The Magellan Podcast Magellan Learning Solutions

Colleges cannot escape the fact that they are businesses: they offer a “product” that they need to “sell” to consumers. Of course, education and students are not “products” and “consumers” in the same way that people shopping at the grocery store are! So what’s at stake in embracing or questioning the idea that higher education is a marketplace?

This is part 5 of a 5-part series on "How to Talk About Higher Education." Parts 1-4 covered Higher Ed as an "ecosystem," "culture," "machine," and "institution." This is the final episode of this series.


Read the White Paper on this topic by Dr. Emily W. Heady, ⁠⁠⁠⁠"Talking about Leadership: How the Words We Use Shape Our Workplace."⁠⁠⁠⁠
Listen to our podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Online Learning Ecosystems⁠⁠⁠⁠
Listen to Part 1: ⁠⁠How to Talk About Higher Education⁠⁠
Listen to Part 2: ⁠⁠Higher Education as a Culture⁠⁠
Listen to Part 3: ⁠Higher Education as a Machine⁠
Listen to Part 4: Higher Education as an Institution

Podcast Topics, Questions, and Show Notes:

1. In what ways is higher education a marketplace?


Admissions/competitive degree programs
Students are “voting with their feet” as they select what school brings the best experience, value, investment potential, etc.

2. What are the downsides of thinking of higher ed as a marketplace?


Marketplaces assume that selves are defined by their relationships to commodities; if university education is a commodity, it can be used to define the self—which may be a bit ambitious.
Once you’re in a branded world, it’s hard to get outside it—how do you truly represent what the student experience will be like? And how, once you’ve embraced branding, do you access the real things that education aims to tackle, like critical thinking, deep beliefs, etc.?
What can a leader do to keep campuses from losing their moorings in the midst of the marketplace?

If you or your school is looking for help with RSI, curriculum or course development, operational services, training, or professional development, think Magellan; our team would love to help. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thinkmagellan.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thank you for joining us on the Magellan Podcast: Navigating Education in the 21st Century.

Recommended Articles and Books on this Topic:


Bowles, K. (2022, March 28). A pocket primer: Types of higher education institutions. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-explain-it-me/pocket-primer-types-higher-education-institutions⁠⁠⁠⁠  Petriglieri, G. (2023, April 24). Driving organizational change—Without abandoning tradition. Harvard Business Review. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://hbr.org/2023/04/driving-organizational-change-without-abandoning-tradition?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠  
Rosowsky, D. & Hallman, K. (2020, May 25). Communicating culture in a distributed world. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/05/26/importance-culture-binding-higher-ed-institution-together-during-crises-pandemic⁠⁠⁠⁠  
Rutter, M. & Mintz, S. (2019, January 17). Creating a more collaborative higher education ecosystem. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/creating-more-collaborative-higher-education-ecosystem⁠⁠⁠⁠  
Schein, E., & Schein, P. (2016). Organization culture and leadership. 5th Ed. Wiley. 
Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Doubleday. 

Language about the “institution” of higher education is unavoidable—so much so that individual campuses refer to themselves as such. But what does this mean? What’s at stake in a campus thinking of itself in these terms?

This is part 4 of a 5-part series on "How to Talk About Higher Education." Part 1-3 covered Higher Ed as an "ecosystem," "culture," and "machine." In the next and last episode, we will discuss Higher Education as a marketplace.


Read the White Paper on this topic by Dr. Emily W. Heady, ⁠⁠⁠"Talking about Leadership: How the Words We Use Shape Our Workplace."⁠⁠⁠
Listen to our podcast on ⁠⁠⁠Online Learning Ecosystems⁠⁠⁠
Listen to Part 1: ⁠How to Talk About Higher Education⁠
Listen to Part 2: ⁠Higher Education as a Culture⁠
Listen to Part 3: Higher Education as a Machine

Podcast Topics, Questions, and Show Notes:

1. What are the implications of higher education being an “institution”?


It’s one of society’s ways of reproducing its own values—institutions teach rules and help us all to follow them. They’re a key way we understand what’s right and wrong, acceptable and not.

2. Is higher ed in step or out of step with other social institutions, such as the government, churches, etc.?

3. What does a leader in an institutional culture need to do?


Realize that they’re always imprinting somehow—sharing ideas, transmitting beliefs, making statements about what’s going to fly and what isn’t.


They also need to move away from things like canceling, shaming, etc., as institutional culture is always based to some extent on fear of being outside the norm.


Be careful with rewards and penalties; institutions work by rewarding compliance and punishing non-compliance.

If you or your school is looking for help with RSI, curriculum or course development, operational services, training, or professional development, think Magellan; our team would love to help. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thinkmagellan.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thank you for joining us on the Magellan Podcast: Navigating Education in the 21st Century.

