The Connected College Podcast provides leadership strategies for student success.
Join Elliot Felix for insightful interviews with higher ed innovators along with the stories, stats, and strategies he's learned as a consultant to 100+ institutions.
Let's create better connected colleges and universities where students find belonging, feel supported, and connect their courses to rewarding careers.
Lutalo Sanifu on Creating New Career Paths and Programs with Partners
How do higher education institutions prepare students for novel career paths, leverage physical location and interdisciplinary collaboration, and build agile credentials alongside industry partners? We talk through these with Lutalo A Sanifu the Director of Community Engagement and Interim Director of Marketing and Communications at University of Michigan Center for Innovation in Detroit. This episode explores how universities can embrace change as a vital meta-skill, co-design flexible workforce programs with community stakeholders, and use urban innovation centers as testing grounds for evolving career pathways.
Episode Highlights include:
[03:48] Defining Student Success Through Community Collaboration - Lutalo Sanifu explains how designing workforce programs in partnership with local communities and industry partners ensures educational offerings directly meet market needs.
[07:28] Mastering Change as a Meta-Skill - The discussion highlights why adaptability is the ultimate career asset in an evolving job market driven by new technologies like artificial intelligence.
[14:53] Leveraging Location and Interdisciplinary Credentials - Lutalo details how placing an innovation center in downtown Detroit enables cross-field programs like urban technology while offering flexible, stackable micro-credentials.
[20:51] Co-Creating Youth Entrepreneurship Programs - A case study showing how working directly with youth, founders, and business support groups creates practical, real-world learning paths.
[25:53] Operating as an Educational Sandbox - Elliot Felix and Lutalo discuss how universities can act as testing grounds to prototype new degree paths and continuously adapt to future workforce needs.
13 Oct 2026
Bevon Joseph on How to Prepare Students for the Future of Work
How can institutions better connect with industry to prepare students for the future of work? How can students navigate the hidden curriculum of the workplace while combining AI skills with human qualities? We talk through these with Bevon Joseph, the AI and Social Capital Strategist, Founder of Greenwood Project, and Author of the book "The Intern's Edge: Social Capital, AI Skills, and the Human Qualities That Open Doors and Build Careers." Together, we discuss embedding career development into the curriculum, building social capital, leveraging experiential learning, and equipping students with human skills to adapt in an AI-driven workforce.
Episode Highlights include:
[07:15] Rethinking Career Readiness as a Continuous Journey - Bevon highlights why career preparation must begin on day one of college rather than being treated as a senior-year destination.
[10:55] Mastering the Hidden Curriculum of the Workplace - A discussion on essential professional norms and interpersonal habits that students need to succeed in corporate environments.
[15:36] Building Real-World Skills Through AI Experiential Learning - How students are using AI to solve real challenges for local businesses and earn recognized industry certifications.
[18:16] Redefining Student Success Metrics Beyond Completion - Why higher education must focus on post-graduation career placement and economic mobility alongside retention rates.
[24:45] The Premium on Human Skills in the Age of AI - Why technical skills must be paired with networking, communication, and relationship-building to convert interviews into job offers.
6 Oct 2026
Introducing “Ask AI Elliot” Your 24/7 Virtual Coach on Creating Connected Colleges
How can a virtual coach help you create better connected colleges, eliminate departmental silos, and redesign facilities and technology to drive measurable student success? In this special episode of The Connected College Podcast, Elliot interviews his AI Self to give you a sense of how it can help. They talk about effective strategic planning, agile organizational design, harnessing technology for student success, sustainable support services and staffing, campus facilities for student success, and creating company and community connections. Let's explore how modern higher education leaders can bridge silos, streamline technology, and optimize campus facilities to build a truly connected college.
Episode highlights include:
[2:28] Effective Strategic Planning - Learn how to use scenario planning and Roger Martin’s “Opposites test” to build actionable institutional plans.
[5:20] Agile Organizational Design - Discover strategies for breaking down departmental silos and reorganizing around core service models.
[7:21] Harnessing Technology for Student Success - Explore methods to audit campus systems, curb digital sprawl, and integrate targeted AI tools.
[9:43] Sustainable Support Services and Staffing - Uncover approaches to eliminate administrative friction, prevent burnout, and foster communities of practice.
[12:04] Campus Facilities for Student Success - Examine how active learning classrooms and co-located support hubs boost retention and student belonging.
[14:06] Creating company and community connections through relationship-based recruiting, experiential learning, research, and shared spaces.
Check out "Ask AI Elliot" – https://www.elliotfelix.com/ask-ai-elliot
Who has been a guest on How to Get the Most Out of College
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Jeff Doyle
Melvin Hines
Brad Fuster
Julia Allworth
Josh Pierce
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
10 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 56 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
83
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
71
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