The Next Practices Podcast: Stories From the Front Lines of Higher Ed

In higher education, the most powerful lessons often aren’t found in textbooks. They come from the real experiences of leaders, faculty, and staff who are testing ideas, challenging the status quo, and finding new ways to help students thrive.

That’s exactly what the Next Practices Podcast, hosted by Katy Olivera of Civitas Learning, delivers. Each episode spotlights candid conversations with higher ed leaders across the country as they share how they’re addressing today’s toughest challenges—rethinking advising models, breaking down data silos, simplifying registration, and more.

While every campus has its own recipe for success, one theme emerges: the most impactful institutions are those willing to do things differently. The best lessons in higher education don’t come from textbooks or white papers—they come from the lived experiences of leaders experimenting with new approaches, reimagining data use, and finding fresh ways to help students thrive. That’s the heart of Next Practices: real stories from the people shaping the future of higher ed.

We sat down with Katy to talk about how the podcast has evolved, which conversations stand out, and what she hopes listeners will take away from each episode.

How has the series evolved since you took over as host in 2022?

Katy: In the beginning, I was focused on inviting our partners to share their achievements and accomplishments and how they got there. Over time, the conversations have broadened.

Now I’m especially interested in bringing in both Civitas Learning partners and thought leaders from across higher education to talk about today’s most pressing challenges in student success. I’m diving into how they are thinking about them, experimenting, strategizing, collaborating, and using analytics and technology to solve complex problems.

Whether it’s rethinking advising models, simplifying registration, or breaking down data silos, guests have shared countless ways they’ve embraced change. Which interviews stand out as particularly innovative?

Katy: That is a really hard question to answer. Each episode brings something important to the table, but a few themes really rise to the top—rethinking student relationships, using data to guide action, and reimagining the future of higher education.

University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA): Dr. Tammy Wyatt and Dr. Steve Wilkerson and her team tested assumptions about tutoring. Overall, tutoring boosted persistence by about 2%. But when they dug deeper, they found even greater impact for male students of color, with gains of 4–5%. Those insights reshaped how they targeted support.

Slippery Rock University (SRU): John Rindy, AVP of Career and Academic Progress, champions the idea that data has to be usable—not just collected. His focus is on democratizing access so faculty and staff know how to act on what they see. “At SRU, student success is everybody’s job,” Katy explains, “and data is what helps mobilize the whole campus.”

DeVry University: Chris Campbell, CIO, takes a different approach, blending behavioral psychology with data to create a more complete picture of the student journey. As he puts it, “It’s wonderful what the data tells us, but let’s think about the student as a person, as an individual, and let’s craft the support they need in the way they need it.”

Vanderbilt University: Dr. Nicholas S. Zeppos, Chancellor Emeritus, called for radical transparency: “We need to open the doors wider. Be more transparent. More human. Show people we’re listening.”

Purdue Global: Dr. Frank Dooley reminded listeners that student support must reflect reality. With 38,000 adult learners—most balancing jobs and families—the university’s success depends on designing flexible, low-friction support systems.

Student success isn’t limited to advisors or success team members—it’s a campus-wide effort. Some of the most surprising insights have come from professionals outside the traditional student success roles. Can you share a moment where someone outside those traditional roles really reshaped how you think about student support?

Katy: I really believe that if you work in higher ed, you’re in a student success role, whether you realize it or not. Everything everyone does at an institution touches students. What matters is recognizing how your role supports students and collaborating so that every touchpoint on their journey has a positive impact. That’s why our goal is to equip everyone who interacts with students with the tools and insights to help improve outcomes.

Real-World Example: At Greenville Technical College (GTC), Kevin McMindes, Assistant Director of Analytics, and the Institutional Research team led a pilot using Civitas Learning’s Student Impact Platform. They discovered that even a simple, personalized email—whether from an advisor or IR—could influence student persistence. The project, which began as a small experiment, quickly scaled into a campus-wide model for student support.

What do you hope listeners take away from each episode?

Katy: I hope they walk away with one tangible idea or action they can try on their campus—something practical that could help improve outcomes for their students.

What’s next for the series, and what topics or guests are you most excited to explore?

Katy: We’re hoping to expand the number of episodes we’re able to offer, so we can expand the voices, stories, strategies, and practices we’re able to share with our audience. I’m also excited to continue to hear from our customers and from thought leaders in the broader higher education field about ways we can use technology, data, and evolving practices to achieve better outcomes for students throughout the student experience.

The future of the Next Practices series is about amplifying more voices and more perspectives across higher education.

If there’s a challenge on your campus you’d like us to dig into, or a leader you admire, let us know. Together, we’ll keep exploring what it means to think differently — and act with purpose — in student success. Contact us at marketing@civitaslearning.com.