CollegeVine

Heath Einstein (gently) schooled me on something rad: “Colleges” are not a monolith. We (ok it's me.... I do this, often) love to lump all institutions together, but as Heath highlights, each college operates independently, navigating unique challenges, goals, and priorities. No single governing body sets the rules for all of us. We’re each forging our own path—often quietly influencing each other, but never identical. If we’re serious about driving meaningful change in higher education, it starts by understanding this nuance. Remember: TCU is not Harvard, which is not your local community college. One-size-fits-all thinking won’t get us where we need to go. Curious—how does recognizing this shift your perspective about higher-ed?

Are we measuring what truly matters in higher education? High-level metrics like graduation and retention rates provide valuable insights, but future-proofing enrollment requires deeper analysis. To remain competitive, institutions need to consider more nuanced questions: 1???How effectively are we preparing graduates in high-demand fields such as STEM? 2???What processes have we implemented to identify and address learning gaps in the post-pandemic landscape? Our ability to evolve directly impacts student success. It’s not just best practice—it’s mission-critical. Which innovative metrics is your institution is adopting to ensure comprehensive student preparation for tomorrow's challenges? Thank you to Heath Einstein for contributing valuable perspectives on this topic during our recent discussion on The VineDown. For the complete conversation: https://lnkd.in/gsR8gk4G

Thank you to New York State Association for College Admission Counseling for inviting co-founder Vinay Bhaskara as a keynote speaker and panelist last week alongside Rich Beatty, Christine Loo, and Stephen Ostendorff, Ed.D.! Missed this session? We'll be back next Wednesday with a keynote from Emily Smith. Register here: https://lnkd.in/e3knNT-4

Thank you to New York State Association for College Admission Counseling for inviting co-founder Vinay Bhaskara as a keynote speaker and panelist last week alongside Rich Beatty, Christine Loo, and Stephen Ostendorff, Ed.D.! Missed this session? We'll be back next Wednesday with a keynote from Emily Smith. Register here: https://lnkd.in/e3knNT-4

When’s the last time you danced? The idea that everything is urgent is not reality! Everything isn’t urgent. Take a yawned pause and hit play on the music that makes you move. Me and Emily Smith believe you should do the things that move you: Touch grass?? Breath deep??? Dance free?? Listen to the fun, insightful, and joyous time we had CollegeVine’s The Vinedown ??: https://lnkd.in/gU_DVeFP

Last Thursday, we hosted NY and NJ-based universities for a roundtable dinner at l'abeille. Thanks to friends and partners who braved the commute into the city! Discussed at the dinner: ?? The double-edged sword of increased applications: often seen as a promising indicator of student interest, more applications means more time spent reading and processing transcripts, which can detract from impactful yield activities ?? Uncertainty in the future of funding for academic research and innovation across campus: schools are nervous to invest in expanding staff and initiatives on campus in light of potential changes to funding ?? Leveraging AI to drive efficiency: Leadership in the room discussed how a top-down approach for AI in higher ed administration can help strengthen universities despite budget uncertainties and increasing workloads for their staff We'll be back to NYC soon with a dinner at Aquavit! Interested in AI in higher ed and in Nordic cuisine? Let us know you're interested here: https://lnkd.in/eSrDRGHh

??Registration is open for all four of NYSACAC'S Professional Development Forums this spring! Join us to learn about AI in Admissions and hear from a slate of professionals at each location. https://lnkd.in/eXrjsib3 ???March 7 - Russell Sage College (featuring Haesol Bae, Katie Cooney Lesko, Janessa Dunn, Tyler Anderson) ???March 7 - Stony Brook University (featuring Vinay Bhaskara, Rich Beatty, Stephen Ostendorff, Ed.D., Christine Loo) ???March 12 - Syracuse University (featuring Jasmina Tacheva, John McLaughlin, Colette Montgomery, Ed.D., Heidi Green) ???March 19 - St. Joseph's University New York (featuring Emily Smith, Christine Murphy, Stephen Ostendorff, Ed.D., Jasmine Solomon) #highered #collegeadmissions #NYSACAC #professionaldevelopment

When was the last time you danced? No really, we want to know. Because as Emily Smith discussed with Sean E. Whitten on The Vinedown recently, childlike joy keeps us healthy and happy. So go ahead, share in the comments. (And we will be very happy if the answer is, “I don’t know, so I just got up and grooved right now!)

As a remote-first team, we have to find new ways of connecting on a personal level. On Slack, this manifests as our #x- channels, where music enthusiasts gather in #x-music, commiseration is welcome in #x-fml, parents chat pre-school sickness and dance in #x-parenting101, and of course... pet photos of all kind welcome in #x-pets. Sharing a few favorites to brighten up your Friday. Interested in joining a team with lovely furry friends? Check out careers.collegevine.com.

Many thanks to CollegeVine for hosting myself and Joshua Perez for this insightful presentation and dinner followed by a great discussion. Bernard J. Gantt, Ph.D. trusting us to represent CUNY Bronx Community College in tackling this topic. We look forward to seeing AI help CUNY reach new Heights!