Speakers
The following speakers presented at 2008 Summer Seminar:
Sandy Baum
Sandy Baum is a professor of economics at Skidmore College and a senior policy analyst at College Board, and she co-chairs the College Board’s Rethinking Student Aid group with Michael McPherson, president of the Spencer Foundation. Rethinking Student Aid is an independent group of leading policy, student aid, and higher education experts charged with generating creative thinking about financial aid reform. It is working to develop a comprehensive set of recommendations for policy reform, coupled with a cost analysis from the Tax Policy Center at the Urban Institute. Baum has served as consulting economist to the College Board’s Financial Aid Standards and Services Advisory Committee since 1988 and has worked with a variety of other higher education organizations, including NASFAA, NAICU, NACUBO and the Pathways to College Network, in addition to individual colleges and universities. Baum earned her bachelor's degree in sociology at Bryn Mawr College and her doctorate in economics at Columbia University.
Carol Campbell
Carol Campbell is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Arizona State University. Prior to coming to ASU, Campbell held senior financial positions at Texas Christian University, Carleton College and the University of Minnesota. Campbell has also held leadership positions within higher education including Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Colleges and University Business Officers, President of the Central Association of Colleges and University Business Officers, and Chair of the TIAA-CREF Advisory Council. She has been a director of various organizations affiliated with higher education as well as being on the faculty of numerous professional development programs and has served as an advisor to the U.S. Department of Education. Campbell received NACUBO’s 2006 Distinguished Business Officer Award in recognition of her contributions to business and financial management in higher education.
Jim Collins
James E. Collins was named the 26th President of Loras College on February 27, 2004. At age 42, he became the youngest president to serve Loras College—Iowa's oldest college, the second oldest Catholic College west of the Mississippi and one of the country's 9 diocesan colleges. With a steady record of achievement at Loras, Collins served in seven different positions before being named to his current post. He has been a member of the administrative cabinet since 1992 and helped lead the College through both successful and challenging times. Over the past 24 years, Collins has served Loras College in the areas of admissions, alumni relations, advancement and the president's office. He was the principal leader in achieving two of the College's key historic marks—enrolling the largest first year, full-time, undergraduate (555) class and raising the largest campaign total ($50 million). In addition to his specific responsibilities as president, Collins represents Loras externally by serving as an officer or member of various organizations including: the Institute for Tomorrow's Workforce, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, the Council of Independent Colleges, the Iowa College Foundation (Executive Committee), Iowa Association of Independent Colleges (Executive Committee), Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (Chair) and Greater Dubuque Development Corporation (Executive Committee). President Collins hails from Crystal Lake, Illinois. He, his wife, Lisa, and six children (ages 8-14) reside in Dubuque, Iowa.
Chris Farrell
Chris Farrell is a contributing editor for BusinessWeek and an American Public Media economics editor. Farrell wrote Right on the Money: Taking Control of Your Personal Finances and Deflation: What Happens When Prices Fall? Among Farrell’s many awards are a National Magazine Award, two Loeb Awards, and the Edward R. Murrow Award. Farrell is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Stanford University.
Sarah A. Flanagan
Sarah A. Flanagan was appointed vice president for government relations and policy development for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in 1994. She directs a comprehensive government relations effort, in coordination with related state associations, that focuses on issues of government regulation, student financial assistance, and tax policy. Before joining NAICU, Flanagan served as staff director of the Senate Subcommittee on Children, Family, Drugs and Alcoholism under Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.). Prior to her work in the Children’s Subcommittee, Flanagan was the professional staff member responsible for federal student aid programs for the Senate Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and Humanities, chaired by Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.). Before joining the education committee staff, Flanagan worked for the Close Up Foundation as an instructor, teacher trainer, and curriculum specialist. Flanagan received her B.A. degree from Providence College and her M.A.T. degree from Rhode Island College.
Harold Hewitt
Harold Hewitt became Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Chapman University in October 2007. Prior to that, he was VP and Chief Financial Officer for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, VP for Administration and Finance and CFO at Occidental College, VP for Business and Finance at Whittier College, and Assistant to the Treasurer of the Claremont University Center. Hewitt is a graduate of Cornell College and of The Claremont Graduate University’s Drucker Center.
John A. Lawlor
John A. Lawlor is CEO of Nexus New Media, a social media programming company. An online strategist, speaker and talk show host with more than 15 years of online marketing experience, Lawlor is currently executive producer and host of two Internet radio programs: "The SocialMedialogy Conversations" and "Social Media Jobing." During the past five years, Lawlor has produced and presented more than 200 online marketing programs for companies and associations, including the American Marketing Association and the Direct Marketing Association. John A. Lawlor is no known relation to John T. Lawlor of The Lawlor Group, but pleased to share top serach engine rankings for the past six years.
