Beyond the Ivory Tower
Beyond the Ivory Tower explores what higher education can learn from the wider world. Each episode examines how other industries solve complex challenges and what those ideas might mean for the future of colleges and universities.
Beyond the Ivory Tower
Latest Episodes
Higher Ed Keeps Looking for Something New
Most colleges don’t have a growth problem, they have a “newness” habit. When enrollment gets tight, we default to launching a new program or chasing a new audience, then act surprised when learners see it as interchangeable and marketing has to...
How To Earn Prestige Without Cosplaying Elite
Prestige can save a tuition-dependent institution, but chasing it the wrong way can quietly wreck enrollment, trust, and identity. We start with a surprising business lesson from Coach: it didn’t “lose” to Louis Vuitton, it refused to play the ...
The Strategic Plan Problem
Your strategic plan might be polished, inspiring, and endorsed by everyone, and still be doing almost nothing. We start with a simple challenge: if most colleges list the same priorities, can any of them honestly call that strategy? From studen...
What The NFL And Women’s Sports Can Teach Higher Education About Growth
The most dangerous assumption in higher education right now is that demand is gone. A better question is whether demand is hidden, suppressed by friction, and made invisible by how we package, explain, and deliver learning.We pull leade...
The Talent War Universities Don’t Realize They’re In
A 19-year-old with a camera and a comment section can shape how students think about money, careers, and even identity faster than a world-class faculty. That idea sounds outrageous until you look at where Gen Z actually goes for guidance: TikT...