November 2026

Live from AMA: The Higher Pulse Podcast

Step behind the mic with Mallory Willsea for a live recording of The Higher Pulse. See how a podcast comes together in real time—and hear an unscripted conversation about the trends, questions and big ideas shaping higher education marketing today. Come for the behind-the-scenes magic, stay for the candid insights and leave with fresh perspectives you can take back to your campus.

November 2026

The Clubhouse Returns: Higher Ed's Spiciest Panel

The spiciest panel from the 2025 Symposium is back, and this time they have receipts. Same energy, same rules (no buzzwords, no softballs, no pretending every idea came from a task force) with new dilemmas, new hot takes, and a new voice on the panel.

You will leave with a read on your own institution's risk tolerance and two leadership moves worth testing this semester. (Plus at least one take you’ll argue about at dinner.)

October 2026

Mindset Ready: Leading in the Age of AI

AI transformation is as much a leadership challenge as it is a technology shift. In this session, Mallory Willsea will explore what it means to be mindset ready to lead an AI-enabled organization, where change is constant, experimentation is expected, and the way teams work is rapidly evolving.

Attendees will learn how leaders can build confidence amid uncertainty, create cultures that embrace responsible experimentation, and help their teams move from simply using AI to thinking differently because of it. The session will challenge leaders to consider the behaviors, habits, and mindsets they need to model today to successfully lead the organization of tomorrow.

October 2026

Stop Asking For Permission: How small wins build big institutional change

Marketing teams in higher ed spend too much time waiting for approval. You build the case and schedule the meeting. You present the roadmap. Leadership asks for more data, more alignment, more consensus. The idea stalls. Momentum fades.

Institutions protect themselves from risk. That instinct shapes every budget decision, every pilot, every "circle back next quarter." If you lead marketing without formal authority, you feel it.

Momentum-first marketing centers on a simple strategy: generate proof before you request expansion. Instead of pitching the full transformation, you design a contained move that delivers visible results to the people who control resources. That result shifts perception so risk feels lower. And it earns you permission to do the next thing, and the next, until you're operating at scale and nobody remembers a time before it existed.

Proof, permission, scale is the framework behind that progression. We'll walk through real examples from higher ed environments with limited authority, layered approvals and tight resources: negotiating a vendor beta to demonstrate ROI before budget approval, using early campaign data to build an executive case for larger investment, and turning a single successful pilot into permission for structural change.

You'll see how to identify your highest-leverage micro-win, how to position early results so leaders pay attention and how to build a credibility ladder that compounds over time. This session is for marketers who are ready to move the institution forward, even when the institution hesitates.

October 2026

KEYNOTE: The Invisible Applicant: Winning Students in the Age of the AI Answer Layer

In this keynote, Mallory traces the trajectories rewriting how learners of every age will find and choose education when AI answers the question before a branded search happens. Adult learners and career changers spend months or years deciding whether education solves a career problem, then enroll in weeks. Traditional-age students move on a longer arc, with half settling on a school before senior year begins.

Early data indicates learners most fluent in AI are the same ones who penalize an institution for using it on them. Automation will reach every campus by 2035, which leaves human connection as the scarcest asset in enrollment.

You'll leave this keynote with a new definition of "proactive," one built for learners who decide before you see them, and the playbook to match: how to show up in the answer layer, why brand investment deserves defense even when dashboards miss its impact, and where human contact decides who enrolls — from first-time freshmen to a workforce learning for life.

March 2026

KEYNOTE: Rethinking Innovation: What Higher Ed Has Been Missing

Every institution wants to innovate. Few know how to structure it. Teams across higher ed are facing new pressures, expectations, and technologies, but rarely get a framework that helps them make sense of it all.

This keynote breaks down the innovation model used by some of the world’s most disruptive companies, and shows how to apply it to the challenges playing out on campuses today.

Innovation isn’t a department. It’s a discipline. And anyone in higher ed can learn it, and use it, starting here.

November 2025

Leading with Vision: Redefining the Future of Higher Ed Marketing

If you like polite agreement and gentle nodding… this one’s not for you.

We’re skipping the buzzwords and pulling up chairs for the real conversation — about fear, failure, and the future of marketing that doesn’t sound like a task-force report.

Mallory Willsea brings together Jaime Hunt, Carrie Phillips, and Safaniya Stevenson for this one-of-a-kind panel discussion.

Just call us The Real Podcasters of Enrollify.

October 2025

10 Ways to Rethink Innovation in Higher Ed

Higher ed talks a lot about innovation — but too often, that conversation starts and ends with technology. True innovation goes beyond new tools and requires rethinking business models, student experiences and institutional strategy at every level.

In this fast-paced, high-impact session, we'll break down the 10 Types of Innovation — a framework used by the world's most disruptive companies — and apply it to higher education. You'll walk away with a new mental model for how to think about innovation in your work, your institution, and the industry at large.

September 2025

KEYNOTE: The Innovation Blueprint —Unlocking AI Through the Ten Types Lens

Every leader today is under pressure to do more with less while keeping trust intact. In this keynote, Mallory Willsea offers a blueprint for making AI a strategic advantage.

Using the Ten Types of Innovation, she demonstrates how AI can drive smarter processes, stronger engagement, and new opportunities for growth. Expect a candid, clear-eyed, and highly interactive session that balances big-picture vision with practical next steps.

August 2025

The AI Front Door: Rethinking Trust, Content, and Conversion

Today’s students don’t start with your website — they start with an agent. Whether it’s ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, or a school chatbot, AI is now the front door to the private school and college search experience. Sixty percent of students use it to compare institutions. Over half say it’s better than Google. And most won’t click through if the AI answer doesn’t mention you.

This session unpacks why students are turning to AI first — and where they still draw the line. We’ll explore new data, real school case studies, and the trust gap that emerges when automation meets high-stakes decisions like admissions or financial aid.

June 2025

KEYNOTE: No Wizard Required: Courageous Leadership for Women in Higher Ed Marketing

The future of higher education marketing doesn’t require a wand or wizard—it demands fearless leadership, innovative thinking, and the confidence to rise to new challenges. In this session, we’ll explore how women in leadership roles can “defy gravity” and build resilient, adaptable teams that embrace change and thrive through transformation.

Whether you’re managing a complex project, implementing new systems or technology, or reshaping your team’s structure, this keynote will help you reflect on your path and build confidence for whatever comes next—no wizard required.

November 2024

Build Your Community for Professional Confidence

Marketing excellence requires self-assurance—whether you’re presenting to trustees, launching a brand refresh, or building an AI-ready team. Building a supportive community with intention can be a key to unlocking that confidence. It becomes a vital source for reenergizing, fostering divergent thinking, receiving honest feedback, and affirming decisions. This session will explore how to cultivate meaningful, lasting relationships that not only fuel personal growth but also boost professional effectiveness. Learn how to build with purpose, engage deeply in your profession, and leverage your community.

September 2024

From Zero to AI Hero: How to Build a Custom GPT in Just 10 Minutes

Empowering yourself and your team with the tools to build bespoke AI solutions is an invaluable skill. This lightning talk demystifies the process of creating a custom GPT model using ChatGPT. In just 10 minutes, we'll not only discuss but also demonstrate live how you can construct an AI model that understands and addresses the unique challenges and opportunities within your institution.