All episodes
Higher Ed Chats
April 23, 2026
27 minutes
How the Trump Administration is Reshaping Higher Education
One year into the Trump administration, U.S. higher education looks different in ways that aren't fully visible yet. This episode of Higher Ed Chats brings in Sarah Brown and Rick Seltzer, both senior journalists at The Chronicle of Higher Education, to take stock of what's actually changed, what's still playing out, and what it means for higher education...
Higher Ed Chats
April 8, 2026
21 minutes
How to Elevate Your University Brand Storytelling
In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, Scott is joined by Dr. Maureen Manning, founder and principal strategist at the Global Nexus Collective, for a masterclass in strategic communications and brand positioning for universities. Working at the intersection of public relations, strategic communications, and leadership in international education, Maureen helps i...
Higher Ed Chats
March 18, 2026
17 minutes
Hong Kong's Rise as an International Higher Education Hub
In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, we welcome Tina Villareal, Assistant Lecturer and Admissions and Outreach Manager at the University of Hong Kong's School of Future Media. A third-generation journalist with extensive experience across media consulting, content creation, and communications coaching, Tina brings a practitioner perspective to international s...
Higher Ed Chats
February 25, 2026
14 minutes
Why International Film Education Matters Now More Than Ever
Dan Mackler, Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, and Dean of the Los Angeles campus at the New York Film Academy (NYFA), speaks with Scott Miller about the transformative power of international arts education. Drawing from a career that spans filmmaking, international advertising, and higher education leadership, Dan shares how his global backg...
Higher Ed Chats
February 10, 2026
13 minutes
AIEA 2026: How to Navigate Volatility in Global Higher Education
In this episode of Keystone Higher Ed Chats, host Scott Miller speaks with Clare Overmann, CEO of the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), about the shifting realities shaping global higher education leadership. With over two decades of experience in international education, Clare shares her personal journey into the field and exp...
Higher Ed Chats
January 28, 2026
15 minutes
How UNESCO is Standardizing Higher Education Recognition
In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, we're joined by Stig Arne Skjerven, elected Chair of the Bureau of the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education at UNESCO. Stig Arne recently served as Norway's Deputy Permanent Representative to UNESCO, focusing on education, foreign policy, governance, sciences, and ocean issues ...
Higher Ed Chats
January 11, 2026
19 minutes
Abu Dhabi and the UAE: A Rising Global Student Hub
In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, we welcome Dr. Hassan Ammari, Head of Student Recruitment at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, for an engaging discussion about the UAE's emergence as a premier destination for international higher education and the unique opportunities offered through transnational education partnerships.
With over twenty years ...
With over twenty years ...
Higher Ed Chats
December 11, 2025
17 minutes
What’s Next for International Higher Education in 2026?
Join us for a special episode of Higher Ed Chats with Fredrik Högemark, CEO and co-founder of Keystone Education Group, for an in-depth conversation about the current state and future of international higher education.
With over 20 years of industry experience, Fredrik shares his unique perspective on how the sector has evolved since he founded ...
With over 20 years of industry experience, Fredrik shares his unique perspective on how the sector has evolved since he founded ...
Higher Ed Chats
December 3, 2025
16 minutes
Studying in English in France, a Gateway to Global Careers
In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, we sit down with Hicham Abdallah, International Promotion Officer at ICN Business School, to explore the growing landscape of English-language business programs in France and their impact on global student mobility.
Drawing from his work managing recruitment initiatives across Africa and the Middle East, Hicha...
Drawing from his work managing recruitment initiatives across Africa and the Middle East, Hicha...
Higher Ed Chats
November 19, 2025
21 minutes
Why First Impressions Matter in International Higher Education
Join us for this episode of Higher Ed Chats featuring Mark Pettitt, Founder and CEO of Edified, a specialized consulting firm operating across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. Mark brings over 25 years of international higher education experience to a conversation about how artificial intelligence and technology are reshaping student recruitment p...
