🎒🌍 What happens when international student success meets academic advising, data, and a whole lot of heart?

In this episode of Adventures in Advising, Matt and Ryan are joined by Dr. Ling LeBeau and Dr. Steven Schaffling from Syracuse University to unpack an award-winning framework that’s redefining how institutions support international students from day one to year one and beyond.

Together, they explore how intentional onboarding, structured peer mentoring, advisor training, and proactive communication helped boost retention to 91.5%, the highest in a decade. Along the way, they dig into what it really takes to build community across cultures, support students during global uncertainty, and design advising models in higher education.

Expect thoughtful insights, honest reflections, practical takeaways, and a behind-the-scenes look at how one bold idea grew into a nationally recognized model. Whether you work in advising, international education, student success, or leadership, this episode is packed with inspiration you can adapt to your own campus.

🎧 Press play for data, dialogue, and a reminder that student success is always better when it’s built together.

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Six years. Hundreds of conversations. Countless “aha” moments. In this special anniversary episode of, Matt and Ryan chat with Dana Zahorik, Kyle Ross, and Jennifer Rush about the NACADA Institutes. They break down how these immersive experiences turn big advising challenges into doable next steps. Think intimate cohorts, expert faculty, and real take-home impact.

Then, Matt and Ryan are joined by special guest Jeff Elliott, Executive Director of Undergraduate Academic Advising at Purdue University. Jeff takes us on a journey of leadership lessons, ethical questions around AI in advising, and how to give advisors the same care and intentionality we give our students. From delegation guilt to automation, Waypoints, and even comic book philosophy, this conversation covers a lot of ground and sticks the landing.

Here’s to six years… and to whatever adventures come next. 🚀

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Matt and Ryan ring in the new year by blending reflection, realism, and a little sci-fi sparkle. Returning fan-favorite Melinda Anderson sets the tone with a powerful, compassionate conversation about navigating burnout, redefining expectations, building personal capacity, and leading through uncertainty. No fluffy resolutions here.

Matt and Ryan then go full Adventures in Advising by interviewing not one, but two AI voice companions from Sesame: Miles and Maya. Together, they explore what AI can (and cannot) do for academic advising, higher education, ethics, student support, and the future of the profession. Expect thoughtful insights, lightning-round questions, Star Trek debates, and moments where you briefly forget you’re listening to a machine 🤖✨

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The Instagram, and Facebook handle for the podcast is @AdvisingPodcast

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In this meta installment of Adventures in Advising, Matt and Ryan toss two wildly different previous podcast episodes into the digital cauldron of Google NotebookLM to see what kind of AI-brewed concoction bubbles up. Unpack the AI-generated “deep dive,” marvel at its narrative gymnastics, side-eye its dramatic metaphors, and wrestle with questions that higher ed is still learning to ask. Can advising frameworks tame the chaos of GenAI? Can trust survive the algorithmic whirlwinds? And should we be concerned when robots create podcasts about podcasts?

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The Instagram, and Facebook handle for the podcast is @AdvisingPodcast

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In this experimental solo adventure, Ryan slips out of the usual interview cockpit and takes us on a narrative ride through meme history, advising philosophy, and the warp-speed culture tugging at all of us. What begins with Sweet Brown’s iconic “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” unfurls into a thoughtful exploration of how academic advisors navigate immediacy, burnout breezes, and the dream of true community in a profession built on quick turns and quicker expectations.

Ryan digs into pop culture as public pedagogy, communities of practice that don’t always behave like communities, and the yearning to slow the academic hamster wheel without grinding it to dust. You’ll hear scholarly breadcrumbs, conference echoes, and a few philosophical lanterns lighting the way through modern advising life.

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The Instagram, and Facebook handle for the podcast is @AdvisingPodcast

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Guest host Dr. Ann Bingham sits down with Dr. Josephine Gabi for a conversation that glows with insight and gentle challenge. Together, they explore Josie’s framework for encouraging individuals to look inward 🌱, outward 🌍, and forward 🎛️ through introspection, outrospection, reorientation. The episode hums with bright questions, brave reflections, and fresh possibilities for deepening student belonging. Listeners will hear how they can thoughtfully examine their identities and assumptions, recognize the institutional forces shaping student experiences, and transform everyday practices into meaningful acts of equity.

Also look ahead 🎉 to the 2026 UKAT Conference in Manchester, UK April 13-14, 2026!

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The Instagram, and Facebook handle for the podcast is @AdvisingPodcast

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In this globally focused installment of Adventures in Advising, Matt and Ryan sit down with Miriam Khalil and Sean Bridgen to learn about an exciting new international collaboration between the International Association of Student Affairs and Services (IASAS) and NACADA-The Global Community for Academic Advising! 🌍🤝✨

In this episode, our guests dive into:
💡 What meaningful collaboration really looks like between global organizations
🌏 Why this moment is the perfect time for IASAS and NACADA to join forces
📚 How their partnership will spark new research, resources, and worldwide professional development
🧭 The role culture, context, and community play in shaping student success globally

Miriam and Sean share their passion, their organizational perspectives, and their hopes for a more connected future in advising where professionals everywhere can learn from one another.

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The Instagram, and Facebook handle for the podcast is @AdvisingPodcast

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What happens when two advising pros say, “What the heck, let’s do this”? In this special episode of Adventures in Advising, Matt and Ryan turn the mics on themselves to share the story behind their newest project: Academic Advising Quarterly, a fresh online magazine designed by advising professionals, for advising professionals.

Tune in as they dive into how a casual podcast chat turned into a full-fledged publication celebrating practitioner-centered stories, creativity, and community.

💡 Check out our first issue!

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The Instagram, and Facebook handle for the podcast is @AdvisingPodcast

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Connect with Matt and Ryan on LinkedIn.