Recommended Articles and Books on this Topic:


Bowles, K. (2022, March 28). A pocket primer: Types of higher education institutions. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠⁠⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-explain-it-me/pocket-primer-types-higher-education-institutions⁠⁠⁠  Petriglieri, G. (2023, April 24). Driving organizational change—Without abandoning tradition. Harvard Business Review. ⁠⁠⁠https://hbr.org/2023/04/driving-organizational-change-without-abandoning-tradition?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter⁠⁠⁠  
Rosowsky, D. & Hallman, K. (2020, May 25). Communicating culture in a distributed world. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠⁠⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/05/26/importance-culture-binding-higher-ed-institution-together-during-crises-pandemic⁠⁠⁠  
Rutter, M. & Mintz, S. (2019, January 17). Creating a more collaborative higher education ecosystem. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠⁠⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/creating-more-collaborative-higher-education-ecosystem⁠⁠⁠  
Schein, E., & Schein, P. (2016). Organization culture and leadership. 5th Ed. Wiley. 
Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Doubleday. 

No one likes to refer to higher education as a machine or a factory, though it is true that many major players in the higher ed sphere have a great number of machine-like processes in place. These help them to recruit and enroll students, identify students who may not retain, and increase efficiency in many areas of campus operations. What does it mean when a university embraces its machine-like qualities? Join us for a discussion.

This is part 3 of a 5-part series on "How to Talk About Higher Education." Part 1 & 2 covered Higher Ed as an "ecosystem" and "culture." In further episodes, we will discuss Higher Education as a an institution and a marketplace.


Read the White Paper on this topic by Dr. Emily W. Heady, ⁠⁠"Talking about Leadership: How the Words We Use Shape Our Workplace."⁠⁠
Listen to our podcast on ⁠⁠Online Learning Ecosystems⁠⁠
Listen to Part 1: How to Talk About Higher Education
Listen to Part 2: Higher Education as a Culture

Podcast Topics, Questions, and Show Notes:

1. What are some of the machine-like elements of higher education?


Financial aid, IT, assessment, etc.

2. What are some of the gains and losses that a campus that embraces its mechanisms will face?


Gains: efficiency, process, reliability, revenue
Losses: potential for personal alienation, lack of nimbleness/responsiveness, tendency to maintain rather than envision.

3. What are the implications for leaders in higher ed machines?


Make a space for vision/leadership—not just for management—and also evaluate the effects of the machinery on those working in the “Factory.”
There needs to be a lot of reflection on goals, priorities, core values, etc., and not just as measurable outcomes.

If you or your school is looking for help with RSI, curriculum or course development, operational services, training, or professional development, think Magellan; our team would love to help. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thinkmagellan.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thank you for joining us on the Magellan Podcast: Navigating Education in the 21st Century.

Recommended Articles and Books on this Topic:


Bowles, K. (2022, March 28). A pocket primer: Types of higher education institutions. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-explain-it-me/pocket-primer-types-higher-education-institutions⁠⁠  Petriglieri, G. (2023, April 24). Driving organizational change—Without abandoning tradition. Harvard Business Review. ⁠⁠https://hbr.org/2023/04/driving-organizational-change-without-abandoning-tradition?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter⁠⁠  
Rosowsky, D. & Hallman, K. (2020, May 25). Communicating culture in a distributed world. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/05/26/importance-culture-binding-higher-ed-institution-together-during-crises-pandemic⁠⁠  
Rutter, M. & Mintz, S. (2019, January 17). Creating a more collaborative higher education ecosystem. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/creating-more-collaborative-higher-education-ecosystem⁠⁠  
Schein, E., & Schein, P. (2016). Organization culture and leadership. 5th Ed. Wiley. 
Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Doubleday. 

“Culture” may be understood as all the things people don’t think about but have internalized as part of “the way things are.” One of the roles higher education plays is in helping people to adapt to and hold a good understanding of culture—the campus, the discipline of study, and society more broadly. Join us as we discuss the implications of understanding higher education as a culture.

This is part 2 of a 5-part series on "How to Talk About Higher Education." Part 1 included an introduction and discussion on Higher Education as an "ecosystem." In further episodes, we will discuss Higher Education as a machine, an institution, and a marketplace.


Read the White Paper on this topic by Dr. Emily W. Heady, ⁠"Talking about Leadership: How the Words We Use Shape Our Workplace."⁠
Listen to our podcast on ⁠Online Learning Ecosystems⁠.
Listen to Part 1 of this series: How to Talk About Higher Education.

Podcast Topics, Questions, and Show Notes:

1. When we talk about the “culture of higher ed,” what are some of the sorts of things we mean?


Campus traditions, critical thinking, freedom of speech, unwritten rules, etc.—all communal practices that allow individuals to flourish.
How does this look in an online environment versus a residential campus?

