art of Visual Storytelling in Higher Education Marketing Think before you ink: The Three Principles Behind Every Digital Transformation that Actually…
