Next Practices

Civitas Learning

Next Practices welcomes higher education leaders to share their experiences and solutions for the challenges facing their students and institutions. Hosted by Katy Oliveira, the show delves into the use of data-driven strategies to address pressing questions and tackle issues in the constantly evolving landscape of higher education. Each episode provides practical advice and trends that can help leaders improve student outcomes and build financially sustainable institutions now and into the future. Next Practices is produced by Civitas Learning. Learn more at civitaslearning.com

  1. 2d ago

    How Shared Leadership Turns Student Success Into Institutional Impact

    Student success rarely belongs to just one office or one team. The real challenge is getting people across an institution to work toward the same goals while still bringing their own expertise and perspective to the table. When that happens, individual efforts can become something much bigger. Today's guest, Tara Stopfel Warden, knows that challenge well. Tara is Assistant Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at the University of Cincinnati. Her work includes retention strategy, academic advising, new student orientation, dual enrollment, and student success technology.  Much of her role involves coordinating work across the university without having direct authority over the people doing it. That experience has made collaboration a central part of how she approaches student success. In our conversation, we discuss how a group of advising leaders that began meeting informally grew into an important voice for student success across the university. We also talk about what can go wrong when students receive too many early-alert messages, or when those messages make them feel like they don't belong.  Tara shares why advisors should be involved when universities choose the technology they'll be expected to use every day. We also look at AI and where it can be useful, particularly when it takes administrative work off an advisor's plate and gives them more time with students. Throughout the conversation, we return to the idea that better decisions often come from bringing the right people into the discussion. Show Notes: [02:32] Tara Stopfel Warden shares her role at the University of Cincinnati and the student success initiatives she helps lead. [04:08] Why leading at a decentralized university often depends more on influence than authority. [07:50] How an informal group of advising leaders grew into a trusted resource for solving student challenges across the university. [09:51] Giving every college and advising center a voice in student success decisions. [12:03] Using shared leadership roundtables to bring different perspectives together around the Bearcat Promise initiative. [14:12] How ideation labs helped UC involve students and staff in developing its student portal. [18:14] What UC learned about early-alert messaging and why well-intentioned outreach can sometimes hurt student retention. [20:28] Why coordinating outreach across departments matters when multiple teams are communicating with the same student. [23:52] What universities can get wrong when technology decisions are made without input from the people who will use the systems. [26:13] Why Tara wanted advisors themselves to help determine which student success platform UC adopted. [28:17] How AI is helping advisors spend less time on administrative work and more time working directly with students. [31:01] What Tara believes higher education is still getting wrong about student success. [32:42] Why collective action and shared leadership can create stronger support for institutional change. Links and Resources: Civitas Learning Tara Stopfel Warden - LinkedIn University of Cincinnati

  2. Sep 2 ·  Bonus

    Signals: The Stakes Are Rising for Career Readiness

    Federal accountability is putting more pressure on colleges to show strong career outcomes. The problem is that the clearest employment data often arrives after graduation, when there is little time left to change the result. In this episode, we look at how UT San Antonio is trying to see career readiness earlier through a real-time career readiness index built with Civitas Learning. You'll hear from Mario Vela, Assistant Vice Provost of Career Engaged Learning at UT San Antonio, on why career data can feel more like an autopsy than a diagnostic, and how institutions can connect internships, experiential learning, career programming, and resume development to better understand whether students are on track before graduation.

