The beginning of
a new era
in higher education
begins with you
The pursuit
of higher education is
a time-honored tradition …
but traditions change
The colleges and universities providing millions of degree and non-degree credentials each year are a vital backbone of communities and economies. These institutions elevate the critical-thinking capacities of students and learners, and they provide crucial job skills and life skills to emerging workforces.
But the skills we need, the ways in which we collaborate, and the very jobs available to graduates are changing. It’s time for higher education to start anew. It’s time for Commencement into a new era.
“Higher-education’s must-read book of 2022! Three higher-ed authors, 100+ college and university presidents, dozens of actionable insights for academic leaders.”
the higher education book heralded by …
Discover how YOU can seize the moment to change higher education forever
In their highly anticipated book born from interviews with 100+ college and university presidents, Kate Colbert and Joe Sallustio, EdD, welcome you into a conversation like no other … a conversation where the truth is told, the future is examined, and the possibilities are endless. The ivory tower is about to get colorful.
Through the eyes of 100+ college and university presidents, learn how you can:
Put students first in all that you do
Embrace a new leadership skill-set that will change your college and your career
See your mission through a modern lens that creates new opportunities
Innovate, create, re-imagine, and evolve beyond the status quo
Adopt a mindset about the purpose and value of higher education that makes the unimaginable suddenly possible
Have impact far beyond your campus or your local community
Create relationships, partnerships, and conversations that break down the walls, silos, rules, and bureaucracies that have held us back
How do YOU influence the future of higher education? Maybe you’re an administrator. A board member. A member of the faculty or staff. An ed-tech or educational services leader. Or a policymaker.
If you work in or around higher education, this book was written for you — for your aspirations and your fears, for your curiosities and your vision, and for your commitment to educate, inspire, and serve the myriad learners who look to you and your institutions to light the way.
You know that the world of higher education is experiencing evolutions and revolutions. You want to be part of the progress. Commencement will show you how.
Featured by …
participate in the ongoing research
Take the 6-minute anonymous survey now. Tell us what skills and experiences YOU think higher education leaders will need as they take the industry to its next, best level. Data from summer/fall 2022 survey respondents appears in the book, and we’re keeping the survey open to track how trends shift over time. It’s not too late to participate!
Kate Colbert
A former higher-education insider and current world-renowned marketing expert, Kate Colbert develops college-and-university brand stories that are meaningful to the prospective student and measurable on the institutional balance sheet. She has overseen brand and enrollment marketing, public relations, and alumni relations at two Chicago-area graduate schools. Kate has additional expertise in corporate education, university crisis management, and faculty relations. She has consulted for Northeastern University, UC San Francisco, Carthage College, Tulane University School of Law, Babson College, The University of Tulsa College of Law, Bradley University, Medical College of Georgia, Viterbo University, and Southeastern University.
Ms. Colbert has spoken at the American Association of Medical Colleges, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), graduate education seminars with EducationDynamics, and as the opening keynote speaker at the US Distance Learning Association conference. In 2024, she and her co-author, Dr. Joe Sallustio, were featured speakers at SXSW EDU.
Kate is a six-time recipient of CASE District V’s annual awards for excellence in marketing and communications. She contributed to the book Net Proceeds: Increased Revenue from Enrollment and Advancement (Moore and Abrahamson) and authored the 2018 bestselling book Think Like a Marketer: How a Shift in Mindset Can Change Everything for Your Business.
The release of Commencement in 2022 — with its flurry of media attention and industry accolades — has made Kate one of the most sought-after commentators and prognosticators in the world of higher education. Kate has served as a faculty member at Illinois State University, the College of Lake County, Loyola University Chicago, and Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, and currently serves as an advisor and communications coach to higher-education presidents, chief marketing officers, and other leaders.
JOE SALLUSTIO
As one of our nation’s foremost higher-education experts, Dr. Joe Sallustio has led a broad range of educational institutions in various sectors of higher education. He currently serves as Senior Vice President, Lindenwood Global, at Lindenwood University and was formerly Chief Operating Officer at Claremont Lincoln University. Dr. Sallustio is a senior consultant to the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, is Executive Director and Board Member at The Association for the Advancement of the College Admissions Profession, and is a contributing writer for Fierce Education and The EvoLLLution. He is a frequent speaker, moderator, and panelist at higher-education conferences.
