The Keynote on Speaking Engagement

Week #5 Keynote: The Death of an Institution is Beautiful with Mackenzi Huyser

In this episode of Keynote, Ryan sits down with Mackenzi Huyser, Vice President for Advancement and Chief Academic Officer at Trinity Christian College, for a conversation unlike any previously featured on Speaking Engagement. Watch the Full-Length edition on YouTube (48-mins) [https://youtu.be/-EGSd2xTr0o] Last fall, Trinity Christian College announced that it would close at the end of the academic year. In this deeply reflective discussion, Mackenzi shares what it has been like to lead an institution through its final months, including the challenges of communicating closure, fundraising during a wind-down, supporting students and employees through grief, and helping alumni process the loss of a place that shaped their lives. But the conversation is not simply about institutional closure. It is about community, memory, identity, and the surprising moments of joy that can emerge in difficult seasons. Ryan and Mackenzi explore what institutions owe their people in moments of transition, why engagement has actually increased since the closure announcement, and what higher education leaders can learn from Trinity’s experience as demographic and financial pressures continue reshaping the sector. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe [https://www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Closing Remarks - Week 4 - Fixing the Broken Experience

AI-reading of Ryan's Closing Keynote this week, "Fixing the Broken Experience." This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe [https://www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Breakout: Follow up on the 60-year degree and what becomes of instruction with AI

In this Breakout episode, Ryan is joined by Dave Hail and Kristin Hanson to discuss two big questions shaping the future of higher education: what happens if universities move toward a lifelong “subscription” model, and how does AI fundamentally change what colleges are actually teaching? The conversation begins with a follow-up to the “60-Year Degree” debate, exploring David Rosowky's follow up article "Built for Four Years. Needed for Sixty [https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrosowsky/2026/04/07/built-for-four-years-needed-for-sixty/]" on Fortune.com whether higher education is structurally capable of supporting lifelong learning relationships with alumni. Ryan, Dave, and Kristin unpack the infrastructure challenges behind subscription-style education models, including governance, employer expectations, continuing education, and whether institutions are equipped to provide personalized learning experiences long after graduation. The second half of the episode shifts to a provocative article from Dartmouth’s provost, Santiago Schnel [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-ai-makes-answers-cheap-what-must-universities-teach-beilock-pwmqe/]l, arguing that AI is forcing higher education to move beyond polished output and refocus on judgment, reasoning, and intellectual accountability. The discussion explores whether universities are truly prepared to evaluate critical thinking instead of production, what happens to large-scale public education models in an AI-driven world, and why the real value of higher education may increasingly lie in teaching students how to learn, adapt, and navigate uncertainty. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe [https://www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Subtract First

AI-generated reading of Annie Bastida Quade's new article "Substract First" This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe [https://www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Week #4 Keynote: When Marcomm Become Mission Critical with Mallory Willsea

In this episode of Keynote, Ryan Catherwood sits down with Mallory Willsea for a wide-ranging conversation about the growing pressure on higher education marketing and communications teams and why those teams are increasingly carrying institutional survival. Watch the full-length video on YouTube [https://youtu.be/bTEu7z1Sy3Y] Drawing on her work with institutions, agencies, and higher ed technology companies, Mallory explores the challenges facing marcom leaders in a rapidly changing environment shaped by enrollment pressures, declining trust in higher education, AI-driven disruption, and fragmented audience behavior. Together, Ryan and Mallory discuss why community building requires discipline, why performance metrics often fail to capture the value of engagement work, and why communications teams are frequently asked to solve problems they do not actually control. The conversation also explores the blurry line between communications and engagement, the future role of the CMO, and why institutions cannot “rebrand” their way out of a broken experience. It is a thoughtful discussion about trust, positioning, institutional strategy, and the realities of building meaningful connection in modern higher education. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe [https://www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]