Higher ed enrollment, without the fluff
The Enrollment Clinic is a podcast for people who run enrollment, admissions, and marketing at colleges and universities. Hosted by Gjergj Dollani, each 15–20 minute episode is a direct conversation with a VP of Enrollment, admissions director, or higher ed marketing leader about what's actually working right now; international student recruitment, AI in higher ed, direct admissions, Gen Z decision-making, digital marketing that isn't optimized for vanity metrics. No panel fluff, no recycled conference talking points. If you make decisions about how your institution recruits and enrolls students, this is built for you.
New to The Enrollment Clinic?
15
Oct. 9, 2024
Blendi Salaj: From U.S. Student Life to Higher Ed Leadership and Gen Z Mentorship
Join us on this episode of The Enrollment Clinic as we chat with Blendi Salaj—media personality, former Director of Communications at Marin Barleti University, and a thought leader in education and stoicism. Blendi shares his eye-opening experience as an international student in the United States, where he encountered the disconnect between admissions processes and the actual student experience after enrollment. We also discuss the challenges he faced in his role in higher education communicatio
16
Oct. 18, 2024
Global Education Trends & International Student Market Insights with Janet Chang
In this episode of The Enrollment Clinic, we sit down with Janet Chang, Director of Student Services at Washington University of Science and Technology. Janet brings a wealth of knowledge from her own journey as an international student to becoming a leader in student services. We dive into: International student recruitment and university internationalization Trends in English-As-A-Second-Language education ( ESL ) What the Chinese student market is looking for right now The fut
17
Oct. 24, 2024
Revolutionizing Education: Insights from GW's College of Professional Studies with Dr. Liesl Riddle
In this episode, Gjergj sits down with Dr. Liesl Riddle, Dean of George Washington University's College of Professional Studies, to dive into some of the most exciting topics in higher education today. 🎙️ We explore: The launch of RevU's first micro-credential in Election Security, which started October 14th. The Catalyst brand campaign and how it's reshaping GW's approach to professional studies. Strategies to better serve adult learners and the evolving landscape of continuing edu
Recent Episodes
31
Aug. 25, 2026
The High School Hallway, Higher Ed's Last Untapped Channel | Harrison "Soup" Campbell, NextGrad
Harrison "Soup" Campbell went from Bible college and a high school social studies classroom to running growth at NextGrad — the ad network that's turned high school hallways into higher ed's newest, and most contested, media market. In this episode of The Enrollment Clinic, Soup traces his path from teaching and coaching to pioneering social media recruiting in the MySpace era — including the time a room full of college leaders told him "we will never get on the Facebook" — through a decade in
30
Aug. 11, 2026
Al, Higher Ed Policy, and the Future of International Student Recruitment
Sanjay Laul, founder of MSM Unify and Laul Global, and one of the most influential builders in student mobility today sits down with Gjergj Dollani, host of The Enrollment Clinic to discuss his views on Higher Education. His path into higher ed wasn't a straight line. It was fraught with challenges, set backs and even failure. One observation in the streets of Delhi eventually grew into a global education company now operating across 50+ countries. This conversation goes past the usu
29
July 30, 2026
Why Gen Z Chooses Colleges Out of Fear, Not Hope | Gjergj Dollani
Gjergj Dollani joins the Education Marketing Leader Podcast to unpack why fear — not prestige — now drives college choice, and what it means for higher ed marketing. Today's students aren't chasing the "best" college anymore — they're trying to avoid picking the wrong one. In this episode, originally recorded for Chris Raposo's Education Marketing Leader Podcast, Gjergj Dollani (ClearCourse Advisory) breaks down why fear — not hope — now drives the enrollment decision, and what that means
29
June 17, 2026
Direct Admissions, Faith-Based Growth, and Engineering Enrollment Wins | James Steen, HCU
What if the enrollment KPI you've been optimizing for is the wrong one? James Steen, VP of Enrollment, Admissions, and Marketing at Houston Christian University, joins host Gjergj Dollani on The Enrollment Clinic to challenge some of the field's most deeply held assumptions — and share what's actually driving growth at HCU. With 33 years in higher education enrollment, James breaks down: Direct admissions as both a recruitment strategy and a brand awareness play — and why lower yield r
May 6, 2026
Speed, Authenticity, and the Future of Higher Ed Marketing
In this episode of The Enrollment Clinic, Gjergj Dollani sits down with Rob Clark and Chris Rapozo, co-authors of The Attention Gap, to unpack why so many colleges struggle to break through online despite spending heavily on marketing. The conversation dives into the growing disconnect between how universities market themselves and how students actually discover schools today. Rob shares how he helped generate over 5 billion social media views, while Chris explains how years in higher ed m
26
Aug. 25, 2025
From Vanity Metrics to Real Results: Rethinking Higher Ed Marketing
In this eye-opening episode of The Enrollment Clinic, we sit down with Robert Kadar, Senior Director of Marketing at Yeshiva University, to challenge one of higher ed’s most sacred cows: the lead form. Robert reveals the data behind why 85–90% of enrolled students never filled one out — and why most universities are optimizing their digital marketing for the wrong audience. We unpack: The fatal flaw in most higher ed ad strategies Why your lead gen obsession may be costing you qual
Listen On