Dr. Sallustio is also co-founder and host of America’s leading higher-education podcast, The EdUp Experience. He has interviewed more than 140 college and university presidents, ed-tech CEOs, and business and industry executives domestically and globally. Episodes of The EdUp Experience Podcast have been downloaded more than 125,000 times, making Joe one of the world’s most recognizable and impactful higher-education voices influencing higher education today.
Kate & Joe’s insights have been featured via …
commencement features contributions by Elvin Freytes,
higher-education expert and co-founder
of The EdUp Experience Podcast.
The Future of higher education is here
And the book that will help you navigate it is NOW AVAILABLE!
ORDER YOUR PAPERBACKS OR KINDLE EBOOKS on Amazon!
What can you expect from the pages of Commencement, higher education’s most highly anticipated book of 2022? Through the eyes of 100+ college and university presidents, we examine all the hot topics that keep you up at night. Join us as we explore everything from student-centric cultures and higher-education partnerships to degrees vs. certificates, affordability and tuition trends, staffing challenges and leadership styles, diversity and inclusion, competency-based education and experiential learning, recruitment strategies, the financial realities of operating a college or university, and much, much, more. No major theme eludes the conversation created by Sallustio and Colbert.
Commencement: The Beginning of a New Era in Higher Education is a thoughtful and practical review of academia today —and it hit bookstores on Thanksgiving Day, 2022, debuting as Amazon’s #1 New Release in the Higher Education Administration category and a top-10 Amazon bestseller in several categories. The book's insights and recommendations were derived, in large part, from interviews with 100+ college and university presidents, and the book offers a roadmap for academic leaders for how to thrive amidst massive change, how to survive the looming “admissions cliff,” and how to innovate and create on campuses (physical and virtual) in an era unlike any other in history.
Follow the authors’ journey on The EdUp Experience Podcast and engage with Joe Sallustio, Kate Colbert, and Elvin Freytes on social media to become part of the Commencement revolution. And be sure to ask about bringing Commencement to your conferences and campuses!
become a commencement vip
Join the Commencement VIP group to gain access to insider information, to be invited to participate in survey research for the book, to receive VIP extras, get exclusive invitations to book-launch events, find out about Commencement in the news, and to be among the first to know when Kate Colbert, Dr. Joe Sallustio, and Elvin Freytes are going to be at a conference or campus near you.
Before there was a book, there was the industry-inspiring podcast that sparked a revolution. Founded at the onset of the pandemic, The EdUp Experience Podcast quickly became a go-to resource for leaders and influencers needing to stay up-to-date on all things education and higher education. EdUp guests range from university presidents/CEOs to venture capitalists, education-service experts, and ed-tech entrepreneurs. Today, The EdUp Experience Podcast is America’s leading higher-education podcast.
From Industry-Leading Podcast to Acclaimed new Book:
The EdUp/Commencement Connection
The EdUp Experience Podcast is hosted by Dr. Joe Sallustio, whose down-to-earth approach and industry experience helps to make complex educational topics more accessible, engaging, and even fun. Elvin Freytes, Producer, brings the most innovative leaders in higher education to the microphone. Together, Joe and Elvin are helping education leaders to refresh, upskill, and feel supported in their admirable work on campuses (and virtual campuses) across the world.
Early after its founding, The EdUp Experience Podcast introduced its President Series and gave voice to what’s happening at the very top of the industry — how problems are solved, how students are served in new ways, how institutional visions are giving way to a collective re-envisioning of the entire industry. Joe and Elvin realized they had captured lightning in a bottle … that the stories and insights from 100+ college and university presidents is a modern-day masterclass in academic leadership. Now, to analyze the insights and share it with the world! “There’s a book in here,” they told their new collaborator, Kate Colbert. Yes, yes there is.
And in November 2022, that book — born from 100+ presidential interviews that first aired on The EdUp Experience Podcast — was released to an eager audience and began informing the decisions of collegiate leaders at all levels, in all types of higher-education institutions, with strategies and projects of all kinds. We are so thrilled to finally share it with you!
Become a Commencement VIP to take part in the revolution. Commencement is NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon. Order your copies today!