Higher Ed Pulse

Hosted by Mallory Willsea

Education News Commentary

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Episodes

600

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

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.

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60 recent

October 15, 202625 min

Pulse Check: What Do We Really Need? — Pt 4

Pulse Check: What Do We Really Need? — Pt 3: We Need to Make This More Fun “We need to make this more fun” is familiar feedback in higher education marketing. The information is there, but something still feels missing. How do you figure out what would make a prospective student want to spend time with it? In 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 more engaging. Nathan also designs board games, where people can walk away the moment they stop enjoying themselves. He shares how that experience shapes his approach to earning attention and giving students a reason to take the next step. Erin and Nathan explore how to turn “make it more fun” into useful creative direction by asking whether the work is clear, distinct, and interesting. They discuss why a single recruitment piece shouldn’t carry the entire enrollment decision, how conversational language brings humanity into an institution’s brand, and why a specific student story can resonate beyond someone’s major. The conversation closes with a prospective student weighing two colleges and asking one unexpected question: does the dining hall have a soft serve ice cream machine? For enrollment and brand marketers, it’s a reminder to pay attention to the everyday details that help students picture their lives on campus. - - - - Connect With Our Host: Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/ https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea About 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.

October 12, 202629 min

Does AI Traffic Actually Convert Better in Higher Ed?

Register for the AI Engage Summit this October Mallory 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 education websites. They examine real university data showing that visitors arriving via AI assistants engage deeper, move faster to conversion steps, and heavily rely on data-rich pages like the university bulletin. Tune in to learn why institutions must rethink digital strategy, optimize comprehensive single-page content, and prepare web properties for both human visitors and automated AI agents. Related Links: Everspring, 2025 AI Search Trends Report AI Referral Traffic vs Organic Search: Conversion Rates and Performance Compared 2026 AI Search Traffic Report: ChatGPT's Grip Slipped, Claude & Gemini Are Surging AI Traffic Conversion Benchmarks: Why AI Visitors Are 4-6x More Valuable Than Organic AI Referral Traffic Stats 2026 The State of AI Search in 2026: 150+ Statistics - - - - Connect With Our Host: Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/ https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea About 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.

October 8, 202630 min

Pulse Check: What Do We Really Need? — Pt 3

Pulse Check: What Do We Really Need? — Pt 3: We Need More Student Stories “We need more student stories” can sound like a request for more content. But when colleges keep featuring the students who are easiest to find and most comfortable speaking on camera, publishing more stories may still leave prospective students with a limited picture of campus life. In 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 ThriveIn, about how institutions decide whose experiences to share. Drawing on her background in journalism and her work building a community for Black Gen Z and millennial women, Chevonne asks what colleges hope their student stories will accomplish and whether the stories they choose reflect what students actually experience. The conversation looks at the difference between showing a range of students and helping prospective students understand what belonging feels like. Erin and Chevonne discuss why institutions often return to engaged students and ambassadors, how a difficult day can reveal the support available on campus, and what happens when a polished story promises a community a student does not find after enrolling. They also consider how much control marketers need to give up for students to tell their stories in their own words. One story can bring an institution’s values to life, but it cannot make up for a gap between those values and students’ lived experiences. For higher education marketers, the episode offers a place to start before requesting another interview or photo shoot. Clarify the question the story needs to answer, look beyond the students everyone already knows, and spend time listening to the people on campus. The fuller picture may come from a student whose story the team would not have thought to seek out. - - - - Connect With Our Host: Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/ https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea About 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.

October 5, 202627 min

Higher Ed Needs Leaders Who Are Used to Disruption

Mallory speaks with Zach Hosseini, Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President for University Relations at Pace University, about navigating public mistrust in higher education. Despite declining national confidence in the sector, Zach explains why Pace is boldly launching a new brand during "Awesome October". They discuss strategies for breaking out of higher ed's "doom loop," embracing industry disruption, and supporting rising leadership. Finally, Zach previews his programming for the Senior Leader Experience at the upcoming AMA Higher Ed Symposium. Related Links: Register for the AI Engage Summit this October The College Reality Check: What Students Experience vs. What America Believes Faith in Higher Ed Slips: 38% of Adults Report High Confidence 2026 Survey of College and University Presidents Presidents Puzzled on Rebuilding Public Trust in Higher Ed 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer The CUPA-HR 2025 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey - - - - Connect With Our Host: Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/ https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea About 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.

