Office Hours with John Gardner
We are searching for big ideas that inspire hope and action in higher education around institutional transformation and innovation to advance student success outcomes. Joining John Gardner are higher education leaders and other relevant persons of interest who will discuss innovation and strategies that improve higher education.
All opinions and views expressed as part of “Office Hours with John Gardner” belong solely to the individual participants and do not necessarily represent those of the people, institutions, or organizations with which the individuals may be associated in a professional, educational, or other personal capacity unless explicitly stated. Likewise, all opinions and views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Gardner Institute.
Episodes
189 episodes
Episode 190- Cultivating Leadership and Faith in College with Alexander Bolton
Alexander Bolton is a devoted child of God, a junior student-athlete at Brevard College in North Carolina, and a faith-filled YouTuber. Alexander has maintained extraordinary grades at Brevard and has made the Dean’s List every year...
Episode 189- Unpacking Educational Narratives with Kevin Reilly
Dr. Kevin P. Reilly is president emeritus and regent professor with the 26-campus University of Wisconsin System, having served as president from 2004-13. He came to Wisconsin from the State University of New York System, where he was as...
Episode 188- Understanding the Graduate Student Landscape with Kelly Schrum
Dr. Kelly Schrum...
Episode 187 - Empowering Faculty for Change with Denise Bartell and Jerry Dayday
Denise Bartell is Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at Kent State University, where she facilitates strategic initiatives related to access, retention, completion, and student success with a focus on improving equity of outcomes for...
Episode 186- The Student Innovator: Exploring Journalism with Annie Goodykoontz
Annie Goodykoontz is a Phoenix-born student journalist based in Columbia, Missouri. Previously, she has interned at The Los Angeles Times,
Episode 185- Reporting Higher Ed Insights with Ashley Mowreader
Ashley Mowreader is a data journalist and education reporter. She is currently a master of journalism student at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and fellow for the Education Writers Association 21st class. Previously, As...
Episode 184- A Collaborative Degree Program with Ryan Coughlan and Scott Evenbeck
Dr. Scott Evenbeck is a retired president of the Charles and Stella Guttman Community College and currently serves as a University Professor at Baruch College.Scott Evenbeck joined the City University of New York in 2011 as the Ch...
Episode 183- Higher Education as a Public Service with Tamalyn Powell
Tam is a senior marketing leader at BVK, where she co-leads the agency’s higher education practice, and she serves as President of the Board for Serve Marketing, BVK’s not-for-profit sister agency. She brings more than 25 years of experience wo...
Episode 182- Cultivating Civic Engagement with Raj Vinnakota
A pioneering social entrepreneur, Rajiv Vinnakota serves as President of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, leading its mission to cultivate the talent, ideas, and networks that develop lifelong, effective citizens. To that end, he work...
Episode 181- The Critical Role of Higher Education with Suzanne Benally
Suzanne Benally (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa)—Executive Director, Swift FoundationSuzanne has worked in the higher education and the non-profit sector for 40 years. Committed to social justice, diversity, and equity, she predicates her w...
Episode 180- Reshaping the First Year Program with Aleksondra Hultquist
Aleksondra Hultquist is an Associate Professor of Critical Thinking and First-Year Studies at Stockton University. Her teaching focus is in Critical Thinking, and a variety of General Studies courses, including Poetry & Mathematics, The Pas...
Episode 179- Experiential Education with Antonio Merlo
Antonio Merlo, PhD, became Drexel University’s 16th president on July 1, 2025. An accomplished higher education leader, scholar and professor, Merlo joined Drexel after serving since 2019 as the Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Faculty of A...
Episode 178- Integrating Arts and Leadership with Carin Silkaitis
Carin Silkaitis is Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and a Professor of Humanities. Carin has also served UAS in a number of Interim positions, including Provost (AY25), Dean of Research & Sponsored Programs (AY25), Dean of Graduate S...
Episode 177 - Exploring Public History with Evan Faulkenbury
Dr. Evan Faulkenbury is the University Historian for the University of South Carolina. He holds a Ph.D. in History from UNC Chapel Hill, and before joining USC in 2024, he taught U.S. and public history for eight years at SUNY Cortland. As the ...
Episode 176- Systems Thinking in Higher Ed with Marcella David
Marcella David is a higher education leader, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and Provost at Columbia College Chicago, a liberal arts college with a creative arts focus. Prior to that, she served as Provost and Vice President for ...
Episode 174- Mission-Driven Leadership with Michael B. McGinnis
Michael McGinnis was appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs at Saint Francis University in July 2022. Dr. McGinnis has 29 years’ experience in higher education and currently in the 2025-2026 cohort of the Executive Leadership Acade...
Episode 173- Learning from Experience with Suzanne Benally
Suzanne Benally (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa)—Executive Director, Swift FoundationSuzanne has worked in the higher education and the non-profit sector for 40 years. Committed to social justice, diversity, and equity, she predicates her w...
Episode 172- Empowerment through Education with Mays Imad
Mays Imad received her undergraduate training in Philosophy from the University of Michigan, focusing on Philosophy of Science and Consciousness. She earned her Ph.D. in Cellular and Clinical Neuroscience from Wayne State University in Detroit,...
Episode 171- A Practitioner's Guide to Supporting Graduate Students with Valerie Shepard
Valerie Shepard, PhD, CSAEd, is a student affairs scholar-practitioner who currently serves as the Senior Content and Assessment Analyst for UCLA Recreation, which is organized under Campus Life in the UCLA Division of Student Affairs. She repo...
Episode 170-Navigating Academic Leadership with J. David Arnold
As an academic leader and author, J. David Arnold has focused on learning communities, first-year programs, strategic planning with faculty and promoting the “teacher-scholar” model of faculty professional development at liberal arts institutio...
Episode 169- Navigating Higher Ed Leadership with Lisa Lambert and Jody Fournier
Dr. Lisa Lambert was appointed Interim President at Chatham University in 2025. After joining Chatham in 1985 as a faculty member in biology, she was promoted to Professor of Biology in 2012. While at Chatham, Dr. Lambert has served as C...
Episode 168- Innovating Through Debate: Insights with Paul Mabrey and Michael “Mike” Davis
Paul Mabrey is Director of Student Success Analytics and Associate Professor in Communication Studies at James Madison University. His work bridges holistic student success, data analytics, communication education, and civic engagement t...
Episode 167- Leadership and Legacy in Education with Duncan Harris
Dr. G. Duncan Harris has had an illustrious 30-year career in higher education, most recently serving as the CEO of the Capital Campus of Connecticut State Community College (formerly Capital Community College) in Hartford, CT, from 2018 to 202...
Episode 166- Preserving Institutional Values with Phil Cavalier
Dr. Phil Cavalier was named the 13th president of Kutztown in Pennsylvania on April 30, 2025 and will begin his tenure on July 7th. For the previous seven years, he served as the provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at the Un...
Episode 165- Empowering First-Generation Students with Maria Erb and Anthony Jack
Maria Dykema Erb, M.Ed. is the Inaugural Executive Director of the Boston University Newbury Center which was established to foster the holistic development and success of first-generation undergraduate, graduate, and professional studen...