The future of higher education is changing. Millions of students now have access to online courses from the world's top universities. As college becomes ever more expensive, the traditional business model of higher education is under threat

How can Simmons University and other institutions remain relevant in this rapidly shifting environment? We talk with Lynn Perry Wooten, the president of Simmons University, to explore what's happening in higher education today.

The conversation includes these topics:
-- About Simmons University
-- The state of higher education in 2022
-- The business model of higher ed
-- How to develop an economically viable business model for colleges and universities
-- Technology is an enabler of higher education
-- Supporting a diverse student body
-- On the book Arrive and Thrive
-- Advice for college students making the transition to graduate school
-- Creating a transformational university experience for students
-- Advice to women on gender equality in the workplace
-- What is inclusive leadership?
-- How to balance economic efficiency against educational quality

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Read the complete transcript: https://www.cxotalk.com/episode/simmons-university-president-future-higher-education

Lynn Perry Wooten, a seasoned academic and an expert on organizational development and transformation, became the ninth president of Simmons University on July 1, 2020. She is the first African American to lead the university.

Specializing in crisis leadership, diversity and inclusion, and positive leadership—organizational behavior that reveals and nurtures the highest level of human potential—Dr. Wooten is an innovative leader and prolific author and presenter whose research has informed her work in the classroom and as an administrator.

Dr. Wooten’s research has ranged from an NIH-funded investigation of how leadership can positively alleviate health disparities to leading in a crisis and managing workforce diversity. She is the author of two books, Positive Organizing in a Global Society: Understanding and Engaging Differences for Capacity Building and Inclusion (2016) and Leading Under Pressure: From Surviving to Thriving Before, During, and After a Crisis (2010). Sharing her work at nearly 60 symposia and conferences, she also is the author of nearly 30 journal articles and more than 15 book chapters, as well as managerial monographs and numerous teaching cases.

She currently serves on the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Association for Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM) Board of Directors, the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Trustee Advisory Board, the JFK Library Foundation Board of Advisors, the Fenway Alliance Board of Directors, The George School Board of Trustees, the MASCO Board of Directors, and the WBGH Board of Trustees. In addition, Dr. Wooten serves on the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan Board of Directors and the North Carolina A&T University Board of Trustees.

She is the co-author of WSJ Bestseller, Arrive & Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership.

Simmons University President: Higher Education in 2022

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