signals in higher ed

Higher Ed Must Build a Talent Supply Chain to Fix Workforce Readiness

The traditional pathway from college to career is starting to break down—and both universities and employers are feeling the strain. Higher education is under mounting pressure to prove career outcomes as employers question graduate readiness and internships decline. In fact, many institutions are reporting shrinking internship pipelines even as employers continue to prioritize prior experience—creating a growing structural mismatch in the talent market. As a result, universities are being pushed to rethink how they prepare students—not just through isolated programs, but through scalable, system-wide approaches to career readiness. The stakes are clear: institutions that fail to adapt risk losing relevance in an increasingly outcomes-driven era. So what happens when traditional pathways—like internships—can no longer carry the full weight of workforce preparation? And how can universities proactively build a more reliable, scalable “talent supply chain” for industry? These questions sit at the heart of the latest episode of Signals in Higher Ed. Host Darin Francis sits down with Steve Russell, Chief Partnership Officer at Bowling Green State University, to explore how institutions can move beyond transactional employer relationships toward deeply integrated partnerships that reshape student outcomes. The conversation spans experiential learning, industry engagement, and the evolving infrastructure needed to connect education with workforce demands. What you’ll learn… * Why internships alone can’t meet demand—and how scalable, project-based learning can fill the gap. * How to turn employer relationships from one-off transactions into long-term, value-driven partnerships. * What a “talent supply chain” really means—and how it could reshape collaboration between universities and industry. Steve Russell is a higher education executive with over a decade of experience leading corporate engagement, workforce development, and career design initiatives that connect universities with industry. He currently serves as Chief Partnership Officer at Bowling Green State University, where he builds strategic partnerships to scale work-integrated learning, research collaboration, and talent pipelines that drive student career outcomes. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a strong track record in partnership development, team leadership, and launching large-scale student success initiatives, including building a multimillion-dollar student success center and expanding corporate engagement efforts across institutions.

Engineering Education Needs to Be Human-Centered, Purpose-Driven, and Grounded in Real-World Problem Solving

Student disengagement, the rapid rise of AI, and shifting workforce expectations are pushing higher education to rethink how it prepares graduates. Engineering programs—long defined by rigor and technical depth—are now under pressure to stay relevant, improve retention, and produce graduates who can actually solve real-world problems, not just theoretical ones. And the numbers back that up: engineering programs in the U.S. see dropout rates as high as 40–50%, with even higher attrition at regional universities, pointing to deeper structural issues in how these programs are designed and delivered. So how can engineering education evolve without sacrificing its rigor—and still attract, engage, and retain a broader, more diverse group of students? Welcome to Signals in Higher Ed. In the latest episode, host Darin Francis sits down with Dr. Marcello Nitz, Rector of the Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia in Brazil, to explore how human-centered engineering and experiential learning are reshaping the future of engineering education. Their conversation spans curriculum design, student motivation, faculty alignment, and the measurable impact of embedding purpose into technical training. Top insights from the talk… * Human-centered engineering reframes technical work through impact: By connecting engineering projects to real human outcomes, students develop deeper motivation and broader perspective. * Experiential learning builds true competency—not just knowledge: Hands-on, real-world problem solving helps students apply theory and develop critical skills like empathy and judgment. * Retention improves when students find meaning: Programs that integrate purpose-driven learning have seen dropout rates cut in half in early semesters. Dr. Marcello Nitz is an academic leader and the Rector of Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia, where he oversees institutional strategy, academic operations, and large-scale curriculum transformation. With nearly three decades of experience as a professor and administrator, he has led engineering programs, taught core subjects like thermodynamics and transport phenomena, and driven initiatives to strengthen faculty research and industry collaboration. A researcher in particulate systems and fluid dynamics, Nitz also brings industry and startup experience, along with a strong record of funded projects, publications, and international partnerships.

Scaling Career-Ready Skills: How Adaptive Learning and Generative AI Are Transforming Higher Education

Skills-based learning has moved from buzzword to mandate as colleges face mounting pressure to connect credentials, employability, and measurable learner outcomes. Employers are increasingly using skills-based hiring practices, and NACE’s Job Outlook 2026 notes that students need to demonstrate concrete examples of skills in action during hiring processes. At the same time, higher education leaders are rethinking cost, ROI, and the value of credentials as institutions confront uncertainty and changing workforce expectations. So, if the traditional credit-hour model is under pressure, can adaptive learning, simulations, and generative AI help institutions build more relevant pathways from coursework to career readiness? On this episode of Signals in Higher Ed, host Darin Francis speaks with Phillip Miller, CEO of Skillwell, about the growing momentum behind adaptive learning, immersive simulations, and generative AI-powered course design. Their conversation explores why institutions are rethinking online learning, how Skillwell is combining adaptive pathways with simulation-based practice, and where higher ed can better align with corporate learning and workforce needs. Top insights from the talk… * Skills-based learning has reached a “fever pitch.” Miller says ASU GSV reflected a broader willingness among universities to rethink legacy models, including the credit hour. * Generative AI is changing the economics of adaptive learning. What once required building dozens of course pathways manually can now be supported by AI-assisted content and simulation design. * Higher ed and corporate learning are converging around outcomes. Miller argues that career-focused online programs and corporate training share similar needs: assess skills, close gaps, and validate learning. Phillip Miller is the CEO of Skillwell, a company focused on immersive and adaptive simulations for higher education and corporate learning. He has more than 20 years of experience in edtech, including leadership roles with Open LMS, Blackboard, and Angel Learning. Miller previously led Open LMS through three acquisitions that helped create the world’s largest Moodle provider, and he has advised early-stage learning technology companies on product strategy, fundraising, and go-to-market growth.

