Reframing Higher Education: A Connected Model for Colleges and Universities
Dr. Katherine Frank, Chancellor - UW-Stout; Dr. Sunem Beaton-Garcia, President - Chippewa Valley Technical College
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Higher education is shifting toward a connected model where colleges and universities function as one learner ecosystem. The goal is simple: make credentials stackable, transfer predictable, and pathways flexible enough for learners to move in and out of education as their careers evolve.
In this episode of The TechEd Podcast, Matt Kirchner speaks with Dr. Katherine Frank (Chancellor, University of Wisconsin–Stout) and Dr. Sunem Beaton-Garcia (President, Chippewa Valley Technical College) about how their institutions have developed streamlined pathways for learners that support lifelong learning.
They break down how institutions can design on-ramps and off-ramps, align programs across tech/community college and university systems, expand credit recognition, and keep partnerships active so transfer works in real life (no more "credits to nowhere"). The conversation also expands to what this shift means nationally as technology and workforce needs change faster.
In this episode:
- What a connected model for colleges and universities actually requires in program design and policy
- How to make transfer predictable and student-friendly without lowering academic standards
- Why stackable credentials and credit for prior learning matter more as learners move in and out of education
- How to get around the red tape that has traditionally prevented colleges and universities from creating streamlined transfer pathways
- What higher education leaders should do next if they want to build the new model in their own region
3 Big Takeaways from this Episode:
1. A connected model keeps learners moving across colleges and universities. Stackable credentials, credit for prior learning, and predictable transfer reduce the stop-and-start pattern that derails working adults and career-changers. When pathways are designed for entry, exit, and return, education becomes a long-term system learners can use throughout their careers.
2. Transfer works at scale when it becomes an operating habit, not a one-time agreement. The UW–Stout and CVTC alignment shows what changes when institutions treat pathway design as ongoing work with shared ownership and recurring check-ins. That consistency is what makes transfer feel clear to students and sustainable for faculty and staff.
3. This model makes it easier to keep programs aligned as technology and jobs change. Modular, competency-aligned pathways let institutions update portions of a program without rebuilding the entire structure. It is a practical way to respond faster to industry signal while protecting rigor and program quality.
Resources in this Episode:
Read the op-ed co-written by Drs. Frank and Beaton-Garcia: "Reframing Higher Education"
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