Radical Cooperation

Radical Cooperation

Welcome to Radical Cooperation, the podcast in which higher education leaders explore collaboration as the key to lasting change. Host Dr. Michael Horowitz, together with presidents, chancellors, and trailblazing experts, dives into thought-provoking conversations about solutions to some of the most pressing issues in higher education. From fostering partnerships across institutions to leveraging innovation over tradition, each episode unpacks how cooperation, not competition, drives success. If you're ready to embrace bold, forward-thinking ideas that unite and inspire, you’re in the right place.

  1. How Collaboration Is Unlocking New Opportunities

    APR 29

    How Collaboration Is Unlocking New Opportunities

    What is radical cooperation, and why is it becoming a powerful solution in higher education?  In this episode of Radical Cooperation, Dr. Horowitz and Associate Director of Communications for The Community Solution Education System, Stephanie Bihr, explore the core concept at the heart of his book, The Community Solution: The Power of Radical Cooperation in Higher Education and why it offers a new path forward for institutions facing growing complexity and change. Drawing on nearly two decades of leadership experience, Dr. Horowitz explains how radical cooperation enables colleges and universities to maintain their unique identities while sharing resources, aligning around a common mission, and working together to scale impact. Through real-world examples, this conversation brings the ideas from the book to life and offers practical insight for leaders looking to apply them within their own organizations or teams. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why radical cooperation works when traditional collaboration failsHow shared infrastructure creates growth across institutionsThe role of leadership and governance in making cooperation succeedPractical ways to break down silos within your organizationHow culture drives long-term collaboration success

    27 min
  2. Public Trust, Media Narratives, and the Future of Higher Ed

    APR 15

    Public Trust, Media Narratives, and the Future of Higher Ed

    Higher education leadership is under more pressure than ever—and in this episode, we explore how media narratives are shaping public trust in the sector. Today’s leaders must navigate misinformation, political scrutiny, and financial instability while still delivering meaningful outcomes for students. In this episode of Radical Cooperation, host Dr. Michael Horowitz sits down with Sara Custer, Editor-in-Chief of Inside Higher Ed, to examine the growing tension between media coverage and institutional reality. Together, they unpack how public perception is formed, why trust in higher education is increasingly fragile, and how leaders can respond with clarity and strategy in a rapidly shifting landscape. From leadership transitions after founders step down to the rise of AI-generated content and its impact on journalism, this conversation offers a nuanced look at the forces reshaping higher education. Grounded in the principles of The Community Solution, it also highlights how collaboration, transparency, and shared strategy can help institutions build resilience and better serve students. What you’ll learn: How media narratives shape public trust in higher educationThe most pressing leadership challenges facing colleges and universitiesWhy financial pressures and institutional closures are acceleratingHow journalism—and AI—are transforming the information landscapeWhat it takes to successfully step into leadership after a founder exits

    43 min
  3. What College Athletics Really Cost Institutions

    APR 1

    What College Athletics Really Cost Institutions

    Athletics often sit at the center of campus identity, yet decisions about sports programs are rarely examined through the same strategic lens as academics, enrollment, or finance. As costs rise and the landscape shifts, leaders face increasingly complex choices about whether athletics strengthen institutional health or quietly strain it. In this episode of Radical Cooperation, Dr. Michael Horowitz speaks with Dr. Daniel Mahony about how presidents and senior leaders navigate the real trade-offs behind college sports. Drawing on Mahony’s experience leading institutions through financial, cultural, and competitive pressures, the conversation explores why most athletic programs operate at a loss, how even the largest conferences face sustainability challenges, and why collaboration across leadership teams matters more than scale or prestige. Rather than debating whether athletics belong in higher education, this episode focuses on how leaders make deliberate, mission-aligned decisions and when athletics can become a strategic asset rather than a liability. In this episode: The institutional costs and benefits of college athleticsHow athletics shape campus culture and identityWhen sports programs support mission and when they complicate itWhy athletics decisions require system-level leadershipHow institutions align athletics with long-term priorities

    38 min
  4. Why Some Colleges Survive—and Others Don’t

    MAR 18

    Why Some Colleges Survive—and Others Don’t

    Risk in higher education rarely announces itself. It accumulates gradually through delayed decisions, familiar assumptions, and governance processes that struggle to keep pace with changing conditions. By the time a crisis becomes visible, leaders often discover that their range of options is far narrower than they expected. In this episode of Radical Cooperation, Dr. Michael Horowitz speaks with Jim Long about how colleges move from perceived stability to real vulnerability and how boards and senior leaders can recognize those shifts earlier. Drawing on Jim’s work with institutional risk models, enrollment data, and governance practice, the conversation examines why enrollment alone is a misleading signal, how discounting and net revenue quietly reshape risk, and why certain governance patterns delay action. Rather than forecasting which institutions will struggle, this episode focuses on strengthening judgment helping leaders interpret data more honestly and ask better questions before pressure turns into urgency. In this episode: How institutional risk builds gradually over timeWhat enrollment and financial data reveal and concealWhy governance structures matter in moments of uncertaintyHow boards can improve oversight without creating alarmWhat strong institutions do before challenges escalate

