The Signal
by Jeff Dillon
Latest episode
Ep. 111 - Matt Russell: Stop Ranking for Traffic, Rank for Sign-UP…
Ep. 111 - Matt Russell: Stop Ranking for Traffic, Rank for Sign-UP…
About this podcast
With more than 570,000 downloads, The Signal is the podcast for higher education’s innovative leaders.
Hosted by Jeff Dillon, The Signal cuts through the noise to bring you the strategic insights needed to reshape how institutions recruit, support, and retain students. Every Friday, I talk to the practitioners and technology builders who are actively defining the next decade of campus life.
Why Higher Ed Leaders Listen:
In one of the most consequential periods for academia, we move past the hype to focus on Human-Centered Innovation. Our episodes feature deep-dive interviews with guest experts focusing on the "real work" of institutional evolution.
Core Topics & AI Strategy:
* Artificial Intelligence: Practical AI adoption, governance, and the "Human in the Loop" mindset.
* Enrollment Marketing: Modern recruitment strategies and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).
* Student Success: Data-driven retention, mental health, and digital engagement.
* Institutional Transformation: Navigating digital transformation with a focus on workforce readiness and AVPs reimagining student care.
Whether you are a C-suite leader, IT Director, or Faculty member, join our community of 110,000+ professionals and subscribe to The Signal Newsletter at EdTechConnect.com to stay ahead of the curve.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 111 episodes
- Ep. 111 - Matt Russell: Stop Ranking for Traffic, Rank for Sign-UP Intent · 30 minWhat does a historian trained in medieval manuscripts know about SEO and generative engine optimization? More than you might think. In this episode, host Jeff Dillon sits down…
- Ep. 110 - Eytan Wurman: Scouting Infrastructure for Artistic Intelligence · 34 min · Episode 110Jeff Dillon welcomes back Eytan Wurman, founder and CEO of CommonTime Pathways—the recruiting platform built on a simple, disruptive idea: creatives deserve the same recruiting…
- Ep. 109 - Melanie Moran: AI Can Learn Your Voice, It Can't Manufacture It · 24 min · Episode 109In this episode, host Jeff Dillon welcomes Melanie Moran, Vice President and Senior Strategist at Mackey Strategies, who spent nearly two decades at Vanderbilt University—rising…
- Ep. 108 - Austin Blair: Buy-In Is Too Small of a Goal · 31 min · Episode 108What if the reason your enrollment strategy keeps stalling has nothing to do with the plan—and everything to do with the culture? In this episode, host Jeff Dillon sits down with…
- Ep. 107 - Si Elliott: Change Your Shoes, Not Your Software · 31 min · Episode 107What if the biggest problem in higher ed marketing isn't technology, budget, or even strategy—but the fact that we assume students make rational decisions when they're actually…
- Ep. 106 - Jeffrey Stepakoff: Content Is What You Put in a Sofa · 31 min · Episode 106What happens when a veteran TV writer—whose credits include The Wonder Years, Dawson's Creek, and Disney's Tarzan—decides to build a film school inside North America's largest…
- Ep. 105 -Michael Leggs: The Essay Was Never Evidence of Thinking · 25 min · Episode 105What if the real crisis AI has exposed in higher education isn't student dishonesty, but the fact that we've been treating final papers as evidence of thinking—when AI can now…
- Ep. 104 - Raffi DerSimonian: Ikigai and purpose driven paths · 32 min · Season 3 Episode 104Jeff talks to Raffi DerSimonian, VP and Chief Strategy Officer at ERI, a digital agency that has been building for colleges and universities since 2005. Raffi came up on the…
- Ep. 103 - Jenny Petty: The Alignment Gap That's Bankrupting Higher Ed Marketing · 32 min · Episode 103Jeff Dillon talks to Jenny Petty, Vice President of Industry Relations and Advisory Services at Simpson Scarborough, who has spent over a decade inside higher ed—most recently as…
- Ep. 102 - John Fees: The Insurance Founder Who Says His Own Company Shouldn't Have to Exist · 31 min · Episode 102What if the best measure of an insurance company's success isn't how many claims it denies, but how many it pays—and how many of those students re-enroll? In this episode, host…
- Ep. 101 - Jeff Wilser: How One Chatbot Cut Summer Melt in Half · 33 min · Episode 101In a world drowning in AI hype, how do you separate what's actually useful from what's just shiny? And what happens when the people building AI can't even agree on where it's…
- Ep. 100 - Wendy Wong: Stop Asking What Users Want - Show Them Instead · 28 min · Episode 100In this episode—the 100th recording of The Signal—host Jeff Dillon sits down with Wendy Wong, Director of Enterprise Support and Client Engagement at Florida Atlantic University…
- Ep. 99 - Brian Hartnack: Higher Ed Just Lost 25% of Its Search Traffic · 32 min · Episode 99What happens when an enrollment marketing agency that's been at it for 20 years looks back and realizes their biggest lesson wasn't about campaigns—it was about finding the right…
- Ep. 98 - Andy Crestodina: There's No Appeals Process when AI Picks Your School · 30 min · Episode 98What happens when a prospective student asks ChatGPT for the best computer science program in the Midwest—and gets a complete answer without ever clicking on your website? For…
- Ep. 97 - Russell Long: Stop Blaming AI. Your Data is the Problem · 33 min · Episode 97Every CIO I talk to wants to know how to get AI ready. But according to Russell Long, co-founder and CEO of Authentica Solutions, most institutions are asking the wrong question…
- Ep. 96 - Troy Holaday: 52,000 Degrees Were Already Earned. They Just Hadn't Been Found. · 34 min · Episode 96Transfer credit is one of higher ed's most persistent headaches. Students lose credits, take longer to graduate, and navigate a labyrinth of institutional policies that often…
- Ep. 95 - Jeff Meade: Why Paul Quinn College Made Entrepreneurship a Graduation Requirement · 33 min · Episode 95What if a college degree required not just passing classes—but launching a real business? In this episode, host Jeff Dillon sits down with Jeff Meade, Founding Director of…
- Ep. 94 - Elysia Labita: Marketing Can't Out-Optimize Misalignment · 31 min · Episode 94What if the biggest barrier to enrollment growth isn't your marketing budget—but your program portfolio itself? In this episode, host Jeff Dillon sits down with Elysia Labita…
- Ep. 93 - Dave Tucker: The Note Taker's Dilemma — Why Lectures Are Mostly Wasted · 34 min · Episode 93What if the biggest barrier to student success isn't ability—but the belief that effort is even worth it? In this episode, host Jeff Dillon sits down with Dave Tucker, founder…
- Ep. 92 - Paula French: From Clicks to Conversions—A Practical Playbook for AI Search · 32 min · Episode 92Your traffic is down. Your inquiries are flattening. But your applications haven't dropped. What's happening? The front door just moved—and most higher ed marketers haven't…