Higher Ed Chats
October 29, 2025
27 minutes
What Students Really Want (or Don’t Want) from Your Marketing
In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, we're joined by Joanna Kumpula, Head of International Education at Tampere University in Finland, for a comprehensive discussion about student expectations, authentic communication, and the realities of international recruitment in today's complex landscape.
With over two decades of experience in internatio...
Higher Ed Chats
October 25, 2025
17 minutes
How Taejae University is Building the University of the Future with AI
Dr. Jaeho Yeom, President of Taejae University and Chairman of the Council for the Establishment of the Digital New Order at Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT, joins us for a fascinating conversation about fundamentally reimagining higher education for the 21st century.
Dr. Yeom shares his vision for fundamentally transforming higher educa...
Higher Ed Chats
September 23, 2025
19 minutes
Making Real Connections Through Higher Education
Real connection in higher education isn't accidental. Dr. Rick L. Mask, Vice President at Southern New Hampshire University and author of *Social Capital 2.0*, makes that case plainly in this conversation with host Scott Miller. For university marketing and enrollment teams working to improve the international student experience, this episode covers the cond...
Higher Ed Chats
September 10, 2025
18 minutes
Recruiting International Students to Non-Traditional Destinations
Recruiting international students to a non-traditional destination is a two-stage challenge. First you have to sell the country. Then the university. Péter Árvai, Head of International Student Recruitment at the University of Pécs in Hungary, has spent more than a decade working through exactly that sequence, and in Episode 36 of Higher Ed Chats he walks thr...
Higher Ed Chats
July 23, 2025
17 minutes
The Importance of Partnerships for International Higher Education
Partnerships in international higher education have always required trust. But as Fernando Rojas Franco sees it, they now require something more specific: a shared belief that human relationships are what universities exist to build, not just a byproduct of the curriculum.
Fernando is the Director of International Relations at Avanse University of App...
Fernando is the Director of International Relations at Avanse University of App...
Higher Ed Chats
July 9, 2025
9 minutes
The Rise of Regional Higher Education Hubs in Africa
Africa is producing its own higher education hubs, and that's starting to reshape how students across the continent make decisions about where to study. In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, host Scott Miller speaks with Amo Kubeyinje, Director of International Admissions at Canisius University and a returning guest from Episode 27, about the countries gaining...
Higher Ed Chats
June 25, 2025
15 minutes
Saint Martin's Success Story Partnering with UniQuest
**When St. Martin's University partnered with UniQuest to build its international enrollment operation from scratch, the results weren't marginal, they were transformational.** Roger Douglas, Director of International Admissions at St. Martin's (a small Catholic Benedictine university in Lacey, WA with around 1,350 students), joins host Scott Miller to tell ...
Higher Ed Chats
June 11, 2025
18 minutes
Transforming Higher Ed Marketing with Empathy
Higher ed marketing has a trust problem, and most institutions are making it worse. In Episode 32 of Higher Ed Chats, Jaime Hunt, founder of Solve Higher Ed Marketing and author of ""Heart Over Hype,"" joins host Scott Miller to challenge the assumptions baked into how universities communicate with prospective students. **The conversation makes a compelling ...
Higher Ed Chats
May 28, 2025
23 minutes
The Future of International Student Mobility
International student mobility is at an inflection point, and **the institutions and countries that recognized the shift early are already pulling ahead**. In Episode 31 of Higher Ed Chats, Scott Miller speaks with Balaji Krishnan, Vice Provost for International Affairs at the University of Memphis, about what's actually driving the restructuring of global s...
Higher Ed Chats
May 7, 2025
19 minutes
Tailoring Student Recruitment for Domestic and International Success
Student recruitment in the UK has rarely felt this uncertain. Dan Barcroft, Director of Marketing, Admissions, Recruitment and Communications at the University of Sheffield, joins host Scott Miller to share how one of England's leading research universities is thinking about student enrollment marketing when both domestic and international pipelines are unde...
