In this final episode of the year, Dustin talked with Ruth Bauer [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwhite1023/], President at InsideTrack [https://www.insidetrack.org], who shared how the organization’s new Coaching Lab is expanding access to coaching far beyond traditional college students. Ruth reflects on 12+ years of building human-centered, tech-supported student success systems and explores how flexible, scalable coaching can support everyone from GED earners to returning adult learners.

Guest Name: Ruth Bauer, President, InsideTrack

Guest Social: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rwhite1023/]

Guest Bio: Ruth Bauer is a purpose-driven leader, executive, and lifelong learner who is currently serving as the President of InsideTrack, a student success coaching nonprofit that has served over 3.6 million learners since 2001.

Over the past two decades, she has devoted her career to education and personal development at every level -- from early childhood education to higher education and corporate learning and development. As a proud first-generation college student and public school mom, Ruth has seen the transformative potential of expanding educational opportunity in my own life, which sparked a lifelong passion for working at the intersection of education, social impact, and leadership.


- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Dustin Ramsdell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinramsdell/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Geek is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network [https://podcasts.enrollify.org/]. 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 [https://451.elmt.link/49ocwR8].


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

Episode #310: How InsideTrack Is Expanding What Success Coaching Can Be

In this week's episode, guest host Dustin Ramsdell spoke with Madison Vasich, a current Roompact blogger from the University of Montana to get her reflections and advice on starting as a new professional staff member straight from completing her undergraduate degree. Madison also shares her experience moving to a new area for your first professional job and how best to acclimate to a campus environment.

ResEdChat Ep 157: Advice for Success in Early Career Positions with Madison Vasich

What if launching a business was a graduation requirement? At Paul Quinn College, that’s exactly what students are doing. 

In this episode, Dustin sat down with Jeff Meade [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmeade/] from Paul Quinn College [https://paulquinn.edu/] (PQC), who shares how this HBCU is integrating entrepreneurship into the student experience—not as an elective or a club, but as a campus-wide, curriculum-infused mission. You’ll hear how students from every discipline are learning to think like founders, pitch real ideas, and even secure funding.

Guest Name: Jeff Meade - Assistant Professor & Founding Director of Entrepreneurship at Paul Quinn College

Guest Social: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmeade/]

Guest Bio: Jeff Meade is the Founding Director of Entrepreneurship at Paul Quinn College, where he is leading a bold initiative: Every Quinnite is an Entrepreneur. The program ensures every student launches a venture before graduation, making entrepreneurship a core life skill rather than an extracurricular option.

With over 20 years of experience growing companies and advising businesses, Jeff has scaled agencies to multimillion-dollar revenues and built client-side marketing programs that gained national recognition. His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Entrepreneur Magazine. Today, Jeff is pioneering venture-based learning, a model that equips students with an entrepreneurial mindset, creativity, and real-world experience to thrive as founders, innovators, and intrapreneurs in any field.


- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Dustin Ramsdell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinramsdell/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Geek is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network [https://podcasts.enrollify.org/]. 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 [https://451.elmt.link/49ocwR8].


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

Episode #309: Why Work-College Students Are Becoming Founders-in-Training

In this episode of the podcast, guest host Dustin Ramsdell chats with Katie Steele, a current Roompact blogger from the Seattle University about how best to prepare for and navigate applying for a job at your current institution. She shares perspectives on going through these interview processes as a candidate as well as managing them as a reviewer. Katie shares tips for listeners to make sure you're being transparent and evaluated fairly as a an applicant as well as able to provide an impartial view as a reviewer.

ResEdChat Ep 156: Navigating Internal Job Transitions with Katie Steele

In this episode, Dustin chats with Sabih Bin Wasi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabihbinwasi/], Founder and CEO of Stellic [https://www.stellic.com/], about rethinking course registration, degree planning, and the broader student experience. What started as a tool to help Sabih navigate his own college journey as a first-gen student has evolved into a platform used by over a million students worldwide. Together, they unpack why registration is more than a transactional task—it’s a pivotal point that shapes academic, personal, and professional futures.

Whether you’re a registrar, advisor, or enrollment leader, this conversation will challenge you to question outdated systems and consider how better tech (and mindset shifts) can improve both the student and institutional experience.

Guest Name: Sabih Bin Wasi - Founder and CEO at Stellic

Guest Social: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabihbinwasi/]

Guest Bio: Sabih Bin Wasi is the founder and CEO of Stellic, a student success platform transforming how universities help students plan and achieve their academic goals. As a student at Carnegie Mellon University, Sabih experienced firsthand how complex and confusing the higher education system can be for students trying to make the right choices about their paths. What started as a personal frustration with course planning evolved into a drive to reimagine how institutions support students through their most consequential years.

Under Sabih’s leadership, Stellic has grown from a student-built prototype at CMU to a comprehensive enterprise platform used by over 80 universities to streamline degree planning, advising, and academic operations. Sabih is energized by Stellic’s mission to enable 10 million student success stories, and as a lifelong learner at heart, he continues to approach every challenge with curiosity, creativity, and a deep belief in the power of higher education to transform lives.


- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Dustin Ramsdell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinramsdell/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Geek is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network [https://podcasts.enrollify.org/]. 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 [https://451.elmt.link/49ocwR8].


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

Episode #308: Building the Future of Degree Management with Student-Centered Design

In this episode of Roompact's RA*Chat, join us for an insightful conversation with Dwayne Peterson as we delve beyond traditional resume tips to explore the full spectrum of career preparation, from strategic networking to intentional job applications. Learn how your RA experience translates into valuable, transferable skills that employers seek. This deep dive session will...... Continue Reading → [https://blog.roompact.com/2025/12/rachat-ep-155-from-res-life-to-real-life-career-prep-before-the-ball-drops/#more-35059]

RA*Chat Ep 155: From Res Life to Real Life: Career Prep Before the Ball Drops

What if your student success team had AI-powered tools that could prep meeting notes, flag at-risk students in real time, and prove the ROI of your campus programs—all without needing “perfect” data? In this episode, Civitas Learning [https://www.civitaslearning.com/] CEO Will Ballard [https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-ballard-b09115/] breaks down how their platform makes this possible.

