The Connected College: Leadership Strategies for Student Success

COMING SOON

Instead of silos and separations, we need colleges and universities where all students feel a sense of belonging, courses lead to rewarding careers, students have the support to succeed, and everyone works together to make this happen.

The Connected College is an encouraging, evidence-based management and leadership book for college administrators. It is drawn from Elliot Felix’s background in design, his experience as consultant to more than 100 leading colleges and universities, and insights contributed by dozens of higher ed innovators.

Whether you are looking to inform and inspire a retreat, foster collaboration within and across teams, or orient and energize a new leader, The Connected College is a practical playbook for you to increase student success. It will challenge leaders with its breakthrough ideas, success stories, and practical tactics.

Want to learn how The Connected College can help you? Take the quiz!

Campuses, majors, and cultures may vary, but all college students strive to feel connected to their people, their place, and their purpose. But far too few do… and it’s not their fault.

Today’s colleges and universities are defined by their separations: teaching and research, student affairs and academic affairs, courses and careers, academia and industry. The list goes on.

But demographic shifts, technology breakthroughs, economic upheaval, and new ways of learning and working all mean that higher education has to change. Instead of separations, we need connected colleges, colleges where all students feel a sense of belonging, where courses lead to rewarding careers, where they have the support to succeed.

To lead a Connected College, you  must get comfortable with disrupting higher education.  Bust silos and make bold decisions. See differentiation – not demographics – as destiny. Get as good at sunsetting programs and services as you are at starting them.

Throughout the book, you'll hear from a variety of higher ed innovators, including Terry Brown, Steve Charles, Tom Ellett, Nancy Felix, Jeff Fellenzer, Mary Ellen Gillespie, Christopher Holstege, Cedric Howard, Sukhwant Jhaj, Julia Lang, Bob Lasher, Peggy McCready, Drumm McNaughton, Dan Maxwell, Kelly Miller, Will Miller, Mike Palmer, Ravi Pendse, Liesl Riddle, Suzanne Rivera, Joe Sallustio, Sanjit Sethi, Lora Strigens, Maggie Tomas, James Vasquez, Tanya Vogel, and Karen Weaver. 

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

The Connected College  is an encouraging, evidence-based management and leadership book for college administrators that will challenge leaders with its breakthrough ideas, success stories, and practical tactics.

In this strategic planning book for higher education leaders, you’ll discover the importance of

  • Internal collaboration between departments,

  • External partnerships with industry and other higher education institutions,

  • Recruiting and retaining communities where students find their niche,

  • Flexible course pathways that build durable skills while responding to industry needs

  • Embrace experiential learning, integrated student services, and generative AI.

Drawing from his background in design and innovation and his experience as a consultant to more than 100 leading colleges and universities, Elliot Felix provides a practical playbook for leaders in higher education to question tradition, bust silos, and partner with industry  so they can adapt to change and help students thrive personally and professionally. 

College students are working on their futures. It’s time to work together to create connected colleges where every student can succeed.

  • "The Connected College is an indispensable management guide for university leaders who want to better support their students through leading-edge best practices. Through a series of interviews with innovative practitioners and a host of concrete examples, Elliot Felix shows that creating a student-centered university requires systematic change to the way we design our universities and deliver core institutional functions."

    – Timothy Renick, Executive Director, National Institute for Student Success at Georgia State University

  • “Higher education wasn’t built for today’s students—but it can be. Elliot Felix delivers a practical roadmap for leaders ready to break down silos, streamline support, and build student-centered institutions. The Connected College offers strategies and real-world examples to help universities evolve, so that more students graduate and succeed.”

    – Bridget Burns, Founding CEO, the University Innovation Alliance

  • “The Connected College is a great read! I love the 'choose your own adventure' organization that allows (encourages!) readers to skip around. I’ll give copies to all the members of my leadership team and the heads of all our shared-governance committees.”

    – Dr. Suzanne M. Rivera, President, Macalester College

  • “Colleges tend to be remarkably siloed organizations, but to serve students well, all the parts need to work effectively together. In The Connected College, Elliot Felix draws upon work with leaders across higher education to provide compelling examples of and guidelines for truly integrated learning environments.”

    – Brian Rosenberg, President Emeritus, Macalester College

  • “Elliot Felix’s The Connected College is an indispensable guide for university leaders dedicated to transforming the student experience. This book offers actionable insights and innovative strategies that are essential for fostering a thriving, connected campus community."

    – Tom Ellett, Chief Experience Officer (CXO), Quinnipiac University

  • “This is an exceptional book that I very much enjoyed reading. I was struck by the important issues it highlights like connecting the “front line” student-facing work and institutional strategy. It also inspired me to look to the external market for ideas.”