Higher Ed Chats
April 24, 2025
24 minutes
How Higher Education is Transforming in the US
US higher education is under more pressure right now than it's been in decades, and it's not just one problem. It's several hitting at once. In episode 29 of Higher Ed Chats, Scott Miller sits down with John Clarke, Dean of the School of Business and Leadership at DePauw University, to unpack what's actually driving the strain on American colleges, and why t...
Higher Ed Chats
March 26, 2025
19 minutes
International Students Interested in the UK in 2025
UK interest from international students fell off a cliff in late 2023. In episode 28 of Higher Ed Chats, Mark Bennett, Director of Audience and Insights at FindAUniversity, walks host Scott Miller through the data behind that drop, the slow recovery that followed, and what it all means for **international student recruitment** in 2025 and beyond.
The ...
The ...
Higher Ed Chats
March 12, 2025
17 minutes
Emerging Trends in International Student Recruitment in Africa
Africa is one of the most misunderstood markets in international student recruitment, and Amo Kubeyinje is tired of institutions treating it as a monolith. The Director of International Recruitment at Canisius University joins Scott Miller on Higher Ed Chats to talk through what's actually shifting on the continent, from how students think about degree desti...
Higher Ed Chats
February 27, 2025
19 minutes
Connecting International Students to UC Berkeley Through Alumni
Alumni networks are one of higher education's most underused recruitment assets. In Episode 26 of Higher Ed Chats, Bridgette Lehrer, Program Director at the Berkeley International Study Program (BISP) at UC Berkeley, joins host Scott Miller to discuss how a structured alumni ambassador program has become the backbone of BISP's international student recruitme...
Higher Ed Chats
February 18, 2025
19 minutes
The Role of Higher Education in Social Mobility
Social mobility is one of higher education's oldest promises and, by most measures, one of its most inconsistently kept. Dr. Ellen Neufeldt, President of California State University San Marcos, joins Scott Miller on Higher Ed Chats to talk about what it actually looks like when an institution builds its entire identity around that promise, and what the rest ...
Higher Ed Chats
January 29, 2025
19 minutes
Using Email Marketing to Recruit More Students
Email marketing delivers a 3,600% return on investment, $36 for every $1 spent, yet most universities still treat it as a broadcast channel. In Episode 24 of Higher Ed Chats, Scott Miller talks with Dayana Kibilds, VP of Strategy at Ology and co-author of the book *Mailed It*, about why institutional email underperforms and what it takes to turn the channel ...
Higher Ed Chats
January 15, 2025
23 minutes
How Canada is Adapting to International Student Caps
Canada's international student cap wasn't supposed to cause a crisis. The numbers it created were manageable. What wasn't manageable was everything that happened around it.
In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, Scott Miller talks with Sean Coote, Vice President International at Niagara College, about what the past year has actually meant for Canadian in...
In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, Scott Miller talks with Sean Coote, Vice President International at Niagara College, about what the past year has actually meant for Canadian in...
Higher Ed Chats
December 18, 2024
17 minutes
2024 A Record Breaking Year for Global Higher Ed in the US
**2024 was the biggest year on record for international students in the US. But Karin Fischer, Chief International Correspondent at the Chronicle of Higher Education, says the headline number tells only part of the story.**
Fischer joins host Scott Miller on Higher Ed Chats to break down the latest Open Doors data and what it actually means for instit...
Fischer joins host Scott Miller on Higher Ed Chats to break down the latest Open Doors data and what it actually means for instit...
Higher Ed Chats
November 26, 2024
15 minutes
The Secret Behind the Academic Rise of Singapore
Singapore's universities didn't climb the global rankings by accident. In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, Alson Tan, Senior Manager of International Marketing at the National University of Singapore (NUS), joins host Scott Miller to trace the deliberate strategy behind one of higher education's most striking success stories, and what it means for internatio...
