The Admissions Directors Lunchcast

Hosted by Nathan and Teege

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Episodes

173

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

Our proposal: the most productive lunch meeting you'll take all week. Each episode, Nathan and Teege will discuss an issue directly related to college admission. We don't have all the answers, so we'll bring in two guests each time - one influencer and one practitioner. By the end of the episode, our hope is that you'll have an idea or a tactic that you can implement in your office, perhaps as early as the afternoon.

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60 recent

October 30, 2026Episode 9631 min

Partner Series - Atmosphere TV

A special episode with Atmosphere TV. You know those screens in every bar, restaurant, salon, and dentist's waiting room? Chris Aragon explains what "audio-optional video" means, why nobody actually reads the closed captions on SportsCenter, and how colleges are using a 65,000-venue network to reach families where they already are, with no minimum spend or flight length. Guest: Chris Aragon, VP of Regional Advertising Sales at Atmosphere TV. Reach him at chris.aragon@atmosphere.tv , or find him at the AMA higher ed conference in Denver.

October 27, 2026Episode 961 hr 1 min

What Actually Works - That Nobody Wants To Admit?

Season finale. What actually works that nobody wants to say out loud? This week: the case for fewer AP courses and more trades, why most enrollment problems are really follow-up problems, and an argument about whether we'd have time to actually know our students if we hadn't chosen to build applicant pools this big. Influencer guest: Matt Fischer, 6-12 instructor at Fort Campbell High School. Practitioner guest: Austin Blair, Dean of Admission and Marketing for the OSF Colleges of Nursing — Saint Francis in Peoria and Saint Anthony in Rockford, Illinois. That's season 12. Thanks for spending your lunch hour with us. Sponsors: · Caylor Solutions, caylor-solutions.com · Square One Consulting, squareoneky.com · College Board Strategic Advisory Services, cb.org/strategic-advisory

October 20, 2026Episode 951 hr 3 min

Financial Aid Communications (What Actually Works?)

The aid package is confusing. This week: why families misread aid letters before the letters even arrive, what "standard assets" actually means, and one guest's case that we should stop calling it retention and start calling it continuous enrollment. Influencer guest: Evelyn Jerome Alexander, Certified Educational Planner and owner of Magellan College Counseling in Los Angeles — she's the one at the table when the letter comes. Practitioner guest: Rachel Gordon, Vice President of Student Financial Aid Services at American University of Antigua. Join us for the most productive lunch meeting you'll take all week. Sponsors: · College Board Strategic Advisory Services, cb.org/strategic-advisory · Caylor Solutions, caylor-solutions.com · Custom Viewbook, customviewbook.com

October 16, 2026Episode 9447 min

Partner Series - Square One Consulting

Why does a student start an application but never finish it? Why can a generous financial aid offer feel disappointing to a family? On this episode of the Admissions Directors Lunchcast , Teege Mettille and Nathan Ament talk with Laura Rudolph of Square One Consulting about applying behavioral economics to college enrollment. Laura explores the intention–action gap, the small points of friction that stall applications, and why families often focus on what they still owe rather than the scholarship they received. She also makes the case for honest deadlines and deposit messages that answer unresolved questions instead of adding pressure. One place to start: Watch a few students attempt a task, such as completing an application, and note where they get stuck. Connect with Laura: Square One Consulting: Higher Education Enrollment Marketing Consultant | Square One Consulting Laura on LinkedIn: Laura Rudolph | LinkedIn

October 13, 2026Episode 9445 min

Student Ambassadors (What Actually Works?)

Your tour guide is the whole visit, and you barely control what they say. This week: what students actually remember from a campus visit, why the climbing wall keeps making the tour route, and how to train ambassadors without ironing the personality out of them. Influencer guest: Ashley Tucker, school counselor at Leyden High Schools District 212 in Franklin Park, Illinois — she hears what students say after they get back. Practitioner guest: Anna Barger, first-year recruiter and admissions coordinator at the University of Michigan School of Nursing in Ann Arbor. Join us for the most productive lunch meeting you'll take all week. Sponsors: · Square One Consulting, squareoneky.com · College Board Strategic Advisory Services, cb.org/strategic-advisory · Caylor Solutions, caylor-solutions.com

October 6, 2026Episode 9855 min

Campus Visits (What Actually Works?)

Which parts of the campus visit actually move a student, and which parts are just choreography? This week: why the library might be the wrong first stop, whether a self-guided tour beats no tour at all, and what happens to yield when you stop treating the individual visit as the gold standard. Influencer guest: Stuart Nachbar, Certified Educational Planner at Educated Quest in central New Jersey — 350-plus campuses visited and profiled, and some heretical opinions about the tour route. Practitioner guest: Kim Zimmerman, Vice President of Enrollment at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin. Join us for the most productive lunch meeting you'll take all week. Sponsors: · Caylor Solutions, caylor-solutions.com · Custom Viewbook, customviewbook.com · College Board Strategic Advisory Services, strategicadvisory@collegeboard.org

October 5, 2026Episode 9420 min

Partner Series - The College Board Strategic Advisory

A special episode with The College Board. Social intelligence analyzes that conversation—from students and parents to alumni, faculty, and media—to provide campuses with a deeper understanding of students’ needs and interests to improve outreach at scale. College Board’s new strategic advisory services are built on Campus Sonar’s social intelligence methodology and paired with expert strategists who translate insight into focused action for your institution. Because knowing what students are actually saying is the first step to knowing what actually works. Guests: Keagan Miller and Amber Sandall, former Sonarians, now Strat 2026 NACAC Booth #1415 Learn more at ⁠cb.org/strategicadvisory⁠

October 2, 2026Episode 9229 min

Partner Series: AmbioEDU

A special episode with Ambio. Streaming ads for higher ed, and the part enrollment leaders have been waiting on: attribution you can actually take to a board. Kelsey Anderson explains how household-level tracking works, where performance TV fits alongside the vendors you already have, and why getting in front of the whole family matters more than getting in front of the student. Guest: Kelsey Anderson, VP of Client Solutions at Ambio. Learn more at ambioedu.com

September 30, 2026Episode 9439 min

Partner Series: Campus ESP

A special episode with CampusESP. Figuring out when, how, and about what to engage parents has been a vexing challenge for many of us. From limitations (not having parent contact information) to the awkard dance of not wanting to step in front of the student, colleges have often defaulted toward stepping back. Today's guest tells us: step forward! Guest: Dave Becker, Co-Founder and CEO Learn more at campusesp.com

September 29, 2026Episode 9247 min

Parent Communications (What Actually Works?)

Every email you send lands at somebody's kitchen table. This week: what parents are actually worried about underneath the questions they ask, how much of the conversation is really about money, and why more communication often makes families feel less steady rather than more. Influencer guest: Lauren Watson, founder of Watson College Consulting in the Boston area ... the one in the room with the anxious parents. Practitioner guest: Shana Kinane, Senior Assistant Director of National Recruitment at Indiana University Bloomington, regionally based in Chicago. Join us for the most productive lunch meeting you'll take all week. Sponsors: · College Board Strategic Advisory Services strategicadvisory@collegeboard.org · Caylor Solutions, caylor-solutions.com · Square One Consulting, squareoneky.com