Why Small Colleges Are Crushing Big Universities in Tech Innovation (1 Year vs 5 Year Rollouts)

What if small colleges could implement next-gen student systems in under 12 months while major universities still struggle with 5-year rollouts?

Jennifer Beyer—Product Management leader at Thesis and first-generation college graduate—reveals the shocking reason why small to mid-sized institutions are crushing it in higher education technology innovation while big universities get left behind.

what you'll learn

~ the "first-generation advantage" driving better student-centered technology design
~ why small schools move 5x faster than major universities in adopting modern solutions
~ how cloud-based SIS can be deployed in ~1 year vs 3-5 years for legacy systems
~ the campus-to-product pipeline creating solutions that solve real problems, not fake ones
~ why AI opportunities matter less than avoiding "shiny object syndrome"

Chapters
(00:00:00) - How AI is changing the way we learn about students
(00:00:44) - Jennifer Beyer on Higher Ed Tech Connect Podcast
(00:02:36) - How Ed Tech is reshaping the student experience
(00:03:45) - In the Elevator With First-Generation Students
(00:05:18) - CIO Network: The End-User Experience of Software
(00:07:22) - EdTech Connect: Making higher education processes friction
(00:10:11) - Small Colleges and Mid-Size Universities
(00:12:40) - Thesis Elements' Product Development Process
(00:18:17) - Post-Admissions: The Need for Personalization
(00:20:37) - Jeff Smith: The Process of Building a Product Team
(00:23:45) - President of Dean's School: Combining Business and Education
(00:26:19) - AI and its impact on higher ed administration
(00:27:18) - The move to the cloud and higher ed tech
(00:28:29) - What's Driving Meaningful Change in Higher Ed?
(00:29:36) - How to Write a Great Website for Students

Find Jennifer Beyer:

LinkedIn:   / jenniferbeyer  
Thesis: https://www.thesiscloud.com/elements

EdTech Connect & Jeff Dillon
🟦 Subscribe -    / @jeff_dillon  
🟦 Newsletter - https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/s...
🟦 Website - https://edtechconnect.com
🟦 Podcast: https://edtechconnect.castos.com/
🟦 Jeff Dillon LinkedIn -   / edtechconnect  
🟦 EdTech Connect LinkedIn -   / edtech-connect  

About EdTech Connect
The EdTech Connect Podcast delivers cutting-edge insights for higher education professionals who want to stay ahead of the technology transformation reshaping academia. Host Jeff Dillon interviews top experts, educators, and technologists sharing actionable strategies for meaningful campus innovation.

Sponsored by: Mackey Strategies

Led by Pete Mackey, Mackey Strategies is a consulting firm that helps educational and nonprofit institutions advance their missions through specialized services in branding, communications, marketing, and fundraising. Their services include crisis communications, campaign creative development, leadership counsel, and interim leadership to navigate challenges and achieve long-term growth.

learn more: https://mackeystrategies.com

#HigherEducation #CloudSIS #EdTechInnovation #CampusTechnology #StudentSuccess #EdTechConnect #edtech