    Signals: The Stakes Are Rising for Career Readiness

  3. Sep 1

    How Institutions Can Measure Career Readiness in Real Time

    Career readiness can no longer be treated as something students pursue only if they happen to walk into a career center. As colleges and universities face growing expectations around employment outcomes, institutions are being challenged to think differently about how they prepare students for life after graduation. That means moving career development into the broader academic experience and giving students the skills, experiences, and confidence they need to compete in a rapidly changing job market. Joining me for this conversation is Mario Vela, Assistant Vice Provost of Career Engaged Learning and Executive Director of the University Career Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Mario is a longtime career services leader and a double alum of UT San Antonio whose experience also includes supporting mid-career Latino professionals through the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement and serving as Director of Employer Relations at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. His work today is focused on making career preparation an integrated part of the student experience rather than an optional service students have to seek out. We talk about UT San Antonio's classroom-to-career approach, the development of a Career Readiness Index, and how data can help institutions understand whether students are actually prepared for the workforce before they graduate. Mario also shares how leadership, faculty, colleges, and career teams can work together to build a campus-wide culture around career readiness, why this work is especially important for first-generation students, and how institutions can begin measuring which programs, technologies, and interventions are truly making a difference in student outcomes. Show Notes: [02:22] Mario Vela introduces his background in higher education and career services, including his current leadership role at UT San Antonio. [03:50] Why the traditional opt-in career services model is no longer enough and how new accountability measures are changing expectations for universities. [05:09] UT San Antonio's classroom-to-career strategy integrates career-engaged learning throughout degree programs, colleges, faculty partnerships, and the broader institution. [07:42] The vision for a Career Readiness Index that brings student data together to provide a clearer picture of career preparation before graduation. [09:10] Career development data can help institutions identify which experiences students are participating in and where targeted interventions could improve outcomes. [11:41] Why preparing students for the workforce is an institutional responsibility and how skills such as negotiation, networking, resumes, and interviewing create a competitive advantage. [14:13] Leadership support, relevant outcomes data, and partnerships with colleges and faculty helped turn career-engaged learning from a vision into an institution-wide strategy. [18:43] How the Career Readiness Index could reveal which combinations of mentorship, career coaching, experiential learning, and technology actually improve student outcomes. [20:53] The conversation turns to first-generation students and how real-time data could help institutions understand their experiences and provide more effective support. [22:28] Advice for career center leaders, including building leadership alignment, creating institutional coalitions, and finding collaborative ways to fund new initiatives. [24:18] Why the current focus on career outcomes creates a major opportunity for innovation in higher education career development. Links and Resources: Civitas Learning Mario Vela - UTSA University Career Center Career-Engaged Learning Mario Vela - LinkedIn

  4. Aug 19 ·  Bonus

    Signals: What is your AI agent actually acting on?

    AI agents are moving from answering questions to taking action across higher education. In this edition of Signals, we look at what institutions should consider before trusting AI to act on behalf of their teams and students. You'll learn: Why the data and intelligence behind an AI agent matter as much as what it can automate Five questions to ask when evaluating agentic AI How AI can create more time for meaningful human interaction Why greater AI autonomy raises the stakes for governance, context, and human judgment We also share insights from AI and learning systems leader Chad Engel on using AI to strengthen student relationships, not replace them. As agentic AI moves from experiment to execution, the question isn't only what it can do. It's whether it understands your institution well enough to act.

    Signals: What is your AI agent actually acting on?

  5. Aug 18

    Doing More Without Adding Headcount in Higher Education

    Data can reveal patterns, but it can't tell the whole story. In higher education, where decisions about budgets, programs, staffing, and student success carry real consequences, relying on the numbers alone can leave out the context that matters most. The better approach may be to use data to identify what needs attention, then bring people into the conversation to understand why it's happening and what should come next. That perspective is central to the work of Shari Veil, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at North Dakota State University. A North Dakota native and NDSU alum, Shari earned her PhD there before building a career in risk and crisis communication, research, and academic leadership. She held faculty and leadership roles at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Kentucky and most recently spent six years as Dean of the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln before returning to NDSU as provost. In this episode, Shari explains why she makes a clear distinction between data-driven and data-informed decision-making and why, as she puts it, data should ask the question, not answer it. She shares how listening sessions with faculty and staff can uncover problems that never appear on a dashboard, why layers of administrative processes can pull people away from the work that matters, and how NDSU is taking a more strategic approach to hiring and resource allocation. We also discuss changing enrollment patterns, the impact of dual-credit programs, and why universities have to be willing to reconsider long-standing assumptions as student needs change.  Show Notes: [02:40] Shari Veil shares her path through higher education leadership and her return to North Dakota State University as provost.  [05:24] Doing more with less means being more intentional about how institutions use their time, people, and resources.  [08:10] Responsible stewardship requires universities to ask whether each investment serves students and makes the best use of entrusted resources.  [10:24] Shari explains why data should inform decisions rather than make them and why human context still matters.  [13:28] Campus listening sessions reveal how policies, paperwork, and administrative workarounds can create barriers to the university's mission.  [17:03] Data should ask the question, not answer it, because understanding why something is happening requires engaging faculty, staff, and students.  [20:02] Strategic hiring shifts the question from who needs to be replaced to what the university needs now to best serve students.  [23:26] Changing enrollment patterns require difficult conversations about reallocating resources toward areas where student demand is growing.  [26:19] Shari discusses how dual-credit growth is changing course demand without diminishing the importance of foundational disciplines.  Links and Resources: Civitas Learning Shari Veil - North Dakota State University Shari Veil - LinkedIn

