Episodes

Joining us today Dr. Karen Petersen is the 13th President of Hendrix College, taking office on June 1, 2023. A native of northwest Arkansas, she joined the Hendrix community from the University of Tulsa, where she served as Dean of the Henry Kendall College of Arts and Sciences and was a professor of political science. Before her time in Tulsa, Karen spent 16 years at her undergraduate alma mater, Middle Tennessee State University, rising through progressively senior leadership roles and ultima...

Today's guest is Dr. Raj Bellani, Vice President of External Affairs, Career Outcomes, and Chief of Staff at Denison University in Ohio. At Denison, Raj plays a key role in advancing the university’s strategic plan—strengthening its global engagement, enhancing faculty and staff mentoring, and promoting innovation and wellness across campus. Before arriving in Granville, Raj served as Dean of Experiential Learning and Career Planning at DePauw University’s Hubbard Center for Student Engagement,...

Kent Barnds: Welcome to Small College America, a podcast dedicated to exploring the role and value of small colleges in the higher education landscape. I'm Kent Barnds, and I’m joined by my co-host, Dean Hoke. Dean Hoke: Kristen Soares is the fourth president of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU), representing more than 85 nonprofit institutions dedicated to the public good. As president, she works with leaders across the state to shape higher education ...

Welcome to Small College America, a podcast dedicated to exploring the role and value of small colleges in the higher education landscape. I'm Dean Hoke, and I’m joined by my co-host, Kent Barnds. Today, we’re joined by Michael H. Scarlett, Professor of Education at Augustana College. Michael supervises student teachers and teaches educational psychology and assessment, social studies methods, and educational technology. Before coming to Augustana, he spent four years on the faculty at Montana ...

Welcome to Small College America, a podcast dedicated to exploring the role and value of small colleges in the higher education landscape. I'm Kent Barnds, and I’m joined by my co-host, Dean Hoke. Dean: Our guest today is Dr. Teresa Valerio Parrot, APR, the Principal of TVP Communications. She is co-host of the Trusted Voices Podcast and co-editor of Call to Action for Inside Higher Ed, has numerous media bylines, and is a frequent keynote speaker. She is writing a book on higher-education gov...

Welcome to Small College America, a podcast dedicated to exploring the role and value of small colleges in the higher education landscape. I'm Dean Hoke, and I’m joined by my co-host, Kent Barnds. Today, we are speaking with Dr. Josh Hibbard, a higher education leader, strategist, and storyteller passionate about helping students and families navigate one of life’s biggest decisions: choosing a college. As Vice President for Enrollment Management at Whitworth University, located in Spokane, Was...

Welcome to Small College America, a podcast dedicated to exploring the role and value of small colleges in the higher education landscape. I'm Dean Hoke, and I’m joined by my co-host, Kent Barnds. Today, we are speaking with Jon Nichols, an author and educator whose work explores the intersection of personal narrative and institutional collapse in American higher education. He is the author of Requiem for a College: The Troubling Trend of College Closures in the United States, a deeply reflecti...

Today, we are speaking with Dr. Frank Shushok Jr., the 12th president of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, since 2022. He collaborates with the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and regional partners to position the College as an agile, innovative, and learner-centered institution. Under his leadership, the College launched Imagine Roanoke, a strategic plan that includes creating four transdisciplinary schools and transforming the residential campus into a 21st-century lear...

“Welcome to Small College America, a podcast dedicated to exploring the role and value of small colleges in the higher education landscape. I’m Kent Barnds, and I’m joined by my co-host, Dean Hoke.” Today on Small College America, we’re joined by Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner, who serves as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty at La Roche University in Pittsburgh. He is the editor of "The Chief Academic Officer's Handbook: A Provost's Guide to Visionary Leadership," just release...

“Welcome to Small College America, a podcast dedicated to exploring the role and value of small colleges in the higher education landscape. I'm Kent Barnds, and I’m joined by my co-host, Dean Hoke. Dean: “Today, we are speaking with Dean McCurdy, president of Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire. Dr. McCurdy has been an innovative leader at small private liberal arts colleges and at large public community colleges. Prior to joining Colby-Sawyer in June, Dean was provost and senior vice presid...

We welcome Dr. Jeremiah Williams, a Professor of Physics at Wittenberg University since 2007, where he teaches the full spectrum of undergraduate courses and leads an undergraduate-focused research program in plasma physics. He received a BS in Physics and Mathematics from Dickinson College, an MS in Physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a PhD in Physics at Auburn University. His area of research is experimental plasma physics with a focus on dusty plasmas, and the Nationa...

“Welcome to Small College America, a podcast dedicated to exploring the role and value of small colleges in the higher education landscape. I'm Kent Barnds, and I’m joined by my co-host, Dean Hoke. Today, we’re honored to welcome Dr. Gary Daynes, Interim President of Salem Academy and College, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. With a career devoted to leadership in small colleges, Gary has guided institutions through transformation and written extensively on higher education. Gary holds...