From demystifying data integration to showcasing real-world use cases of predictive and generative AI, Will shares a refreshingly honest and technical take on what higher ed institutions can (and should) be doing right now to increase student retention and graduation outcomes.

Guest Name: Will Ballard - CEO at Civitas Learning

Guest Social: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-ballard-b09115/]

Guest Bio: An accomplished technology company executive and engineering leader who first joined Civitas Learning as chief technology officer in 2020, Will Ballard has more than twenty years of experience managing large technical and engineering teams as well as supporting customer success for enterprise technology customers.


- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Dustin Ramsdell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinramsdell/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Geek is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network [https://podcasts.enrollify.org/]. 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 [https://451.elmt.link/49ocwR8].


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

Episode #307: How to Empower Student Retention Efforts with AI

In this episode of the podcast, guest host Dustin Ramsdell chats with Ashley Unmacht, a current Roompact blogger from the University of Wisconsin-Madison about her path growing into a mid-level role early in her career. She shares advice for others as they navigate job related transitions as well as the unique dynamics of supervising students and colleagues when you move up as a young professional.

ResEdChat Ep. 154: Reflecting on Moving to Mid-Level with Ashley Unmacht

Shai Reshef [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaireshef], founder of University of the People [https://www.uopeople.edu/], joins Dustin to share how his radically accessible, tuition-free, accredited online university is scaling globally and rewriting the rules of what college can be. From refugee learners in conflict zones to first-generation students from all over the world, University of the People is serving 170,000+ students with a bold vision: higher ed should be affordable, flexible, and job-relevant. This episode is a masterclass in educational innovation, AI integration, and mission-driven leadership.

Guest Name: Shai Reshef - Founder & President of University of the People

Guest Social: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaireshef]

Guest Bio: Shai Reshef is the President of University of the People (UoPeople). Reshef has over 25 years of experience in the international education market. Reshef has been widely recognized for his work with UoPeople, including being awarded the 2023 Yidan Prize for Educational Development, referred to as the Nobel Prize for Education; an honorary doctorate from the Open University, named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business; awarded an Ashoka fellowship; joined UN-GAID as a High-level Adviser; granted an RSA Fellowship; selected by The Huffington Post as the Ultimate Game Changer in Education; nominated as one of Wired Magazine’s 50 People Changing the World; and selected as a Top Global Thinker by Foreign Policy Magazine.

An expert on the intersection of education and technology, Reshef has spoken internationally at conferences, including DLD, TED, World Economic Forum, EG5 Conference, Google’s Higher Education Summit, ASU+GSV, SXSW, The Economist’s Annual Human Potential Summit, Financial Times’ Innovation Conference, and the Schools for Tomorrow Event for the New York Times. He has also lectured at Yale, Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford, among others. Reshef’s TED Talk and Nas Daily video about the University have over 30M views combined. Reshef holds an M.A. in Chinese Politics from the University of Michigan.


- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Dustin Ramsdell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinramsdell/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Geek is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network [https://podcasts.enrollify.org/]. 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 [https://451.elmt.link/49ocwR8].


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

Episode #306: Inside the Tuition-Free University Serving 170,000 Students

In this bonus episode, Dustin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinramsdell] caught up with Annie Chechitelli [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-chechitelli-01374a3b/], Chief Product Officer at Turnitin [https://www.turnitin.com/]. After recording earlier this year at SXSW EDU [https://www.enrollify.org/episodes/episode-273-the-next-chapter-in-ai-literacy-what-educators-need-to-know], they reconnected to unpack the biggest myths and realities around AI in higher ed. Building upon her recent blog post [https://www.turnitin.com/blog/ai-is-here-to-stay-in-the-classroom-so-why-do-we-need-ai-detectors] as well as the prior conversation Dustin had with Annie’s colleague, Eric Wang [https://www.enrollify.org/episodes/episode-294-reimagining-student-assignments-with-ai-and-transparency], this conversation dives into the evolving role of AI tools—like generative writing assistants and detection software—and how institutions and instructors can embrace transparency, not panic. Annie shares sharp insights on what AI literacy really means, why “zero AI” policies may backfire, and how faculty can empower students without sacrificing trust or learning outcomes.

Guest Name: Annie Chechitelli, Chief Product Officer at Turnitin

Guest Social: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-chechitelli-01374a3b/]

Guest Bio: Annie Chechitelli has spent the past two decades innovating with educators to expand access to education, meet the quickly changing needs of learners, and empower students to do their best, original work. As the Chief Product Officer at Turnitin, Annie oversees the Turnitin suite of applications which includes academic integrity, grading and feedback, and assessment capabilities.


- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Dustin Ramsdell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinramsdell/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Geek is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network [https://podcasts.enrollify.org/]. 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 [https://451.elmt.link/49ocwR8].


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

BONUS: Helping College Students Use AI Without Losing the Plot

This show will be exploring all of the nuances of higher education with a focus
on innovative technology and practices from professionals all across the
country. Hosted by Dustin Ramsdell.

The Higher Ed Geek Podcast

Dustin Ramsdell's Show

Roompact's ResEdChat is a variety show of presentations, interviews, and webinars on issues of importance to college and university residence life professionals. Learn about new trends in the field of residential education, innovations in student housing, and hear from some of the experts in our field. Join the conversation at #ResEdChat.

Dustin Ramsdell

Shows