    41 min
  5. What Forward-Thinking Colleges Are Doing Differently

    MAR 4

    What Forward-Thinking Colleges Are Doing Differently

    In The Community Solution, Dr. Michael Horowitz presents a bold vision for higher education, showing how colleges can break down silos, collaborate effectively, and build resilient, student-centered institutions. Drawing on his experience leading a six-college system, Horowitz illustrates how radical cooperation and thoughtful design can transform institutions—and the students they serve. This episode highlights the ideas at the heart of the book, giving listeners a front-row seat to his framework in action. Many colleges feel stuck between two unsatisfying options: preserve traditions that no longer fit, or chase change without clarity about what should remain. As enrollment pressures and financial constraints grow, the deeper challenge is not innovation itself, but whether institutions truly understand what students are hiring them to do. In this episode of Radical Cooperation, Dr. Michael Horowitz sits down with Michael Horn to examine how higher education’s underlying models shape institutional behavior often more than leaders realize. Drawing on jobs-to-be-done thinking, they explore why incremental fixes rarely deliver resilience, how misalignment between student motivations and institutional design leads to attrition, and why focus and differentiation are essential for helping students choose more intentionally. Rather than framing the future as a breaking point, this episode offers a grounded perspective on how colleges can evolve thoughtfully, preserving their core while building structures that better serve both students and institutions. In this episode: Why institutional models matter more than isolated initiativesHow focus and differentiation help students make clearer choicesThe limits of incremental change in moments of structural pressureWhat leaders can realistically control in uncertain conditions

    32 min
  6. Which Marketing Strategies Reach Today’s Students

    FEB 18

    Which Marketing Strategies Reach Today’s Students

    Higher education is competing for attention in a more crowded, fragmented landscape than ever before. As enrollment pressure rises and traditional advantages fade, institutions face a critical leadership question: how do you grow without losing focus, credibility, or mission? In this episode of Radical Cooperation, Dr. Michael Horowitz speaks with Brook Shepard, Founder and CEO of Mason Interactive, about what higher education leaders often misunderstand about marketing, enrollment, and growth. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience working with colleges, universities, and mission-driven organizations, Brook reframes marketing not as a set of tactics, but as an institutional capability that requires alignment, patience, and shared responsibility. In this episode: Why higher education often measures marketing the wrong wayHow short-term efficiency can undermine long-term enrollment growthWhat alignment between marketing, admissions, and leadership really requiresWhy awareness is a prerequisite for demand, not a luxuryHow institutions can build shared accountability instead of siloed blame

    41 min
  7. What Keeps Alumni Coming Back

    FEB 4

    What Keeps Alumni Coming Back

    Alumni relationships are often treated as transactional, a newsletter, a donation ask, a quiet fade after graduation. But as higher education faces enrollment pressure, rising costs, and shifting expectations, the deeper question is how institutions build alumni relationships that are genuinely sustaining and long-term.  In this episode of Radical Cooperation, Dr. Michael Horowitz speaks with Ellen Helms, Jana Johnston, and Saajan Bhakta about what meaningful alumni connection actually looks like over time. Drawing from their experiences as trustees, researchers, faculty leaders, and practitioners, they explore why personal outreach matters more than mass communication, how institutions without traditional campuses or sports can reimagine “homecoming,” and why trust and belonging must be cultivated well before students graduate. In this episode: Why personalized alumni engagement outperforms generic outreachHow institutions can redefine “homecoming” beyond sports and campusesThe long-term value of alumni relationships for students and institutionsWays alumni can support students through mentorship, access, and advocacyWhy trust and belonging must begin during the student experience

    36 min
  8. Why the Humanities Matter More in the Age of AI

    JAN 21

    Why the Humanities Matter More in the Age of AI

    Technological change is accelerating faster than most institutions can adapt. As artificial intelligence reshapes work, learning, and leadership, higher education faces a deeper question: what human skills truly endure when information becomes instant and automation becomes ubiquitous? In this episode of Radical Cooperation, Dr. Michael Horowitz speaks with Rishi Jaitly, Founder and Professor at the Virginia Tech Institute for Leadership in Technology. Together, they explore why the humanities, often dismissed as “soft skills”, may be the most critical foundation for leadership in an AI-driven world. Drawing on Rishi’s experience across Silicon Valley, global technology platforms, and higher education, the conversation reframes empathy, curiosity, storytelling, and ethical judgment as essential forms of leadership capacity. From the concept of the “full-stack human” to the limits of content-based education, this discussion examines how institutions can prepare leaders not just to use technology, but to steward it with clarity, humility, and purpose. In this episode: Why the humanities matter more as technology acceleratesWhat it means to develop “full-stack” human leadersHow curiosity and ambiguity shape effective leadershipThe limits of content-driven education in the AI eraWhy lifelong learning is becoming a leadership imperative

    38 min
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About

Welcome to Radical Cooperation, the podcast in which higher education leaders explore collaboration as the key to lasting change. Host Dr. Michael Horowitz, together with presidents, chancellors, and trailblazing experts, dives into thought-provoking conversations about solutions to some of the most pressing issues in higher education. From fostering partnerships across institutions to leveraging innovation over tradition, each episode unpacks how cooperation, not competition, drives success. If you're ready to embrace bold, forward-thinking ideas that unite and inspire, you’re in the right place.

Information

  • Creator
    Radical Cooperation
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Radical Cooperation
  • Show Website
    Radical Cooperation

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