  6. Aug 5 ·  Bonus

    Signals: A Higher Bar for Higher Ed Technology

    Higher education leaders are taking a harder look at every technology investment. In this edition of Signals, we explore a recent EdTech Insiders analysis that argues every platform should be able to answer three questions: Does it improve the top or bottom line? Does it build trust around AI? Has it earned its place? We discuss why usage metrics aren't enough, how institutions can evaluate technology based on measurable outcomes, and why trust and workflow integration matter just as much as features. You'll also learn how the CLOSE operating model can help connect data, people, and processes so technology becomes part of everyday decision-making instead of another disconnected tool. Whether you're evaluating a new platform or reviewing your current technology portfolio, this episode offers a practical framework for asking better questions. Resources mentioned: What Higher Ed Now Demands From Its Vendors in 2026 2026 Student Success Impact Report Beyond Student Success: Evaluating Higher Ed Software Vendors for Institutional Fit CLOSE the Student Impact Gap: A Modern Operating Model for Student Success

    Signals: A Higher Bar for Higher Ed Technology

  7. Aug 4

    Designing Student Support Around Student Needs, Not Institutional Structures

    Colleges have spent years building programs to help students succeed, but having support available does not always mean students can actually use it. Work schedules, commuting, family responsibilities, and the realities of everyday life can make traditional office hours and campus-based resources difficult to access. That raises a different question for higher education. Instead of asking why students are not engaging with the systems already in place, institutions can look at whether those systems are designed around the students they serve today. In this episode, Page Keller, Vice President of Academic Relations at Knack and former president of the College Reading and Learning Association, shares what she has learned from 25 years working inside higher education in academic affairs, student success, learning assistance, and peer education. Now, working across hundreds of campuses, Page has a broader view of the challenges institutions share and the places where well-intended support can still fall short. We talk about why meaningful change goes beyond adding another program or extending a few office hours, and how institutions can identify the smaller points of friction that make a real difference in a student's experience. We also touch on the role peer learning can play in belonging, engagement, and academic success, along with a simple exercise leaders can use to see their own institution through a student's eyes. The goal is not necessarily to offer more resources, but to make sure students can find, access, and benefit from the resources that already exist. Show Notes: [02:35] Page Keller shares her background in student success, academic support, and peer education. [05:43] Institutions should ask whether their support systems actually work for the students they serve today. [08:20] True redesign goes beyond adding flexibility to existing programs and starts with students' real needs. [11:17] Thinking beyond current constraints can help institutions generate more creative approaches to student support. [14:49] Looking beyond outcome data can reveal the barriers and friction students encounter before they disengage. [18:06] Peer learning can be a proactive part of the educational experience rather than a remedial intervention. [20:45] Peer connections can strengthen student success, belonging, engagement, and career readiness. [23:33] Page explains how leaders can experience institutional processes from a student's point of view. [25:32] Start by fixing one place where students are being asked to work around the institution instead of the institution working around them. Links and Resources: Civitas Learning Page Keller - LinkedIn Knack

  8. Jul 22 ·  Bonus

    Signals: Not Making a Decision is a Decision

    What if waiting is the bigger risk? In this edition of Signals, we explore the hidden cost of delaying student success investments. Every semester of inaction carries both a human cost and a financial one—from missed opportunities to support students to millions in unrealized tuition revenue. You'll also hear lessons from a higher ed IT leader on how to avoid the wrong technology investment, and why evaluating the cost of waiting deserves just as much attention as evaluating the next vendor.

    Signals: Not Making a Decision is a Decision
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About

Next Practices welcomes higher education leaders to share their experiences and solutions for the challenges facing their students and institutions. Hosted by Katy Oliveira, the show delves into the use of data-driven strategies to address pressing questions and tackle issues in the constantly evolving landscape of higher education. Each episode provides practical advice and trends that can help leaders improve student outcomes and build financially sustainable institutions now and into the future. Next Practices is produced by Civitas Learning. Learn more at civitaslearning.com

Information

  • Creator
    Civitas Learning
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    58
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2022
  • Show Website
    Next Practices