Amanda Lenhart
Amanda Lenhart is a Senior Research Specialist with the Pew Internet & American Life Project and has been with the Project since its inception in 1999. Amanda’s research at Pew Internet focuses on how teenagers use and think about technology. She is the lead author of numerous Pew Internet Project reports, including Teen Content Creators and Consumers; Bloggers; Social Networking Websites and Teens, and most recently, Teens, Privacy and Online Social Networks. For her research about and knowledge of youth and their use of the Internet, Amanda has testified before a congressional subcommittee, the FTC and the U.S. States Attorneys General, and presented her work at academic and professional conferences and briefings, including one most recently at the U.S. Capitol. Amanda has been quoted in major news outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today, and has been interviewed for many local, national and public radio and television programs such as "Talk of the Nation," "The Kojo Nnamdi Show," "On the Media," CNN’s "On the Money," MSNBC TV, ABC-TV’s "Ahead of the Curve," "The Exchange," "Futuretense" and "CBSMarketWatch," among others. Amanda graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College with a double major in English and anthropology, and she earned a master’s with distinction from Georgetown University in communications, culture and technology.
Wendy B. Libby
Wendy B. Libby, soon after becoming president of Stephens College in 2003, united the campus, alumnae and community in a major institutional turnaround at this 175-year-old women’s college. The Renaissance Plan is erasing deficits, restructuring academic programs, renovating buildings, revitalizing fundraising efforts and dramatically increasing enrollment. Prior to Stephens, President Libby served as vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer at Furman University in Greenville, S.C.; she has also worked at Westbrook College, the University of Hartford, the University of Connecticut, The Ohio State University and Cornell University. She is a founding board member and board chair of the Tuition Plan Consortium (the Independent 529 Plan), treasurer of the Women’s College Coalition and is also active on numerous professional boards. Dr. Libby earned her Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Connecticut and her M.B.A. from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. She also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Cornell.
Jon McGee
Jon McGee is the Vice President for Enrollment, Planning, and Public Affairs at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. Before joining CSBSJU, he worked in the State of Minnesota’s Department of Finance as a budget analyst and was Vice President for Research and Policy Development at the Minnesota Private College Council. McGee is a 1984 graduate of Saint John’s University and has a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota.
Michael S. McPherson
Michael S. McPherson is president of The Spencer Foundation. From 1996 to 2003 he was president of Macalester College. He is a senior research associate of the Harris School of Public Policy of the University of Chicago and an adjunct professor of the School of Education and Social Policy of Northwestern University. Dr. McPherson is chair of the Advisory Board to Murphy Institute of Tulane University, a member of the executive planning board of Project Pericles and a trustee of Wesleyan University. He received a B.A. in mathematics, an M.A. in economics and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago.
Nathan Mueller
Since joining Hardwick~Day in 1996, Nathan Mueller has helped more than 50 clients attain enrollment and net revenue goals through financial aid optimization, and has conducted nearly 30 operational assessments for college admission offices of all sizes and missions. Mueller has counseled more than 70 colleges in setting financial aid policies and employing tactics to achieve revenue and enrollment targets while keeping academic profile, gender and ethnic balance, as well as other long-term institutional priorities firmly in mind. Prior to Hardwick~Day, Nathan served for eight years as director of admissions at Concordia College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then for five years as vice president at Concordia with responsibility for admissions, financial aid, information technology, and public relations. In these roles, Nathan designed and implemented an automated tracking system for prospective students, developed a performance review process for admissions staff, and created a department planning process that served as a model for the rest of the institution.
William Rice
William Rice is President of the Web Marketing Association and a founder of the annual WebAward competition honoring excellence in corporate web sites. He is also the founder and Publisher of the Family Cookbook Project, a lifestyle Web site and the Creative Chocolate Printing Company. As President of the Web Marketing Association, Rice is responsible for the strategic direction of the organization as well as management of its day to day marketing and operations. He is supported by a wide network of volunteers from around the world how help make the annual WebAward competition a reality each year. Prior to his role with the WMA, Rice held senior level executive marketing positions with some of the financial industry’s most respected organizations, including Phoenix Investment Partners, Salomon Smith Barney's Consulting Group, Liberty Financial Companies and began his career at Fidelity Investments. Through the course of his career he has been responsible for corporate and product marketing, public relations, investor relations, branding, product development, and e-commerce strategy. He is credited with creating the first financial product designed exclusively for the Internet (WebSaver annuity) and for the first mutual fund for kids with an educational objective (Liberty Financial Young Investor Fund). Rice’s outstanding work in the public relations field has earned him many awards, including WebAwards, PRSA’s Silver Anvil and IABC’s Gold Quill awards. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and haas been widely quoted in the financial and Internet press. Rice is a graduate of Northeastern University and Harvard University’s Graduate Certificate Program.
Daniel Sullivan
Daniel Sullivan has served as president of St. Lawrence University since 1996. Under his leadership, St. Lawrence launched several major initiatives in academic programs, including expansion of the faculty and the addition of new major fields and international study programs; facilities renovation, academic and athletic spaces; and in regional economic development and community relations. In his 2007 commencement address, he blasted US education policy, calling the Spellings Commission report "a national embarrassment." President Sullivan has announced his plans to retire in 2009. He is a mathematics graduate of St. Lawrence and received his Ph.D. in sociology from Columbia University.