October 1, 202622 min

Pulse Check: What Do We Really Need? — Pt 2

What Do We Really Need? Part 2: We Need Better Leads We need better leads sounds like a diagnosis. In higher education enrollment marketing, it can also become the easiest explanation when applications, deposits, yield, or student fit are not where an institution needs them to be. The real issue may be hiding somewhere else in the prospective student journey. In 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 can determine whether they have a lead-generation problem or a broader enrollment funnel problem. Drawing on Jen's experience leading both enrollment management and marketing at Queens University of Charlotte, they discuss the pressure enrollment teams face when a class is not coming together and why that pressure can quickly turn into finger-pointing between marketing and admissions. The conversation looks at the factors that shape lead quality and conversion, including market demand, brand positioning, clear program messaging, CRM strategy, lead nurturing, competition, affordability, and coordination across the institution. Erin and Jen also explore why a campus visit remains one of the strongest signs of student interest and how a personal interaction with an admissions professional can accomplish something a merge tag cannot. For higher education marketing and enrollment leaders, the episode offers a more useful starting point than simply asking for more names at the top of the funnel. Examine the full student journey, focus on the parts the institution can control, and give marketing and enrollment a shared understanding of the brand, audience, and experience they are responsible for building together. Ologie is a brand and marketing agency for colleges, universities, and mission-driven organizations. Services include: brand strategy, enrollment marketing, advancement and fundraising, higher-ed web. - - - - Connect With Our Host: Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/ https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea About 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.

September 28, 202630 min

Inside the Index Tracking 200K Student Prompts

Register for the AI Engage Summit Mallory 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 reveal how AI search engines recommend institutions. Granit explores the role of domain authority, Reddit, and third-party mentions in shaping AI-generated answers, emphasizing that solid SEO fundamentals and off-site brand presence remain crucial for institutional visibility in AI search. Related Links: Manaferra’s AI Index HigherEducationMarketing.com - - - - Connect With Our Host: Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/ https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea About 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.

September 24, 202622 min

Pulse Check: What Do We Really Need? — Pt 1

“We need this to go viral” sounds like a clear request. In higher education marketing, though, it can point to several very different goals. Does the institution need greater brand awareness? More engagement from prospective students? More qualified leads? A newsworthy moment? Or does someone simply want to see a bigger number on the social media report? In 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 leaders are really asking for when they want a piece of content to go viral. Drawing from Alicia’s experience leading organic social strategy and developing new content formats, they examine what virality can accomplish, what it cannot guarantee, and why reaching millions of people means very little if those people have no context for the brand. They also look at the work hidden behind a breakout post. The content itself may take 20 minutes to create, but the conditions that make it successful can take years to build. That includes a clearly defined brand, a distinct voice, a deep understanding of the audience, trust in creative talent, room to experiment, and a social media strategy connected to the institution’s larger enrollment and marketing goals. For higher ed marketers and social media professionals, the episode offers a practical way to respond when “make it go viral” lands on their desk. Erin and Alicia discuss how to uncover the real objective, ask questions without sounding resistant, and help leaders define what success should look like before anyone starts creating. Alicia also shares an important reminder for early-career marketers: being closer to the platforms, audiences, and daily work gives you expertise worth bringing into the conversation. Ologie is a brand and marketing agency for colleges, universities, and mission-driven organizations. Services include: brand strategy, enrollment marketing, advancement and fundraising, higher-ed web - - - - Connect With Our Host: Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/ https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea About 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.

September 21, 202639 min

What Rising CMOs Are Rarely Taught

Mallory welcomes back Jenny Petty, Vice President Industry Relations and Advisory Services SimpsonScarborough, and Marina Cooper, Head of Brand and Marketing at The Johns Hopkins University, to introduce the Next Leader Experience (NLE) program at the upcoming AMA conference in Denver. Designed for rising higher education marketing leaders, NLE bridges critical skill gaps in leadership, financial acumen, cabinet dynamics, strategic planning, and team management. Related Links: 2026 AMA Next Leader Experience Spencer Stuart's 2025 CMO Tenure Study The Conference Board's CMO+CCO Meter - June 2025 SimpsonScarborough's 2025-26 CMO Study - - - - Connect With Our Host: Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/ https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea About 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.

September 17, 202621 min

Pulse Check: The Value of Higher Ed: Spoiler Alert, It's More than ROI — Pt 4

In 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 University, to discuss how a college degree represents far more than a certificate—it encompasses personal, spiritual, and character growth, alongside critical thinking and leadership. In an era increasingly shaped by AI, human connection and complex problem-solving become key differentiators. Together, they explore how higher education fosters ethical boundaries, adaptability, and personal calling, urging institutions to articulate the enduring, holistic value of the campus experience. - - - - Connect With Our Host: Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/ https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea About 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.

September 14, 202630 min

Should Colleges Be on Snapchat?

Mallory 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 platform ad restrictions. Erik shares valuable lessons from his previous work at TikTok in travel and quick-service dining, emphasizing the power of organic content, strategic retargeting, and authentic, unpolished creative. Learn why institutions must venture beyond traditional platforms, step out of their comfort zones, and commit real support to drive meaningful enrollment growth. Related Links: AI Engage Fall Summit 2026 Pew Research Center, Teens' Experiences on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat Eduventures / Encoura, Who To Turn To: The Roles Impacting Students' College Choices 2025 E-Expectations Trend Report - - - - Connect With Our Host: Mallory Willsea https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/ https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea About 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.

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