Mitch Daniels: The Heart of the Academic Enterprise

Higher Ed Now

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28:52

Retailers are facing a rapidly evolving landscape where consumer expectations, AI advancements, and social media platforms like TikTok are redefining engagement. It feels like the holiday shopping season just ended, but when do retailers start planning for the next one, and some retailers already behind the curve for this season? Joining us today is Carey Cockrum, Director of Consulting at Cella by Randstad Digital, where she helps major brands and marketing teams optimize their strategies with data-driven insights, AI-powered content creation, and cutting-edge retail marketing trends. With the holidays just around the corner, she’s here to share what’s next for retail marketing, campaign optimization, and how brands can stay ahead in a hyper-competitive space. ABOUT CAREY COCKRUM Carey has been a part of the Creative Agency space for nearly 30 years. She has served as Designer, Creative Director, Creative Operations Lead and Agency Lead in both internal and external agencies (big and small). Carey has worked directly with C-suite stakeholders to understand organizational strategies that inform effective creative solutions. She is a bit of a data nerd and loves demonstrating results. Brands she’s supported include Fruit of the Loom, Wendy’s and Humana. In her free time, she enjoys going back to her creative roots through painting and drawing. She also spends her time improving upon the house she lives in today in Southern, MI - inside and out. RESOURCES Catch the future of e-commerce at eTail Boston, August 11-14, 2025. Register now: https://bit.ly/etailboston and use code PARTNER20 for 20% off for retailers and brands Don't Miss MAICON 2025, October 14-16 in Cleveland - the event bringing together the brights minds and leading voices in AI. Use Code AGILE150 for $150 off registration. Go here to register: https://bit.ly/agile150 Connect with Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregkihlstrom Don't miss a thing: get the latest episodes, sign up for our newsletter and more: https://www.theagilebrand.show Check out The Agile Brand Guide website with articles, insights, and Martechipedia, the wiki for marketing technology: https://www.agilebrandguide.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems. Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company…

about a year ago 29:32

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Focusing on the role of higher education in preparing young Americans for citizenship, ACTA's president Michael Poliakoff speaks with Mitch Daniels, former Governor of Indiana, who also served as president of Purdue University from 2013 to 2022.

101 episodes

Mitch Daniels: The Heart of the Academic Enterprise

Higher Ed Now

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published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

101 episodes

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1
Civil Discourse Surges at UNC-Greensboro 37:31

6 days ago37:31

37:31

ACTA’s Program Coordinator for the College Debates and Discourse Alliance, Kayla Johnston, returns to her alma mater, the University of North Carolina (UNC)–Greensboro, for a conversation with two student leaders: Lauren Fletcher and Matt Kircher. Thanks to the generous support of the Barnes Family Foundation, the College Debates and Discourse Alliance has brought its debates and dialogues to over 11 institutions within the UNC System. As Lee Barnes Campus Debate Student Fellows, Ms. Fletcher and Mr. Kircher have organized several Braver Angels debates at UNC–Greensboro since the fall of 2023. Together, they reflect on how our programming has helped revive a culture of open dialogue, viewpoint diversity, and free expression on campus.…

1
John Hillen: American Civics and Student Leadership 46:35

11 days ago46:35

46:35

ACTA President Michael Poliakoff welcomes The Honorable John Hillen, distinguished resident fellow at the Center for Politics in Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and an executive-in-residence of the Political Science Department. Dr. Hillen is a combat veteran and Bronze Star recipient, a former assistant U.S. secretary of state, a successful business leader, and the author of The Strategy Dialogues: A Primer on Business Strategy and Strategic Management. He also serves on ACTA’s National Commission on American History and Civic Education. Drs. Poliakoff and Hillen discuss how to engage students in the study of American civics and higher education's role in preparing students to be next generation leaders in the areas of American foreign policy and national security.…

1
Zagros Madjd-Sadjadi: Expanding Civil Discourse at Winston-Salem State University 48:49

21 days ago48:49

48:49

This episode features Zagros Madjd-Sadjadi, professor of economics at Winston-Salem State University. Dr. Madjd-Sadjadi has more than 30 years of teaching and economic consulting experience and was formerly the chief economist of the city and county of San Francisco . His work has been cited in the Congressional Record and led to the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act. This past year, Dr. Madjd-Sadjadi served as the Lee Barnes Campus Debate Faculty Fellow for ACTA’s College Debates and Discourse (CD&D) Alliance program at Winston-Salem State University. ACTA’s Kayla Johnston, who serves as program manager for CD&D Alliance initiatives in North Carolina, also joins this conversation, exploring Dr. Madjd-Sadjadi's efforts to introduce civil debates and dialogues in his classroom and on campus.…

