Unstoppable Stories - Bonus Episode: Reimagining Higher Education and the Learner Experience

In this bonus episode of Unstoppable Stories, UMGC President Dr. Gregory Fowler sits down with Dr. Angie Besendorfer Martin, UMGC's Chief Learner Experience & Success Officer, to talk about the new role Dr. Fowler created to unite the university's approach to the entire student journey. Angie reflects on what drew her to the position, from Dr. Fowler's explicit vision for change to her own experience leading through crisis as an administrator in Joplin, Missouri, following the historic 2011 tornado.

The conversation explores what it really means to build a student-centered institution: rethinking degrees around demonstrated skills rather than seat time, using AI to enhance rather than replace the human elements of teaching, and creating a consistent UMGC experience for learners everywhere from military bases overseas to fully online classrooms. Dr. Fowler and Angie also discuss UMGC's recent trip to visit learners and staff across Asia, the new Digital Student Experience team charting individual learner journeys, and why practitioner faculty with real-world experience are central to closing the gap between a degree and a job.

In closing, they offer a vision for the next five years, explain why UMGC maintains rigorous standards alongside its open-enrollment policy, and reflect on how a nearly 80-year legacy of serving students in remote military outposts and war zones continues to define the university's mission today. 

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To learn more about UMGC, visit UMGC.edu

Time Stamps:

00:00 Welcome To The Bonus Episode

00:31 Creating A New Kind Of Role

01:47 What Student Centricity Really Means

02:36 Being Intentional About Disruption

03:00 Leading Through The Joplin Tornado

04:55 A Fulbright In Brussels And The Bologna Process

05:40 Rethinking Skills And Competencies

07:15 Making The Case For Skills-Based Hiring

08:07 Scaffolding Skills From K-12 Through Career

09:43 Credentialing Learning That Happens Outside The Classroom

11:03 A Plug-And-Play Model For Degrees

12:10 Rebuilding The Team Around The Strategic Plan

14:24 Broadening UMGC's Global Perspective

17:05 Serving 175+ Locations In 24+ Countries

18:30 Charting The Learner Journey

21:08 Learning From Disruption In Other Industries

22:52 Where AI Fits Into The Future Of Education

26:16 AI As Augmented, Not Artificial, Intelligence

27:50 Rethinking Assessment And Skill Signals

31:20 Holding UMGC Accountable For Outcomes

32:38 Moving From Inputs To Outputs

34:07 Why Practitioner Faculty Matter

35:00 Building A Skills-Based Culture Internally

39:01 Defining What Success Looks Like In Five Years

42:02 UMGC's 80-Year Mission And Closing Thoughts