Illumination Podcast

Episode 252: The Partnership Playbook for Modern Higher Ed

Written by Maddie Ludt | Assistant Director of Outreach & Engagement | May 28, 2026 8:33:00 PM

Institutions are rethinking how partnerships with employers, community organizations and campus stakeholders can fuel enrollment growth and learner success. By pairing strong relationships with data-driven systems and cross-campus collaboration, they can create connected experiences that strengthen workforce development, retention and lifelong learner engagement.

On this episode, Maddie Ludt, Assistant Director of Outreach and Engagement, Mississippi State University, discusses how institutions can transform partnership engagement into a scalable, data-driven strategy while creating connected learner-to-earner pathways that support enrollment, retention and lifelong learning.

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