1
Jane Calvert: The Imperative to Study America's Founding 27:25

8 weeks ago27:25

27:25

In this episode, ACTA Vice President of Policy Bradley Jackson talks with Jane Calvert, director of the John Dickinson Writings Project and a member of ACTA’s National Commission on American History and Civic Education. They contend that the study of history is less about rote memorization and more like being a detective excavating an unsolved mystery or a lawyer preparing to argue an important and novel legal case. Dr. Calvert discusses how a deeper understanding of history reveals us to ourselves and why she is passionate about preserving the life and writings of one of America’s unheralded Founders, John Dickinson.…

1
Juniata College: Embracing Debate from the Campus to Classroom 1:08:44

10 weeks ago1:08:44

1:08:44

In this episode, Sadie Webb, ACTA's Associate Director of the College Debates and Discourse (CD&D) Alliance , discusses the Alliance’s extensive work with faculty and student leaders at Juniata College. Dean of Students Matthew Damschroder, Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Derek James, and four students share how participating in classroom and campus debates has fostered free expression and the critical exploration of ideas.…

1
Jon Hardister: Theory and Practice of Excellent University Governance 24:30

12 weeks ago24:30

24:30

ACTA’s chief of staff and SVP, Armand Alacbay, sits down with Jon Hardister, who once chaired North Carolina's House Education Committee, and now serves as a trustee at Western Carolina University. Hear his insider insights on the key role trustees play in university governance, student success, and protecting free speech on campus.…

1
Ohio Senator Jerry Cirino: Fortifying Open Discourse in the Buckeye State 33:56

15 weeks ago33:56

33:56

ACTA president Michael Poliakoff speaks to Ohio Senator Jerry Cirino, vice chair of the Senate's Higher Education Committee, on his promise to enact legislation to enhance the quality of higher education in the Buckeye State. Senator Cirino aims to safeguard open discourse and intellectual diversity for both students and faculty, mandate institutional neutrality at Ohio universities, and ensure that every post-secondary student receives a solid grounding in civics and American history.…

1
Mitch Daniels: The Heart of the Academic Enterprise 29:32

16 weeks ago29:32

29:32

1
Joshua Dunn: Intellectual Diversity and Informed Patriotism 36:01

17 weeks ago36:01

36:01

ACTA's president Michael Poliakoff speaks with the distinguished scholar and education leader, Joshua Dunn, who took on leadership of the recently established Institute of American Civics at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in June, 2023. Professor Dunn was previously the executive director of the Center for the Study of Government and the Individual at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where he was also professor and chair of the Political Science department. His book, From Schoolhouse to Courthouse - The Judiciary's Role in American Education, offers an important view of the complex relationship between courts and education. His landmark study co-authored with Jon A. Shields, Passing on the Right: Conservative Professors in the Progressive University, makes a strong case for why robust and uninhibited intellectual inquiry should be at the center of the American academy.…

1
Aaron Sibarium - On the Record 1:06:39

20 weeks ago1:06:39

1:06:39

ACTA's Paul and Karen Levy Fellow in Campus Freedom, Steve McGuire, interviews Aaron Sibarium, a journalist who writes for the Washington Free Beacon . Sibarium graduated in 2018 from Yale University, where he was the opinion editor of The Yale Daily News . Much of his reporting for the Free Beacon focuses on issues in higher education, and he has authored numerous blockbuster investigative reports on plagiarism, race-based initiatives, and free speech issues on American campuses.…