Higher Ed Chats
November 13, 2024
25 minutes
The Impact of Trump's Presidency on US Higher Education
American universities are facing a level of federal pressure that hasn't been seen in decades. In Episode 20 of Higher Ed Chats, host Scott Miller sits down with Stephanie Worden, Assistant Director of International Enrollment at the University of Denver, to examine what Trump's second term actually means for higher education — for domestic enrollment, inter...
Higher Ed Chats
October 30, 2024
17 minutes
Key Findings of the Enquiry Experience Tracker 2024
The 2024 Enquiry Experience Tracker reveals a striking gap between the marketing investment universities pour into student recruitment and the enrollment results they actually achieve. In Episode 19 of Higher Ed Chats, Jenni Parsons, Chief Market and Partnerships Officer at Uniquest, shares findings from a study covering 102 institutions across 10 countries,...
Higher Ed Chats
October 9, 2024
17 minutes
Australia's Student Cap What It Means for Global Education
Australia has a student cap problem. Not just because the policy restricts enrollment numbers, but because the *uncertainty* around it is already reshaping where students choose to study. In Episode 18 of Higher Ed Chats, Nishant Jadhav, Senior Recruiter at the University of Sydney, joins host Scott Miller to break down what Australia's proposed student cap ...
Higher Ed Chats
October 2, 2024
18 minutes
Student Recruitment from Inside the Arctic Circle
Recruiting international students to a university inside the Arctic Circle sounds like a tough sell. **Jose de Pool, Project Coordinator at Nord University in Bodø, Norway, knows that better than most, and he arrived there the same way many of his prospective students do: through an unexpected Google search at 16.** In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, Jose j...
Higher Ed Chats
September 17, 2024
17 minutes
Navigating the Landscape of Student Recruitment in New York
Student recruitment is getting harder. **Ben Boivin, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Manhattan College, has spent 13 years on the front lines of enrollment, and in this episode of Higher Ed Chats, he's direct about what's actually working and what isn't.** Host Scott Miller sits down with Boivin to talk through the real pressures facing admissions te...
Higher Ed Chats
September 5, 2024
17 minutes
Best Practices to Cultivate an International Student Community
Building a strong international student experience starts long before orientation week. In episode 15 of Higher Ed Chats, Kristi Marchesani, Director of International Programs at the University of Northern Iowa, explains how her team turned a mid-sized regional institution into a self-sustaining international enrollment machine without a global brand name to...
Higher Ed Chats
August 21, 2024
17 minutes
Creating a Friendly Environment for Aging Students
Higher education's traditional model assumes students arrive at 18 and leave by 22. **That assumption no longer holds, and for institutions facing shrinking youth enrollment, the question isn't whether to rethink their relationship with older learners, but how quickly they can do it.** In Episode 14 of Higher Ed Chats, host Scott Miller talks with Aaron Gues...
Higher Ed Chats
August 14, 2024
18 minutes
The Art Behind Recruiting and Developing Future Artists
Antonio Vanni has spent 15 years working in international arts education, most recently as Executive Director of the Florence Academy of Art, a fine arts school drawing students from 36 countries with a waitlist in the hundreds. **His central argument: the frameworks higher education uses to evaluate student outcomes were built for a different kind of studen...
Higher Ed Chats
July 31, 2024
17 minutes
What Should You Be Doing to Recruit Students from India
India is now the top source country for US international students, surpassing China. But for institutions wondering how to recruit international students from India effectively, the answer isn't a bigger ad spend or a longer list of agent relationships. It's a fundamental rethink of how you approach the market. That's the conversation in Episode 12 of Higher...
Higher Ed Chats
July 16, 2024
16 minutes
State of Student Recruitment in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is one of the first countries in Western Europe to pass legislation directly limiting international student intake. **What that policy means for universities recruiting internationally, and what Dutch institutions have learned from years of running mixed-nationality cohorts, is the subject of Episode 11 of Higher Ed Chats.**
Scott Mill...
Scott Mill...
