Welcome to the final episode of Season 2. Join our Sage Advice hosts, Chris Bonnell and Emma Salomon, for this series’ wrap-up episode. Join Chris and Emma as they revisit some of their favorite moments, such as: - Teaching students market-ready skills - Preparing the next generation of cyber security experts - Combatting the teacher shortage and the nursing shortage - Empowering students from diverse backgrounds - Developing microskills Chris Bonnell is the Vice President of Exte...

Welcome to this episode of Sage Advice. Host Chris Bonnell is joined by Dr. Adaira Landry and Dr. Resa Lewiss, the authors of the new book MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact. Join them as they: - Discuss the concept of microskills - Delve into the importance of mentorship and support - Explore the importance of taking initiative Dr. Adaira Landry is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School with almost a decade of experience mentoring students and early-career professionals. Sh...

In this episode of Sage Advice, host Emma Salomon is joined by Dr. Lisa Herring, President of PROPEL and strategic advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Education. Join them as they: - Discuss Dr. Lisa Herring’s journey from administrator to president of PROPEL - Discuss the importance of preparing students for the workforce - Speak on the challenges of staffing and how to combat them - Explore competency-based education and its benefits for individual students Dr. Herring has a career in...

In this episode of Sage Advice, host Chris Bonnell is joined by Sarah DeMark, Vice Provost of Workforce Intelligence and Credential Integrity at Western Governors University (WGU). Join them as they: - Discuss Sarah’s transition from traditional education to skills-centric learning - Delve into skills-based education, stackable credentials, and meeting workforce demands - Talk about transparency, value, and educational ROI for students - Discuss the unique approach of WGU in embracing skill...

In this episode of Sage Advice, host Chris Bonnell is joined by Michael Horn, co-founder of Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation. Join them as they: - Discuss how Yale and Harvard Business School led Michael to the Clayton Christensen Institute - Dive into what disruptive innovation means in education and how it’s already happening at WGU - Talk about disruptive innovation and its inherent inclusivity - Explore AI and its exciting possibilities in education, including indi...

In this episode of Sage Advice, host Chris Bonnell is joined by Kacey Thorne, Senior Director of Skills Architecture at Western Governors University. Join them as they: - Highlight the importance of skills in a rapidly changing job market - Explore aligning educational models with workforce demands and how WGU is leading the way in skills-based hiring - Explain the need to make degrees more valuable through a skills-based approach Kacey has been at WGU for eleven years and currently o...

In this episode of Sage Advice, host Emma Salomon is joined by Mitsu Frazier, Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the College of Business at Western Governors University. Join them as they: - Delve into the evolution of business education - Discuss WGU’s approach to competency-based education for evolving business needs - Shine a light on the importance of power skills in business education - Talk about the growth of WGU’s College of Business Mitsu Frazier is the Senior Vice Presid...

In this episode of WGU Sage Advice, host Chris Bonnell is joined by Paul Bingham, Senior Vice President and Executive Dean of the College of Information Technology at Western Governors University (WGU). Join them as they: - Discuss Paul's journey from FBI agent to educator - Delve into the importance of upskilling amidst rapidly evolving threats - Explore WGU's approach to integrating industry certifications into education - Talk about the critical role of cybersecurity in society...

In this episode of WGU Sage Advice, host Chris is joined by Stacey Ludwig Johnson, Senior Vice President of Western Governors University (WGU) and the Executive Dean of the School of Education. Join them as they: - Discuss the future of competency-based learning - Elaborate on WGU's impactful one-by-one approach to learning - Talk about the reason behind the shortage of teachers As a pioneer of competency-based education, Stacey is envisioning, creating, and implementing academic services ...

In the first episode of Season 2 of WGU Sage Advice, host Emma Salomon is joined by Dr. Kim Kelly-Cortez, Senior Associate Dean and Director of Undergraduate Programs at Western Governors University (WGU) and the Vice President of Nursing for the Leavitt School of Health, to discuss the future of nursing education and the innovative approaches being taken to prepare the next generation of nurses. Join them as they: - Delve into Kim’s journey into nursing - Discuss the challenges in nur...

Higher education is at a crossroads, with traditional models being challenged and reimagined every day. At Western Governors University, we're not just participating in this transformation; we're leading it. Welcome to Sage Advice. We bring together thought leaders, policymakers, and educators from WGU to discuss our unique approach to learning that prioritises student success, affordability, and real-world skills. Make sure to search for “Sage Advice” in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, S...

In this episode of the Sage Advice podcast, host Chris Bonnell interviews Jim Ogsbury, former Executive Director of the Western Governors Association (WGA). They discuss the powerful bipartisan collaboration between the WGA and Western Governors University (WGU), and their shared mission to impact the Western states and beyond. WGA, a non-partisan group of leaders focusing on policy rather than politics, was founded in 1984 to develop policies that address significant challenges such as natur...

Our guest today, David Quam, has had a fascinating career. From his high-paced start as a young employee working on the Contract with America in the mid-1990s to founding his firm, 56 Capitals, two and a half decades later, there has been no shortage of excitement, long hours, and hard-won negotiations. In our conversation with David, we discuss his time in Washington, the crucial role that state and local government play in the American Federal System, and the power of relationships in polit...

Mike Grote is a political consultant and WGU’s voice in the great state of Missouri. He has played a pivotal role in helping the university to make high-quality, low-cost online education available to Missourians. Tune in to hear his story of working closely with legislators to empower students’ journeys, with a vision to see an impact for generations to come. We touch on the idea that following the pandemic, digital infrastructure has become a human right, and discuss how it has highlighted ...

In this episode of the Sage Advice podcast, host Chris Bonnell speaks with Allen Clarkson, Government Relations Manager at Western Governors University (WGU), discussing the incredible growth and evolution of the university over the years. Clarkson, who joined WGU as a contracted employee in 2005, shares his journey from grading papers for the IT college to becoming a pivotal part of WGU's expansion, holding 15 different titles in various departments. Initially intending to stay at WGU only f...

Episode 02: Show Notes. Achieving a baccalaureate degree in a single year sounds impossible, but what if accreditation was based on competency instead of credit hours? Today, we are discussing competency-based education with the Vice President of Western Governors University, Lucas Kavlie. Tune in to hear the story of Lucas’s background with accreditation, compliance, and institutional effectiveness, before studying cyber and education law. We go on to discuss why Western Governors University...

Show Notes. Today Kurt Gunnell joins us to share a little of his world and unpack his role as the Director of Institutional Research at WGU. As someone so focused on the important data of the university, he has amazing insight and ideas around how the data can be leveraged to best serve the students and staff, and we get a real inside look at some of the processes that Kurt and his team are involved in. He also talks about collaborating with Gallup, his experiences over the last 10 years, and...

Episode 03: Show Notes. There are multiple avenues that students can pursue when it comes to acquiring financial aid. But many aren’t aware that your resultant debt can vary substantially based on a few key choices, and can be greatly minimized through good advice and a personalized financial plan. Today on the show we welcome Bob Collins, WGU’s Vice President of Financial Aid, to discuss his career in financial aid and higher education along with some of the important services, funds, and sc...