Closing the Education-to-Employment Gap: The Rise of the Career Center as Campus Infrastructure

Higher education is under mounting pressure to prove its value. As student debt, shifting demographics, and employer expectations reshape the landscape, institutions are being forced to rethink how they prepare students for life after graduation. At the same time, new data shows a sharp rise in internship-to-full-time hiring, with recent cohorts converting at their highest rate in years—underscoring how critical hands-on experience has become. Yet many institutions still stop short of requiring structured career education, creating a widening gap between how students are prepared and how they ultimately enter the workforce. So what happens when the traditional “career services office” is no longer enough? How can universities evolve career centers into something more embedded, scalable, and essential to student success? On this episode of Signals in Higher Ed, host Darin Francis sits down with Dr. Patrick Madsen, Associate Dean of Advising & Experiential Learning at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, to explore a fundamental shift: moving from career services as a standalone function to a fully integrated campus ecosystem. The conversation dives into how institutions can embed experiential learning at scale, align stakeholders across campus, and redefine career readiness as a shared responsibility. What you’ll learn… * How career centers are shifting from optional support services to core drivers of institutional value and ROI. * Why experiential learning must go beyond traditional internships—and what scalable, flexible models actually work today. * How leading institutions use data, infrastructure, and cross-campus collaboration to deliver measurable student outcomes. Dr. Patrick Madsen is a senior higher education leader who specializes in integrating academic advising, career education, and experiential learning into scalable, data-driven student success systems, most notably through the development of the “Charlotte Model.” Dr. Madsen has led large, cross-functional teams and multimillion-dollar portfolios, driving innovation in career ecosystems, employer partnerships, and experiential learning infrastructure to improve retention, graduation, and workforce outcomes. With over 20 years of experience—including leadership roles at institutions like UNC Charlotte, Johns Hopkins University, and UNC Greensboro—he is also an experienced educator, national speaker, and consultant on career development, organizational strategy, and university-industry alignment.

If Higher Ed Wants Experiential Learning at Scale, It Needs a Broader Playbook

The ground is shifting under higher education. AI is changing how people learn almost overnight—and at the same time, more than half of graduates are underemployed after finishing their degrees. That’s forcing a more uncomfortable question into the open: what is a college credential really worth today? As employers and governments shift their focus toward skills, experience, and job readiness, institutions are under growing pressure to adapt—or risk falling behind. So what comes next for higher education—and how can it adapt quickly enough to meet the demands of students, employers, and society? Welcome to Signals in Higher Ed. In this episode, guest host Dr. Nicole Crevar convenes a founders roundtable on experiential learning with Jason Blackstock of How to Change the World, Dana Stephenson of Riipen, and Jeffrey Moss of Parker Dewey. Together, they unpack how experiential learning—hands-on, real-world problem solving—is shifting from the margins to the core of higher education, and what it will take to scale it across institutions. Top insights from the talk… * Experiential learning is no longer optional—it’s becoming the central pillar of higher education, driven by AI and workforce demands. * The biggest gaps in today’s system are relevancy, signaling, and trust, with employers increasingly skeptical of traditional credentials. * Scaling experiential learning requires a mix of models—curricular, co-curricular, employer-led, and community-based—rather than a single standardized approach. Jason Blackstock is a social entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of How to Change the World, with a career spanning quantum physics, technology innovation, and higher education leadership. He has taught and led research at leading institutions including Harvard, Oxford, and University College London, where he founded and led the STEaPP department, and has authored over 100 publications and multiple patents. Today, he works at the intersection of education, policy, and innovation, advising global organizations and driving large-scale experiential learning initiatives through his ventures. Dana Stephenson is the co-founder and CEO of Riipen, the world’s largest experiential learning marketplace, focused on connecting students with real-world industry projects to bridge the gap between education and employment. He has spent over a decade building partnerships between employers and academic institutions, enabling businesses to access pre-vetted emerging talent while helping learners develop in-demand skills, including those shaped by AI and new technologies. His work centers on scaling work-integrated learning, driving innovation in talent pipelines, and improving career outcomes through hands-on, project-based experiences. Jeffrey Moss is the founder and CEO of Parker Dewey, where he pioneered micro-internships as a model for experiential recruiting and improving the college-to-career transition. With a background spanning venture capital and senior leadership roles at organizations like Educational Testing Service (ETS), he has driven innovation at the intersection of employer branding, skills-based hiring, and workforce development. His work focuses on helping employers better assess early-career talent while expanding access to meaningful work opportunities for students and recent graduates.