ALP: The Admissions Leadership Podcast

Ken chats with Tony Sarda, Director of Recruitment for Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. Some are called to serve with a whisper, others with a boom of thunder... in the case of Tony, it was both. Learn about the importance of being open to grace, and giving grace... and why it's really hard to be whay you cannot see.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood by Santa Esmeralda (from the best scene in Kill Bill Vol. 1) and Lose Yourself by Eminem.
• Best recent read: Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Tatum.
• Eager to read next: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Ropa Vieja for Christmas Eve.
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Whatever's around
• Memorable bit of advice: From Beverly Wheeler to Tony, who said to her, "I want to be like you when I grow up." Her response: "You're going to fail. You don't need to be like me. You need to be the best version of you."
• Bucket list: Run a half marathon. (Ken recommends Hal Higdon's training program).

Ken chats with Jon Boeckenstedt, vice provost for enrollment at Oregon State University, and the mind behind Higher Ed Data Stories, a treasure trove of data-driven (and data-visualized) observations about the state of higher ed. Jon shares some views about his recent career move as well as surprises about his reading and writing habits, as well as the unusual upside of the imposter syndrome.
Shout-outs & Links

• A couple of other places to get your Boeckenfix: jonboeckenstedt.net and Out Here In Oregon.
• The Test and The Art of Thinking a documentary about standardized tests, their role in college admission, and how they do (and don't) predict academic success.
• Jon's early influences that inform his wonderment about the absurdity of life: Mad Magazine's Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions (Vol. 1-3); The Stranger by Albert Camus; and Monty Python.
• 500px and Flickr, two collections of Jon's photography
• An investigative report on whether Alex Bello is, in fact, Marlon Jackson's
• Episode sponsored by InitialView and their latest development, Elevator Pitch.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: Won't Get Fooled Again by The Who.
• Best recent read: A Wikipedia entry about Norman Borlaug, which inspired him to name March 25 (Borlaug's birthday) National Test-Optional Day.
• Eager to read next: The Years that Matter Most by Paul Tough ("Apparently I'm in it...")
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Semi-homemade killer chili: Hormel chili + extra sharp cheddar + Frank's Red Hot + bacon bits.
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Not much of a notetaker, but Jon loves a good fountain pen. Though he owns a Montblanc, he prefers his Sheaffer (for writing in black) and Lamy (for writing in blue).
• Memorable bit of advice: "Everybody is an imposter."
• Bucket list: "I do not and never have had a bucket list."

Ken learns why "leadership is motion" with Carmen Lopez, Executive Director of College Horizons, a national educational non-profit serving American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Hawaiian Native students in their transition to college and graduate school.
Shout-outs & Links

• Claudio Sanchez's NPR story on College Horizons recorded at Lawrence University: How Native Students Can Succeed in College: "Be As Tough As the Land That Made You"
• Shout-outs to:
• Whitney Laughlin (founder of College Horizons) and Christine Suina, College Horizons program coordinator
• Dr. Robert Binswanger of Dartmouth, an early mentor
• Dr. Adrienne Keene, author of Native Appropriations and co-host of All My Relations with Matika Wilbur.
• Also: Candace Jimmerson, Bryan Brayboy, Jonathan Burdick, Joanie Brotman, Ralph Figueroa, DeAngela Burns-Wallace, and Regis Pecos (Cochiti Pueblo)

Rapid Descent

• Walkout songs (it's a playlist): I Love Rock'n'Roll (Joan Jett); Nasty (Janet Jackson); Kickstart My Heart (Mötley Crüe); Cult of Personality (Living Colour); Sabotage (Beastie Boys); Sisters (A Tribe Called Red); Kiss Me Deadly (Lita Ford); Are You Gonna Go My Way (Lenny Kravitz); Pynk (Janelle Monae); Get Ur Freak On (Missy Elliott)... all of which have been added to the ALP playlists on Apple Music and Spotify.
• Best recent reads: Navajo Coyote Stories and Star Wars Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire (both of which she has read with her kids); The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in an Age of Information Overload (Daniel Levitin); The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse (Charles Mackesy)... all of which have been added to the ALP Goodies List.
• Eager to read next: The Testaments (Margaret Atwood)
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Blue Corn Mash for the kids; Pinto Beans and Ham Hocks (with a LOT of cumin)
• For taking and keeping notes: One Note, a couple of Mead notebooks for brain dumps and... well, she warns you to keep an eye on your best pen
• Memorable bit of advice: From one of the elders who led the opening circle at a College Horizons college program: "Don't forget that while we might have generational trauma, we also have generational stamina."
• Bucket list: Even though she doesn't have a bucket list, she still needs to see two concerts: Buddy Guy and Def Leppard.

Ken chats with Akil Bello, founder of Bell Curves, who shares his views on higher ed and some news about a new professional adventure that fits perfectly with his leadership in matters around standardized testing. (And if you haven't read his writings on his website, Bellowings, you should give it a go.)
Shout-outs & Links

• Akil's presentation on entrepreneurship at the Harlem Business Alliance.
• An investigative report on whether Alex Bello is, in fact, Marlon Jackson's son, as referenced/joked about in the Netflix show, John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch.
• A blog post and full slide deck from Akil's Illinois ACAC keynote.
• Cross promotional shout out to the Crush podcast
• Episode sponsored by InitialView and their latest development, Elevator Pitch.

Rapid Descent

• Akil's walkout song: My Philosophy by KRS One
• Best thing he's read lately: Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Toni Adeyemi
• What he's eager to read next: The Gatekeepers by Jacques Steinberg
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: Whiskey sour.
• What he uses to take and keep notes: "Far too many things..."
• Memorable bit of advice: From his father: "Until you have a business plan, it's a hobby."
• Bucket list: Going to the Gálapagos.

Ken chats with Maria Furtado, Executive Director of Colleges That Change Lives, which is dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process. Maria shares the origin story of Admissions Aerobics (it's real and it's magic), as well as lessons she's learned along the way as a former director of admission herself.
Special shout-out to Marty O'Connell and Virginia Buege two of the big brains behind the birth of Colleges That Change Lives.

Rapid Descent

• Walkout song: Flowers are Red by Harry Chapin
• Best recent read: The Unwind Dystology Series by Tom Rachman
• Eager to read next: Half Broke: A Memoir by Ginger Gaffney
• Favorite thing to make in the kitchen: "Drinks."
• What he uses to take and keep notes: Paper and pen, especially one with a nice wide tip; not one of those sharp pointy ones.
• Memorable bit of advice: "Make a decision. It may be good; it may be bad. But make a decision. The best one you can at the time."
• Bucket list: Go to Fiji.