Higher Ed Conversations
Join host and CEO of GradComm, Cheryl Broom as she sits down with higher education experts to discuss trends in marketing, communications, advancement and student success.
Episodes
77 episodes
Ep 76: Inside a Public Records Crisis and How to Prepare for One
What happens when a routine day on campus turns into a viral public records crisis? In this episode of Higher Ed Conversations, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom sits down with Ka...
Ep 75: Quick Take: AI Search Is Changing Everything. Are You Ready?
For years, higher ed marketing has revolved around one metric: the Click. But what happens when students stop clicking? In this Quick Take episode, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom explores how AI-powered search is fundamentally changing the way prosp...
Ep 74: Your Brand Isn’t for Everyone, And That’s the Point
Today’s marketers aren’t just communicators, they’re storytellers competing for attention, emotion, and connection. In this episode of Higher Ed Conversations, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom sits down with
Ep 73: Quick Take: Why Your College Website Search Isn’t Working and How AI Can Fix It
Website search is one of the most-used tools on a college website, but for many institutions, it’s also one of the most frustrating. Prospective students often type a question into the search bar only to get outdated meeting minutes, random PDF...
Ep 72: Stop Using Clicks to Measure Campaign Success
Is your marketing really working, or are you just measuring the wrong thing? In this episode of Higher Education Conversations, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom sits down with Jeff Greenfield, ...
Ep 71: Quick Take: What Would ChatGPT Say About Your College?
Student search behavior has changed dramatically, and if your college isn’t showing up in AI answers, your prospective students may never find you. Why? Today’s students are using generative AI as the starting point of their college search, oft...
Ep 70: Straight From the Source: How High School Students Choose and Ignore Colleges
Today’s students are telling colleges exactly what they want. Are we listening? In this episode of Higher Ed Conversations, host and GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom sits down with high school students Dylan and Piper for a candid conv...
Ep 69: Quick Take: 5 Digital Marketing Truths Higher Ed Marketers Can’t Ignore
Welcome to the very first Higher Ed Conversations: Quick Take, a new, bite-sized episode format designed for busy higher ed marketers who want actionable insights without a full-length listen.In this inaugural Quick Take, GradComm CEO Ch...
Higher Ed Conversations: Quick Takes Trailer
Introducing: Quick Takes, a new series of bite-sized episodes from the Higher Ed Conversations podcast with GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom.No guests. No fluff. Just fast, focused t...
Ep 68: Small Donors, Big Impact: Making Fundraising Events Worth the Effort
Fundraising events often get a bad rap in higher education. Too much work, too little return, and a whole lot of stress. But what if events could actually work as a meaningful part of your fundraising strategy? In this episode of Higher Ed Conv...
Ep 67: Leading With Values: How Alliant Builds Belonging from the Inside Out
What happens when your workplace values aren’t just posted on the wall, but actually shape how people lead, teach, and show up every day. In this inspiring conversation, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom talks with
Ep 66: Confronting Implicit Bias and Building Belonging in Higher Ed Marketing
In this thought-provoking episode, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom sits down with Leslie Vargas, Senior Public Affairs Officer at Riverside Community Colleg...
Ep 65: Saying No with Purpose: Building a Mission-Driven Marketing Office
What happens when your marketing office feels more like a sandwich shop, cranking out whatever people order, than a strategic partner on campus? That’s exactly the challenge Rache...
Ep 64: The Higher Ed Roadmap to Passing a Bond: Marketing, Messaging, and Community Trust
What does it take to pass a $600 million bond measure in a politically divided community? In this episode of Higher Ed Conversations, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom sits down with
Ep 63: AI Isn’t Coming, It’s Here: How American University Embedded AI into Every Corner of Campus
What happens when a university doesn’t just adopt AI, but bakes it into its DNA? In this episode of Higher Ed Conversations, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom sits down with two transformational leaders from Americ...
Ep 62: Why a Fractional CMO Might Be the Missing Piece in Your Higher Ed Marketing Strategy
What does a Fractional CMO actually do and why are ed-tech companies and colleges leaning into this flexible leadership model? In this episode, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom is joined by Gil Rogers
Ep 61: From High School to Higher Ed: 6 Factors That Predict College Success
Did you know that nearly one-third of college students drop out after their first year? In this episode, Carey Dukes, assistant professor at North G...
Ep 60: The Power of Community & Family Engagement in Education
GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom is joined by Marcela Andrés, CEO and president of designEDengagement, PBC, a consulting firm built around the ...
Ep 59: Prioritizing Data Privacy Without Slowing Down Digital Marketing
There is a push and pull between an advertiser’s desire to attribute advertisement spending to lead generation and their responsibility to respect consumer privacy. In this episode, Raj Sudra,...
Ep 58: Enhancing Admissions: The Role of Admissions Counselor Morale in Higher Education
In this episode, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom is joined by Teege Mettille, Director of Enrollment Success at enroll ml, to talk about the crucia...
Ep 57: Using Branding to Highlight Existing History and Tell Your Story
Dr. Tina King, President of San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE), joins GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom to talk about branding and ...
Ep 56: Leveraging Predictive Modeling to Help Students from Enrollment to Graduation
What are the barriers that keep students from finishing an application or from completing their degree? Emily Coleman, CEO & Co-founder of HAI Analytics (now part of
Ep 55: Leadership Development and the Importance of Organizational Happiness
In this episode, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom speaks with Elaine Gosden, CEO of Blue Gnu Consulting, about what true lea...