The Connected College Podcast with Elliot Felix

The Connected College Podcast provides leadership strategies for student success. Join Elliot Felix for insightful interviews with higher ed innovators along with the stories, stats, and strategies he's learned as a consultant to 100+ institutions. Let's create better connected colleges and universities where students find belonging, feel supported, and connect their courses to rewarding careers.

The Connected College Podcast with Elliot Felix is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 126 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts The Connected College Podcast with Elliot Felix, a business show with 126 episodes published.

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  Episode #126

  Mario Rewers and Paul Stob on How Debating Dangerous Ideas Leads to Student Success

  Sep 29, 202635 min

  How can colleges and universities design courses that foster constructive debate on controversial topics? What strategies effectively build psychological safety while encouraging students to engage with opposing viewpoints? How does practicing civil discourse prepare students and build skills to navigate complex societal and technological changes? We talk through these with Mario Rewers and Paul Stob, Professors at Vanderbilt University who teach a course called "Free Speech, Dangerous Ideas." Together, they outline actionable approaches for utilizing tech-free spaces, small-group deliberation, and active modeling to cultivate intellectual humility and durable skills for student success. Episode Highlights include: [04:45] Designing a "Big Tent" Course for Controversial Dialogue - Vanderbilt professors structure their 125-student course around small table groupings and guest speakers to debate real-world issues. [07:34] Fostering Psychological Safety in a Tech-Free Environment - Implementing a strict no-tech policy allows students to voice provocative ideas without the fear of going viral online. [17:04] Building Durable Life Skills Through Civil Discourse - Open deliberation equips students with intellectual humility and essential collaboration skills for navigating professional and civic spaces. [20:27] Debunking Free Speech Myths on Campus - The discussion highlights how college students are eager to grapple with challenging issues across political lines rather than avoiding them. [31:53] Human Connection and Liberal Education in the Age of AI - Face-to-face interaction and open-ended debate teach students to navigate ambiguity and think critically in an automated world.

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  Episode #125

  Elliot Felix on AI and the Student Experience

  Sep 15, 202629 min

  How are colleges and universities responding to the evolving artificial intelligence landscape, how policy choices truly drive student adoption, and what can institutions learn from each other? How can institutions identify, support, and collaborate with internal "lead users" at the forefront to transform the student experience? How do we scale peer-to-peer learning and engage frontline staff without simply adding administrative complexity? In this episode originally recorded as a webinar for EDUCAUSE, Elliot Felix explores real-world institutional examples, actionable strategies for discovering campus innovators, and frameworks for scaling change through strategic alignment, peer engagement, and intentional collaboration. Episode Highlights include: [03:29] Policy Drives Adoption - Clear institutional encouragement and supportive policies can triple student AI engagement compared to standard environments. [06:16] Real-World Retention Gains - Institutions utilizing AI-driven transfer tools and conversational chatbots report significant increases in credit transfer efficiency and student retention. [11:47] Innovating with Lead Users - Finding grass-roots campus innovators allows institutions to observe bleeding-edge practices and scale homegrown solutions across departments. [18:46] Engaging Frontline Staff - Successfully adopting new tools requires emphasizing relative advantage and directly addressing everyday operational pain points for staff. [24:55] Innovating Beyond Addition - Modern higher ed transformation requires sunsetting legacy programs and consolidating resources rather than continually adding administrative complexity.

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  Episode #124

  Ania Peczalska on Assessment as Campus Connector

  Sep 1, 202626 min

  How can assessment serve as a campus connector rather than just a compliance requirement? How do disaggregating student data and building cross-departmental relationships drive student success across higher education? We talk through these with Ania Peczalska, the Director of Institutional Effectiveness at University of Kentucky. Together, we explore actionable strategies for overcoming survey fatigue, tailoring outreach to diverse student populations, building trust across administrative divisions, and leveraging artificial intelligence as a thought partner to strengthen institutional assessment. Episode Highlights include: [01:40] Assessment as a Campus Connector - Ania Peczalska shares how data can break down institutional silos and connect academic and student affairs divisions. [05:20] The Pitfall of One-Size-Fits-All - Discover why standardized success models fail to address individual student needs, goals, and obligations. [08:08] The Power of Disaggregating Data - Learn how breaking down survey data by sub-populations exposes key differences in resource usage and student preferences. [14:25] Strategies for Fighting Survey Fatigue - Ania discusses how clear messaging, partner collaboration, and small incentives yielded high response rates. [21:40] Navigating AI in Institutional Assessment - Explore how artificial intelligence can be utilized as a research assistant and thought partner while addressing its impact on learning outcomes.

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  Episode #123

  Carrie West, Jeff Doyle, and Elliot Felix on Building First Gen Belonging

  Aug 25, 202626 min

  How can higher education institutions foster a deeper sense of belonging for first-generation students through connected programs, services, and physical spaces? What national trends and campus-level strategies best empower first gen success? We talk through these with Carrie West, Director of Campus Planning, Design, and Construction at UT Austin, and Jeff Doyle, former leader at UT Austin and current Vice President at Marymount University. Together, we explore how holistic approaches, cross-departmental collaboration, peer coaching networks, and strategic facility design can break down administrative silos and improve first generation student recruitment and retention. [Recorded live at the NASPA Student Success in Higher Education Conference in June 2026] Episode Highlights include: [03:15] National Belonging Data - Elliot Felix outlines national survey trends connecting student belonging to increased graduation rates. [07:46] Peer Success Coaching - Jeff Doyle shares how peer coaching and parent webinars build critical social capital for first-gen students. [11:58] Living-Learning Communities - UT Austin demonstrates how targeted residential communities and laptop checkout programs foster immediate connection. [18:07] Co-Locating Support Services - Carrie West explains how embedding academic centers like Sanger directly within residential halls increases service utilization. [22:13] Activating Outdoor Spaces - UT Austin leverages exterior campus corridors with seating and food trucks to spark organic community interactions. Download presentation: https://www.elliotfelix.com/podcast-collection/ep123-carrie-west-jeff-doyle-and-elliot-felix-on-building-first-gen-belonging-connected-college

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  Episode #122

  Alexis Redding on Designing Better Transitions to College

  Aug 18, 202634 min

  As we think about how students transition to college, how do we set expectations, how do we support students, and how is this all changing with social media – including for the better in some ways? We talk through these questions with Alexis Redding, developmental psychologist at Harvard's Graduate School of Education who co-leads their Transition to Adulthood Lab and edited the new book Mental Health in College: What Research Tells Us About Supporting Students. Discover how to dismantle perfectionist myths, support students through typical developmental hurdles, and build a stronger sense of campus belonging. Episode Highlights include: [04:33] Debunking the mythology of the best four years - Alexis Redding explains why normalizing the difficulty of transition is essential for student success. [08:31] Rethinking program calendars with the W-curve - Why colleges need to extend student programming beyond orientation week into the mid-semester dip. [12:45] Leveraging sense of belonging as a key outcome - How meaningful campus connections ensure struggling students are noticed and connected to resources. [23:37] Decoupling developmental challenges from clinical mental health care - A five-question framework to help faculty distinguish expected struggles from crisis situations. [30:53] Centering student voices in campus design - Why institutions must gather and act on student feedback from day one to preserve institutional resources. The book Alexis edited: Mental Health in College: What Research Tells Us About Supporting Students https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9798895570753/mental-health-in-college/

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