The higher education sector is facing a quiet talent crisis: a staggering 74% of higher ed marketers are actively considering an exit from the industry. Mallory sits down with Shane Baglini, Executive Director of Marketing and Branding at William & Mary, to uncover the systemic issues fueling this exhaustion and explore how institutions can reverse the trend. Drawing from his own journey climbing from a small four-person team at Muhlenberg College to overseeing 22 creatives at a historic flagship university, Shane breaks down the unique hurdles of stepping into a high-visibility executive marketing role. They dive headfirst into a problematic culture where leadership often misinterprets professional development and personal LinkedIn branding as a “flight risk” rather than a powerful, organic extension of the university's reach.

Related Articles:
What the 2026 salary report reveals about retention risk in higher ed marketing
CMO Tenure Statistics (2026)

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Connect With Our Host:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In Part 2 of this Pulse Check series, host Rishab Malhotra sits down with Clay Harmon, executive director of the Association of International Enrollment Management (AIRC), and Clare Overmann, CEO of the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), to discuss the vital intersection of domestic and international enrollment strategy. The conversation highlights how higher education institutions have historically managed these areas as separate, siloed entities, often leading to fragmented institutional strategy.

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Connect With Our Host:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Carrie Phillips chats with Brian Piper, host of AI for U, live at Engage Summit 2026 in Charlotte, NC.

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Connect With Our Host:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The financial pressures squeezing higher education are real, but when it comes to the complex world of mergers and acquisitions, focusing solely on the spreadsheet is a critical mistake. In this episode of The Higher Ed Pulse, Mallory sits down with Dr. Morgan Johnson, VP of Academic Experience at The University of Arizona Global Campus, to discuss the human layer of higher ed M&A. Having recently defended her dissertation on the leadership competencies essential to navigating mergers, Morgan shares firsthand insights from more than 20 senior leaders across three completed institutional mergers.

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Connect With Our Host:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to this brand new Pulse Check Series, hosted by Rishab Malhotra, Founder and CEO of AIDO. Higher ed has been running two separate plays for too long. Domestic over here, international over there, and strategy getting lost in the middle. We're going to laugh. We're going to cry. We're going to question why they gave me a microphone — but we've got university and enrollment leaders, association heads, and tech innovators who have something to say about it.

Guest Names:
Dr. Matt Boyce, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, UMass Amherst
Dr. Kalpen Trivedi, Senior Vice Provost for Global Affairs, UMass Amherst

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Connect With Our Host:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this special episode of Higher Ed Pulse, Mallory Willsea sits down with former co-host and higher ed marketing leader Seth Odell at the inaugural Let's Go Upstate Retreat in Saratoga Springs, New York. Together, they reflect on friendship, leadership, wellness, and what the higher education community needs most right now.

Seth shares updates on life and business, including the growth of Kanahoma, the launch of new AI-powered products, and the joys (and sleep deprivation) of raising a young family. But the heart of the conversation centers on the retreat experience itself—why creating space for wellness, vulnerability, and meaningful connection may be exactly what higher ed professionals need in an increasingly demanding environment.

The discussion explores the power of practices like breathwork and mindfulness, the importance of investing in people beyond their professional roles, and how community can help leaders navigate uncertainty.
As the conversation wraps, Seth offers his latest higher ed prediction: in an era of shrinking demographics, changing search behavior, and growing disruption, institutions that invest in brand-building—not just performance marketing—will be best positioned for long-term success.

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Connect With Our Host:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Engage Summit 2026 is almost here, and the excitement is building. In this special episode of Pulse Check, Engage emcees Brendan Henkel, AVP of Solutions Engineering at Element451, and Cecily Street, VP of People at Element451, sit down to preview what's in store for this year's conference in Charlotte.

From reflecting on the remarkable growth of Engage—from a small gathering in a Raleigh hotel conference room to a major industry event at the Charlotte Convention Center—to sharing what they're most excited about this year, Brendan and Cecily offer a behind-the-scenes look at the community, innovation, and energy that make Engage such a unique experience.
The conversation highlights major announcements attendees can expect to hear more about, including Element451's expanding Bolt AI capabilities, the newly announced Encoura partnership, and a few surprises still waiting to be revealed on stage. They also discuss the importance of community, networking, and the connections that continue long after the conference ends.
Whether you're attending in person, joining through Engage Digital Summit, or simply curious about what's ahead for higher education and AI, this episode offers a preview of the conversations, innovations, and experiences shaping Engage 2026.

Register for Free Engage Digital Summit

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Connect With Our Host:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial intelligence is moving faster than most institutions can govern it. For the 64 campuses within the State University of New York (SUNY) system, that challenge became very real when a new system-wide AI policy required every campus to adopt or update AI guidelines by the end of 2026. While many institutions are just beginning the work, SUNY Westchester Community College was already a year ahead.

On this episode of Higher Ed Pulse, host Mallory Willsea sits down with Ed Tatton, co-chair of SUNY Westchester’s Strategic AI Committee, to discuss what it takes to build meaningful AI governance before a mandate arrives. Drawing from faculty surveys, student feedback, and months of cross-campus collaboration, Ed shares how his institution developed an AI framework rooted in transparency, shared governance, risk management, and practical implementation rather than fear or hype.

Together, they explore why governance should come before policy, how institutions can balance innovation with accountability, and what higher ed leaders should prioritize as AI adoption accelerates. Whether you're developing your first AI guidelines or refining an existing strategy, this conversation offers a roadmap for building guardrails that support both innovation and trust.

SUNY’s Systemwide AI Policy and EOY Deadline

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Connect With Our Host:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.