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Steppingblocks
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  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

More than ever, people are questioning the value of higher education. Let's explore why they’re right, why they’re wrong and which institutions are rising to the challenge. Let's normalize data for student success, together.

  1. 07/14/2025

    Discover Your Major: Leveraging Steppingblocks at FIU

    In this episode, we’re joined by Alexa Urra, Associate Director of Academic Support Services at Florida International University, who shares her in-depth experience integrating the Digital Career Counselor tool into FIU’s Discover Your Major course. Alexa walks us through her intentional, student-focused implementation strategy—from recognizing a curricular gap to evaluating potential solutions and collaborating with key campus partners to ensure the tool aligned with academic goals and student needs.

    47 min

  2. 10/07/2024

    Scaling Career Readiness Resources at the University of South Carolina

    We had the privilege of speaking with Vicki Hamby and Helen Powers, two leaders dedicated to supporting student career readiness at the University of South Carolina. They shared insights into their successful rollout of the Digital Career Counselor on their campus and the strategies that contributed to its success.  In this episode, we discuss:  The importance of gathering feedback and suggestions from key stakeholders Building buy in from both students and staff Crafting intentional marketing strategies Assessing the effectiveness of the rollout and marketing plan Launching the campaign for incoming students and staff members

    48 min

  3. 09/19/2024

    Marketing the Value of Higher Education: The Role of Data in Enrollment Marketing at NIU

    For decades the role of enrollment marketing in Higher Education has been to demonstrate the unique value of their academic programs, promote their unique student experience, and tell the unique story of their institution. But with the rising costs of higher education, many prospective college students and their families are not simply considering which college has the best value, but they’re now considering if any college is worth attending. This means that enrollment marketing professionals have the added responsibility of communicating the value of higher education as a whole, not just the unique value of their own institution. We sat down with Sol Jensen, Vice President for Enrollment Management Marketing and Communications at Northern Illinois University, to discuss this changing landscape and the critical role that graduate outcomes data plays in navigating it. In this episode, we discuss:  The changing landscape of enrollment management marketing and communications The value of career outcomes in enrollment management and marketing and communications How NIU has leveraged their Steppingblocks outcomes data to tell the story of NIU career outcomes and the value of an NIU degree How colleges and universities can explore, prioritize, and showcase their graduate outcomes data to a multitude of audiences The power of sharing access to graduate outcomes data across campus  For more on how you can leverage graduate outcomes data for Enrollment Management and Marketing and Communications, check out these resources from Steppingblocks:  eBook: Communicating the Value of Higher Education Handout: Best Practices for Leveraging Outcomes Data in Enrollment Marketing Handout: Maximizing Graduate Insights for Admissions & MarketingCase Study: Leveraging Career Outcomes Data for Strategic Enrollment Marketing Planning at Northern Illinois University

    45 min

  4. 03/28/2024

    Building Connections through Data and Storytelling: the Role of Admissions & Marketing in Higher Education

    Growing skepticism of higher education combined with an often overwhelming social media and technological landscape can make it challenging for college admissions and marketing professionals to cut through the noise and reach prospective students. In this episode, we sit down with Kyle Nolan, Director of Admission Marketing at Curry College, to discuss the role of admissions marketing in 2024.

    20 min

  5. 12/08/2023

    Understanding Essential Skills

    Most people have heard of “hard” or “technical” skills and their alleged opposite, “soft” skills. However, many career development practitioners and employers are shifting the focus to “essential” skills. In this age of rapidly evolving technology, employers want college graduates who have essential skills that can serve as a foundation for the makings of a great employee. These skills span industries and academic disciplines, and can help students future-proof their career success. Check out our conversation all about the critical need for essential skills with Suzanne Helbig, Associate Vice Provost, Division of Career Pathways at University of California, Irvine. In this conversation, we talk about:  The meaning and value of essential skills Common misconceptions about essential skills How colleges and universities can help their students develop and articulate their essential skills Why essential skills matter to employers How data informs the narratives around essential skills

    30 min

  6. 10/27/2023

    Unlocking Academic Excellence: Navigating College Accreditation

    Accreditation for a University is more than just a label.This vital process serves as a testament to a university’s commitment to delivering a high-quality education that equips students for success beyond graduation. The accreditation process is an ongoing process that requires the collaboration of people across campus, the consistent evaluation and assessment of a university’s programs, and open communication with their university community.   Check out our conversation with two distinguished higher education experts at Marshall University, Doctor Mary Beth Reynolds, The Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Assessment and Quality Initiatives, and Brian Morgan, Vice President for Institutional Research and Planning and Chief Data Officer, as they delve into the ins and outs of Accreditation, how to obtain this distinction and what goes into achieving this distinction, and their thoughts on the future of accreditation.

    55 min

  7. 09/20/2023

    Strengthening Employer Partnerships with Georgia Highlands College

    Creating partnerships with external stakeholders provides many benefits for students as well as universities. With the job market becoming more and more competitive, it is imperative that universities build strong partnerships with top employers in order to support student success post graduation. Check out our conversation with Clifton Puckett, Student Engagement Coordinator at Georgia Highlands College. In this conversation, we discuss: The importance of partnerships with external organizations (like the Georgia Highlands College partnership with Atrium Health). Utilizing graduate outcomes data to set students up for success . How data can be useful in a multitude of ways at a university. How Georgia Highlands College have leveraged the graduate outcomes data from Steppingblocks, and plans they have for the future.

    25 min

  8. 09/05/2023

    Investing in Alumni Relations

    In our increasingly globalized world, people are more mobile than ever. While this is an exciting phenomenon, it can make it hard for a college or university to keep track of their alumni. We recently sat down with Sarah Robinson, Vice President of Advancement at Husson University, to talk about this challenge, and discuss how Husson is using Steppingblocks and Graduate Insights to leverage their alumni data.

    34 min
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About

More than ever, people are questioning the value of higher education. Let's explore why they’re right, why they’re wrong and which institutions are rising to the challenge. Let's normalize data for student success, together.

Information

  • Creator
    Steppingblocks
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Steppingblocks
  • Show Website
    DataU