1
Peter Skerry: Embracing Uncomfortable Campus Conversations 43:54

21 weeks ago43:54

43:54

Higher Ed Now producer Doug Sprei interviews Peter Skerry, professor of political science at Boston College, who has served as a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He has been featured in a variety of scholarly and national media publications, and is the author of Counting on the Census: Race, Group Identity, and the Evasion of Politics (published by Brookings), and Mexican Americans: The Ambivalent Minority (published by Free Press/Harvard University Press), which was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Sprei first encountered Professor Skerry while chairing a debate on immigration at the Braver Angels Convention at Carthage College in June, 2024. During that highly charged event, as he stood up to speak and address other speakers, it became apparent that he is deeply conversant with issues around immigration, a topic that has polarized and challenged society for decades. Professor Skerry is currently advising Braver Angels on framing constructive community dialogue around immigration. In this episode, he shares insights into why it has become such a weaponized topic in today's politics, and why educators should encourage students to embrace uncomfortable conversations around controversial issues.…

1
Alumni Free Speech Advocacy at MIT: Wayne Stargardt and Peter Bonilla 43:32

26 weeks ago43:32

43:32

For the past several years, ACTA has collaborated with the Alumni Free Speech Alliance (AFSA) to defend free expression, academic freedom, and viewpoint diversity on college and university campuses. With hundreds of alumni advocates across 27 institutions, AFSA represents a national movement empowering alumni to exert positive, meaningful influence on their alma maters. One of the most active groups to emerge from this movement is the MIT Free Speech Alliance (MFSA). As they support activities from on-campus debates to off-campus mobilization, MFSA members have proven to be both friends and ardent critics of their alma mater. This fall, ACTA’s College Debates and Discourse Alliance curricular fellow, Dr. Bryan Paul, attended MFSA’s annual conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he moderated a panel discussion with senior administrators from several institutions on strategies to improve the free speech culture on college campuses. He also recorded this interview with MFSA President Wayne Stargardt and MFSA Executive Director Peter Bonilla, a deep dive into MFSA’s reform efforts at MIT and beyond.…

1
Core Texts in a Hispanic Context: a Special Spanish Episode of Higher Ed Now 59:37

31 weeks ago59:37

59:37

In this episode of Higher Ed Now, the second of two conversations devoted to core texts, ACTA’s Academic Affairs Fellow Veronica Bryant speaks in Spanish with Clemente Cox, classics and philosophy scholar and the Academic Director of the Center of General Studies at the Universidad de los Andes. Their conversation includes the differences between Anglo-Saxon and Hispanic higher education, core curricula, the “barbarism of specialism,” what we mean when we talk about Great Books, the humanities’ special relevance today, and the Hispanic Canon study abroad program that Clemente Cox will co-lead with Maria Jose Gomez in summer 2025. Clemente Cox holds a MA in Philosophy, with a concentration in Classical Languages, from the Universidad de los Andes, Chile. He received both his BA in Philosophy and his BA in Literature from the same university. He currently serves as academic director of the Center for General Studies at the Universidad de los Andes, Chile. In addition to coordinating the general education program, he teaches courses in anthropology, ethics and core texts in literature. His research focuses on the intersections between ancient literature and the practical philosophy of figures such as Aristotle, Plato and Xenophon. He is also interested in the tradition of rhetorical education and its potential uses in contemporary educational contexts. In Fall 2024, he will start studying for a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Dallas.…

1
Core Texts and Enduring Questions for Today’s Students 58:28

35 weeks ago58:28

58:28

ACTA’s Academic Affairs Fellow Veronica Bryant is joined by two distinguished educators and advocates for core texts in liberal education: Dr. Charlotte Thomas, Executive Director of the Association for Core Texts and Courses, or ACTC, and Dr. José María Torralba, board member of ACTC. Dr. Thomas is a Professor of Philosophy at Mercer University, where she is also the Director of the Great Books Program and Co-Director of the Thomas C. and Ramona E. McDonald Center for America’s Founding Principles , an ACTA Oasis of Excellence . Dr. Torralba is a Professor of Moral and Political Philosophy at the University of Navarra in Spain, where he used to direct the Core Curriculum Institute and currently heads the Civic Humanism Center for Character and Professional Ethics . He is the author of Una educación liberal. Elogio de los grandes libros (which translates to “ A Liberal Education: In Praise of Great Books” ). Together they discuss “core texts” or “Great Books”— what they are, how they are connected to core curriculum, and how they can bring a sense of meaning to today’s college students at colleges across America—and across the globe.…

1
Confessions of a Black Conservative: Glenn Loury 21:45

36 weeks ago21:45