    – David Clark, Ph.D., Vice President of Campus Life, Emory University

  • "The Connected College offers a transformative blueprint for rethinking how institutions support student success. Elliot Felix provides practical, innovative strategies that empower leaders to build more inclusive, engaging, and student-centered campuses. It’s an absolute read for anyone committed to shaping the future of higher education."

    – Marybeth Gasman, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education and University Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University

  • "The Connected College offers leaders, their teams, and anyone working at colleges and universities a “playbook” for creating pathways and bridges that make it easier for students to navigate college, avoid confusion, find support, make connections, and SUCCEED. The Connected College also offers a blueprint for institutions seeking to create efficiencies and increase effectiveness by focusing first, foremost, and always on student success. Connect to this compelling book, and then get to work on your campus."

    – David V. Rosowsky, Senior Advisor to the President, Arizona State University

  • "If you’re a higher education leader frustrated by institutional silos and eager to create a truly student-centered experience, The Connected College is essential reading. Elliot Felix masterfully combines sharp insights with practical strategies to challenge the status quo and drive meaningful change. This book offers a clear roadmap for fostering collaboration, sparking innovation, and making a lasting impact on student success. Bold and actionable, it’s exactly the kind of guidance higher education needs today."

    – Jaime Hunt, President, Solve Higher Ed Marketing

  • “It is rare when I find compelling writing in a book format that is informed and relevant for my work in higher education. The Connected College integrates well-known philosophers (Foucault, Schein, Godin) and reputable higher education theorists (Dickeson, Sallustio, and Ellett) to create a powerful explanation of how higher education can become more "connected," and ultimately, better, than ever. My only ask is that we take the time to read it and align our behavior with what we learn to live like the leaders we were born to be."

    – Jeff Doyle, Director of Fraternity & Sorority Life, Southwestern University

  • "Both higher education and the workforce our students will enter upon graduation are evolving at an unprecedented pace. The topics and leadership strategies outlined in Connected College address the immense challenges we face, urging us to rethink and redefine how we educate and equip our students for future success. If you are looking to create the future of higher ed in the most disruptive moment in the history of education, this is your map."

    – Risa Dickson, President, University of La Verne

  • "As higher education faces unprecedented challenges, The Connected College delivers research, compelling case studies, and bold ideas that help leaders break down barriers, rethink outdated structures, and embrace a more connected, collaborative future. A vital read for those ready to move from tradition to transformation."

    – Greg Pillar, Assistant Provost for Academic Affairs, Gardner-Webb University

  • “The Connected College offers a pragmatic “how-to” for busting through the conventions and silos that impede true student-focused change. Through design principles, Felix challenges higher ed leaders to take the less-traveled (and often unconventional) road of connectivity to transform student outcomes. It is a practical, accessible book that I hope will serve as a guide to many.”

     – Eric Skipper, Provost, University of South Carolina Beaufort

  • “When we approach another and their eyes light up and a smile comes to their face, we feel instantaneously welcome. Every student should sincerely feel the same in every interaction with their alma mater. The Connected College is a strategy to empower that level of engagement. Very impressive.”

    – Neil Matkin, District President, Collin College

  • "Elliot Felix frames educators’ north star as student success that is achieved through cross-unit collaboration. But Elliot goes way beyond the talk. He outlines tactical guidance to achieve student success. The scope of the content is astounding. There are insights on every page from leading experts in higher ed."

    – Sarah Holtan, PhD, Higher Ed Administrator and Podcast Host

  • "For college leaders looking for creative ideas and practical innovations to improve their students' learning opportunities and experiences, this is the book for you. Felix addresses the full gamut of campus operations with fresh ideas about how to coordinate and deliver them with student success as a guiding objective. Well-informed by multiple case studies and a thorough coverage of supporting literature, this is an excellent playbook for how to replace conventional thinking with creative strategies for campus change."

    – Michael Nietzel, President Emeritus, Missouri State University

  • "Have you ever found yourself turned around by confusing university organization structures, duplicative services and departments, or silos and extra steps for students? This practical guide offers leaders examples and actionable resources to boldly redesign these structures and lead with agility, ultimately serving up a more connected college where more students can succeed."

    – Kathe Pelletier, Senior Director, Community Programs, EDUCAUSE

  • "The Connected College is a smart, practical guide for anyone looking to shake up the status quo in higher ed. Elliot Felix lays out real, actionable strategies to cut through the silos and build a more connected, student-focused institution. It’s a solid read for leaders who actually want to get things done and drive real innovation."

    – Seth Porter, Senior Executive Director of Innovation and Technology, University of Colorado

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