Higher Ed Chats
June 12, 2024
17 minutes
Why Is Getting a College Degree Worth It
**A college degree from the University of North Carolina system delivers positive lifetime ROI for 94% of graduates**, a figure calculated by Deloitte, Burning Glass Institute, and RPK Group across nearly every degree program in the 17-campus system. In Episode 10 of Higher Ed Chats, host Scott Miller speaks with Andrew Kelly, who leads strategy at the UNC S...
Higher Ed Chats
May 28, 2024
18 minutes
Can Microcredentials Save Higher Education
Microcredentials and stackable certificates aren't a fringe trend in higher education. They may be the field's best shot at financial and institutional survival. **In Episode 9 of Higher Ed Chats, Jim Fong, Chief Research Officer at UPCEA, makes the case that the 120-credit degree model is structurally misaligned with an economy accelerating on AI and automa...
Higher Ed Chats
May 14, 2024
19 minutes
Inspiring Founders in Higher Ed
**Harri Suominen built Asia Exchange from a single frustration:** studying abroad independently in Asia was unnecessarily expensive and complicated, and no one was solving it. In Episode 8 of Higher Ed Chats, Scott Miller sits down with Harri (co-founder of Asia Exchange and Edunation, both now part of Keystone Education Group) to trace the path from a stude...
Higher Ed Chats
May 2, 2024
16 minutes
Forget Higher Ed Rankings Back to Reputation Basics
Rankings don't build reputations. Oliver Freedman, Managing Director APAC at RepTrak, joins Scott Miller on Higher Ed Chats to make that case directly: **universities that chase ranking methodology improvements are often doing it at the expense of the operational excellence that actually creates reputational strength.** This episode cuts through the noise an...
Higher Ed Chats
April 12, 2024
16 minutes
Secrets to University Storytelling Success
Most universities aren't telling stories. They're communicating values, and there's a real difference. John Azoni, founder of Unveiled and host of the Higher Ed Storytelling University podcast, joins Scott Miller on Higher Ed Chats to break down why so much university video content fails to connect, and what genuine higher education branding through storytel...
Higher Ed Chats
April 4, 2024
16 minutes
International Student Recruitment Trends and Insights
US international enrollment isn't just recovering from COVID. It's dealing with at least three overlapping crises, the 2008 financial crash, the pandemic, and a current policy reset, that have compounded into something enrollment teams can't treat as temporary turbulence. Ian Little, owner of CDB Solutions and a former NAFSA Trainer Corps member with 20 year...
Higher Ed Chats
March 18, 2024
16 minutes
Leadership Guidance for Higher Ed Teams
Good leadership isn't about having a title. That's the argument Todd Cherches makes in this episode of Higher Ed Chats, and it's one that higher education professionals don't hear often enough. Cherches, CEO of Big Blue Gumball, TEDx speaker, and professor at NYU and Columbia, joins host Scott Miller to discuss what **higher education leadership** actually l...
Higher Ed Chats
March 8, 2024
24 minutes
Inspiring Female Founder in Higher Ed
Rachel Fletcher didn't plan to found a company. She planned to fix a problem. As a consultant working with universities across the UK, she kept running into the same issue: institutions struggling to bring together the right people, process, and technology to meaningfully engage prospective students. **UniQuest was the answer she built when it became clear t...
Higher Ed Chats
February 26, 2024
12 minutes
Graduate Student Recruitment Trends and Insights for 2024
International graduate student recruitment hit a turning point in 2024. Mark Bennett, Insights Director at FindAUniversity, joins host Scott Miller to break down what the numbers actually show, and what's driving one of the sharpest single-month drops in UK international interest on record.
**FindAUniversity data shows international master's interest ...
**FindAUniversity data shows international master's interest ...
Higher Ed Chats
February 9, 2024
15 minutes
Everything the Higher Ed Marketer Needs to Know in 2024
Higher ed marketers are facing a choice in 2024: keep renting audiences through paid campaigns, or start building them. In this episode of Higher Ed Chats, Kyle Campbell, a higher education marketing expert, joins host Scott Miller to map out where attention and budget need to shift, covering content strategy, peer community, and AI adoption for enrollment t...