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[Bonus Episode] How to Empower Student Retention Efforts with AI

Release Date: 01/15/2026

[Bonus Episode] How to Empower Student Retention Efforts with AI

Next Practices

What if AI could help student success teams act earlier, work smarter, and focus more on human connection—without requiring perfect data or adding more burden to already stretched staff? In this special bonus episode of Next Practices, we’re sharing a recent conversation featuring Civitas Learning CEO Will Ballard on the Higher Ed Geek Podcast, hosted by Dustin Ramsdell. Will breaks down what institutions actually need to know about AI in higher education today—from predictive and assistive use cases to the cultural and operational shifts required to make new tools stick. Rather than...

Improving Student Success with a Hub-and-Spoke Advising Model

Next Practices

What if your advising system could see students not just as a collective, but as individuals with unique needs, goals, and challenges? At the University of North Dakota, that vision is becoming reality. In this conversation, we explore how a campus-wide transformation in student advising is already producing measurable success through rising retention rates, stronger relationships, and the power of shared data. You’ll hear from Dr. Karyn Plumm, vice provost for undergraduate studies and student success, who helped spearhead the shift to a hybrid “hub-and-spoke” model of advising. She’s...

Ensuring Your Team is Strategically Enabled to Use Technology with Stephanie Smith Euting

Next Practices

Introducing new technology into an institution is only the first step. Ensuring that teams are fully prepared to use it in ways that align with strategic goals is where the real work begins. Strategic enablement is more than training users on where to click. It’s equipping people to apply data and tools thoughtfully, effectively and consistently to support long term student success. In this episode I talk to Stephanie Smith Euting, Director of Strategic Enablement at Civitas Learning about turning software adoption into measurable impact. With nearly 20 years of experience in higher...

Thinking Creatively About Better Serving Adult Learners with Dr. Frank Dooley

Next Practices

Across Purdue Global’s virtual halls 38 000 students, nearly all of them working adults, log in after shifts and school runs, yet they are moving toward Purdue degrees faster because the university treats their lived experience as real academic currency. Dr. Frank Dooley, Chancellor Emeritus of Purdue Global, explained how his team built policies that convert military medic training, corporate leadership courses, and on‑the‑job technical certificates into college credit. On Purdue’s residential campus the playbook looks different: first‑year students find peer tutoring and...

How to Build a Strong Faculty and Staff Advising Partnership

Next Practices

Nothing beats seeing a student’s confidence bloom when the right support team steps in. At Austin Community College, Dr. Giao Phan, Dean of the Public and Social Services Division; Kathy James, a nineteen-year advising veteran who now coordinates support across every campus; and Dr. Rania Salman, Assistant Department Chair and dedicated mentor in early childhood education, have turned collaboration into an everyday habit instead of a distant goal. Dr. Phan describes how her division built trust by showing up for students and colleagues semester after semester. Kathy explains how a single...

Applying the 2025 Student Success Impact Report: Insights from the Civitas Learning Customer Development Team

Next Practices

What if the programs designed to help students were actually making things worse or simply doing nothing at all? It’s a question more institutions are asking as they confront the hard truth: not every initiative leads to better outcomes. This episode takes a closer look at the data behind student success and how colleges and universities can learn which efforts are truly making a difference. You’ll hear from a powerhouse team at Civitas Learning who bring a combined 75 years of experience in higher education. Nova Davidson shares insights from her two decades in enrollment management and...

How UVU’s Student Success Specialists Build Connection Through Proactive Outreach

Next Practices

When students need support, it often makes all the difference when help feels personal, not procedural. At Utah Valley University, Ryan Bailey, Director of the Student Success Center, and Jamie Muhlestein, Associate Director of Student Success and Support, have helped build an innovative program that brings recent graduates and upperclassmen into part-time professional roles, focused on reaching out to students exactly when they need it most. Through consistent, genuine conversations mostly by text, the specialists are helping students stay connected, navigate challenges, and feel seen...

How an IR-Led Outreach Experiment Boosted Student Persistence at Greenville Technical College

Next Practices

When a simple check-in email leads to a 77 percent increase in student persistence, it’s clear something powerful is happening. At Greenville Technical College, data is more than numbers on a dashboard. It’s a way to connect, support, and transform student outcomes. What started as a pilot outreach project by a team of data analysts quickly became a catalyst for campus-wide change. In this episode, Kevin McMindes shares how his team used predictive analytics and personalized outreach to make a real difference. From identifying students most in need of support to tracking the impact of...

From Pressure to Possibility: Navigating the New Realities of Higher Ed

Next Practices

Higher education stands at a crossroads. With growing public skepticism about the value of a college degree and mounting financial demands on both students and institutions, the need for bold, student-centered leadership has never been greater. Today, you'll hear from someone who has not only confronted these problems, but also turned them into possibilities for positive change. My guest, Dr. Nicholas S. Zeppos, Chancellor Emeritus of Vanderbilt University, shares the story of Opportunity Vanderbilt, one of higher education's most ambitious financial assistance efforts, and what it took to...

Creating a Data-Driven and Proactive Student Support System with UNC Asheville

Next Practices

Student success in higher education isn’t just about reacting to problems — it’s about building systems that anticipate them. And at the University of North Carolina Asheville, that proactive approach is making all the difference. Joining today’s conversation are two incredible leaders who are doing this work every day: Regine Criser, Director of Student Success, and Lynne Horgan, University Registrar. Regine oversees UNC Asheville’s Academic Success Center, leading efforts in advising, writing support, and peer tutoring, while Lynne brings over 25 years of experience to her role...

More Episodes

What if AI could help student success teams act earlier, work smarter, and focus more on human connection—without requiring perfect data or adding more burden to already stretched staff?

In this special bonus episode of Next Practices, we’re sharing a recent conversation featuring Civitas Learning CEO Will Ballard on the Higher Ed Geek Podcast, hosted by Dustin Ramsdell.

Will breaks down what institutions actually need to know about AI in higher education today—from predictive and assistive use cases to the cultural and operational shifts required to make new tools stick. Rather than chasing hype, the conversation focuses on how data frequency, institutional specificity, and thoughtful implementation can help teams move from reactive reporting to proactive student support.

This episode explores:

Why AI in higher education is no longer futuristic—it’s essential
How institutions can generate value without “perfect” or pristine data
Why daily data updates unlock earlier, more meaningful intervention
The difference between predictive, assistive, and agentic AI in student success
How AI can reduce advisor burnout and create more space for human connection
Why measuring the ROI of student success initiatives is critical in today’s budget environment
What it really takes to drive adoption, trust, and long-term impact

This conversation is especially relevant for leaders navigating AI adoption, data skepticism, or change fatigue—and for anyone looking to move beyond dashboards toward outcomes that matter.

About the episode:
Originally recorded for the Higher Ed Geek Podcast, this discussion is shared here as a bonus episode for the Next Practices community.

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