In the summer of 2023, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation collaborated with a select group of our postsecondary partners to help capture the voices of administrators, educators, and students, and elevate their stories of postsecondary transformation.
Many of the voices featured in the videos participated in the Frontier Set, launched by the foundation in 2015, to better understand how high-performing, high-potential institutions were transforming to dramatically improve outcomes for their Black, Latino, and Indigenous students, and students from low-income backgrounds.
Check out the videos below and view our whole suite of videos, along with the Spanish-language versions on our YouTube channel.
Videos
Q&A Video 1 (How do you define institutional transformation?)
- Dr. Valerie Kinloch, President, Johnson C. Smith University
- Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University
- Lisa Marsh Ryerson, Provost, Southern New Hampshire University
- Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc, President, Southern New Hampshire University
Q&A Video 2 (What does today’s student at your institution look like?)
- Lisa Marsh Ryerson, Provost, Southern New Hampshire University
- Jade Hebra, Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Southern New Hampshire University
- Dr. Erin Shortlidge, Associate Professor of Biology and Biology Education, Portland State University
- Annalisa Holcombe, Senior Vice President of Advancement, Western Governors University
Q&A Video 3 (What does it mean to create a student-centered environment?)
- Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University
- Dr. Erin Shortlidge, Associate Professor of Biology and Biology Education, Portland State University
- Lisa Marsh Ryerson, Provost, Southern New Hampshire University
- Dr. Paul J. LeBlanc, President, Southern New Hampshire University
Q&A Video 4 (How does data support transformation?)
- Lisa Marsh Ryerson, Provost, Southern New Hampshire University
- Jade Hebra, Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Southern New Hampshire University
- Dr. Erin Shortlidge, Associate Professor of Biology and Biology Education, Portland State University
- Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University
Q&A Video 5 (What role does strategic finance play in transformation?)
- Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University
- Dr. Marcia Ballinger, President, Lorain County Community College
Q&A Video 6 (How does catalytic leadership play a role in transformation?)
- Jade Hebra, Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Southern New Hampshire University
- Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University
- Dr. Erin Shortlidge, Associate Professor of Biology and Biology Education, Portland State University
Postsecondary Transformation at Johnson C. Smith University
At Johnson C. Smith University, students and faculty engage in discussions about leading, rather than following, trends in transformative educational practices. They dare to dream by assisting students across various identities in achieving their aspirations—whether through big-picture considerations of student outcome metrics or practical applications such as a mobile app for fostering student success.
Defining Transformation at Lorain County Community College
Lorain County Community College defines transformation as ensuring students’ dreams are met. This starts with identifying goals and how to achieve them, then tackling barriers to make them possible by redesigning developmental education pathways.