2. What are some ways we see the “higher ed as culture” discussion taking shape today?


Canceling heterodox opinions
The “culture” of transparency & faculty governance

3. What should a leader in a higher ed culture attend to?


Attend to physical signs—symbols, markers, etc. Everything signifies something.
“The way things are”—the tyranny of the current—needs to be both communicated and questioned; leaders must analyze culture rather than just reproducing it.

If you or your school is looking for help with RSI, curriculum or course development, operational services, training, or professional development, think Magellan; our team would love to help. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thinkmagellan.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thank you for joining us on the Magellan Podcast: Navigating Education in the 21st Century.

Recommended Articles and Books on this Topic:


Bowles, K. (2022, March 28). A pocket primer: Types of higher education institutions. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-explain-it-me/pocket-primer-types-higher-education-institutions⁠  Petriglieri, G. (2023, April 24). Driving organizational change—Without abandoning tradition. Harvard Business Review. ⁠https://hbr.org/2023/04/driving-organizational-change-without-abandoning-tradition?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter⁠  
Rosowsky, D. & Hallman, K. (2020, May 25). Communicating culture in a distributed world. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/05/26/importance-culture-binding-higher-ed-institution-together-during-crises-pandemic⁠  
Rutter, M. & Mintz, S. (2019, January 17). Creating a more collaborative higher education ecosystem. Inside Higher Ed. ⁠https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/creating-more-collaborative-higher-education-ecosystem⁠  
Schein, E., & Schein, P. (2016). Organization culture and leadership. 5th Ed. Wiley. 
Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Doubleday. 

If you listen to discussions about higher education, you’ll find a plethora of ways that people talk about it. Is it a workforce development machine? Is it a training ground for future leaders? Is it a place where people grow into fully-fledged human beings? The answer is “yes”—it’s all these. And the language we use to talk about higher education affects how we do it. Join us for a conversation about the many ways we talk about higher education.

This is part 1 of a 5-part series on "How to Talk About Higher Education," an introduction to the topic and a discussion on Higher Education as an "ecosystem." In further episodes, we will discuss Higher Education as a culture, a machine, an institution, and a marketplace.


Read the White Paper on this topic by Dr. Emily W. Heady, "Talking about Leadership: How the Words We Use Shape Our Workplace."
Listen to our podcast on Online Learning Ecosystems.

Podcast Topics and Show Notes:

1. Why do metaphors matter when we talk about higher ed? And what are some common ones that people use?

2. Let’s talk about one of these—the ecosystem. What’s at stake in referring to higher education as an ecosystem rather than as something else?


Darwinian ideas—Survival of the fittest, etc.
Systems with checks and balances, resource sharing, etc.

3. What can a leader within a higher ed ecosystem do?


Guide resource allocation for systemic flourishing – define boundaries, manage territory, etc.
Manage tension/conflict rather than stoking or joining it.

If you or your school is looking for help with RSI, curriculum or course development, operational services, training, or professional development, think Magellan; our team would love to help. Reach out to us at ⁠⁠⁠thinkmagellan.com⁠⁠⁠. Thank you for joining us on the Magellan Podcast: Navigating Education in the 21st Century.

Recommended Books:


Bowles, K. (2022, March 28). A pocket primer: Types of higher education institutions. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-explain-it-me/pocket-primer-types-higher-education-institutions  Petriglieri, G. (2023, April 24). Driving organizational change—Without abandoning tradition. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/04/driving-organizational-change-without-abandoning-tradition?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter  
Rosowsky, D. & Hallman, K. (2020, May 25). Communicating culture in a distributed world. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/05/26/importance-culture-binding-higher-ed-institution-together-during-crises-pandemic  
Rutter, M. & Mintz, S. (2019, January 17). Creating a more collaborative higher education ecosystem. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/higher-ed-gamma/creating-more-collaborative-higher-education-ecosystem  
Schein, E., & Schein, P. (2016). Organization culture and leadership. 5th Ed. Wiley. 
Senge, P. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Doubleday. 

Wytheville Community College has a thriving dual enrollment program that serves the needs of many students in southwest Virginia. When WCC lost its dual enrollment partner at the eleventh hour, Dean Susan Evans had to act fast. Through a partnership with Magellan, WCC was able to reinvigorate its dual enrollment program—and the partnership continues to this day. The Magellan partners are grateful to be able to welcome Dean Evans for a conversation about how a great vendor-institutional partnership can look.

If you or your school is looking for help with RSI, curriculum or course development, operational services, training, or professional development, think Magellan; our team would love to help. Reach out to us at ⁠thinkmagellan.com⁠. Thank you for joining us on the Magellan Podcast: Navigating Education in the 21st Century.

Podcast Topics and Show Notes:

1. What’s the backstory? What was the emergency, and how did WCC connect with Magellan?

2. What was the initial project?


Helping WCC design 21 courses in 6 months
Helping them define quality courses

3. Why does dual enrollment matter so much?


It’s an important driver of college access, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
It shores up the bottom line for many institutions, especially community colleges.

4. What’s next for WCC and Magellan?