Three presidents share candid strategies for leading small colleges through unprecedented challenges. Dr. Anita Gustafson (Presbyterian College), Dr. Andrea Talentino (Augustana College), and Dr. Tarek Sobh (Lawrence Technological University) discuss practical approaches to enrollment growth, financial sustainability, and strategic innovation. Key Topics: Enrollment strategies: transfer student recruitment and the "Four R's" framework Managing federal policy impacts on international students a...

Today, we welcome Brian Pertl, an innovative academic leader, ethnomusicologist, and for 17 years, served as the Dean of the Lawrence Conservatory of Music in Wisconsin. A Lawrence University alumnus himself, Brian returned to his alma mater after a successful career at Microsoft, where he led the Media Acquisitions Group and helped shape the integration of music and multimedia across the company’s digital platforms. At Lawrence, he gained national recognition for reimagining music education, ...

Today, we’re honored to welcome Dr. Chad Berry, Vice President for Alumni, Communications, and Philanthropy—and a distinguished scholar—at Berea College, a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Berea, Kentucky. Berea currently serves 1,513 undergraduate students. Berea is one of the most mission-driven small colleges in the country, known for offering a no-tuition education to students from Appalachia and beyond. Dr. Berry has served Berea for nearly two decades in roles includ...

Introduction: Dr. Matt Ward, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success at California Lutheran University, a private, coeducational, liberal arts college founded in 1959 and located in Thousand Oaks, California ." Cal Lutheran serves approximately 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Matt leads a division of more than 180 staff across admission, academic services, financial aid, athletics, analytics, and marketing. A national voice on enrollment strategy, higher ed ma...

Today, we’re honored to welcome Todd Jones, President and General Counsel of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio. Todd has served in this role since 2005 and is a nationally recognized advocate for independent higher education. Over the years, he has led impactful efforts to expand need-based aid, strengthen institutional collaboration, and promote the unique value of Ohio’s private colleges. Todd has been appointed by both the Obama and Trump administrations to neg...

Today, we welcome Liz Nino, Executive Director of International Enrollment at Augustana College, a private, coeducational liberal arts college in Rock Island, IL. Augustana enrolls approximately 2,600 students, and international students comprise nearly 20% of the college’s enrollment. Liz is a global leader in international student recruitment! She’s literally put Augustana College on the map for students from across the globe. She’s known worldwide for her commitment to liberal arts and scie...

In this episode, we’re honored to welcome Dr. Marco J. Clark, President of Holy Cross College, a private, co-educational, liberal arts college located on a 70-acre wooded campus in South Bend, Indiana. With over three decades in Catholic education, Dr. Clark has become a visionary leader committed to academic innovation and mission-centered growth. Since becoming president in 2022, he has guided Holy Cross through transformative change—most notably with the launch of its strategic plan With Eyes...

Today, we will speak about shared governance in small colleges with Steve Bahls. Steve Bahls is one of the nation’s leading authorities on shared governance. His writings on shared governance have been in publications such as Trusteeship, Inside Higher Ed, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. He is the author of the popular book Shared Governance for Agile Institutions: A Practical Guide for Universities and Colleges. Google Scholar lists him as one of the top three most cited scholars on sha...

Today, we will be speaking with a senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education — Karin Fischer.Karin covers a variety of topics, including international education, the social and political divides around college, and the challenges faced by small colleges. She also publishes a newsletter on global education, Latitudes. Her reporting has appeared on NPR and in The New York Times. She is a research associate at the Center for Studies in Higher Education at the University of California at B...

Today, we are speaking with Scott Wiegandt, the Director of Athletics for Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. " Scott is a former Bellarmine University All-American and professional baseball player and was hired as the university's director of athletics in 2005. He played a lead role in moving from Division II to Division I in the 2020-21 academic year. In July 2024, Wiegandt was named to the 2024-25 executive committee of the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association. In Bellar...

Today, we dive deep into the challenges and opportunities facing small colleges with Charles Kim, who’s been at the forefront of strategic financial advising in higher education. Charles Kim is a retired strategic and financial advisor who, for more than 30 years, advised leading healthcare systems, academic medical centers, and institutions of higher education nationwide throughout his career. Prior to his retirement, he was a Managing Director at Kaufman Hall, where he launched and led the fi...

Biography Dr. Paaige Turner Dr. Turner serves as the Provost and Executive Vice President at Aurora University, located in Aurora, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Before joining Aurora University in July 2024, she spent six years as Dean of the College of Communication, Information, and Media at Ball State University. Dr. Turner began her higher education career at St. Louis University in 1998." "An experienced higher education administrator and communication scholar, Dr. Turner has an extensive ...