Co-Creating College with Students

How does a college actually know what its students need? At Quinnipiac, Tom Ellett's answer is to ask them directly — every week, in standing advisory boards he started in his first year on the job.Guest:Tom Ellett is the Chief Experience Officer at Quinnipiac University — a role that didn't exist before he stepped into it in 2020, and still an unusual one in higher ed. Before Quinnipiac, he spent 19 years at NYU helping shape the student experience for tens of thousands of students.His thesis: the student experience is something you design, not something that just happens. And the students themselves should be doing some of the designing.What we cover:What the Chief Experience Officer role involves.How Tom uses advisory boards (for first-years, upperclassmen, dining, and parents) as real-time feedback infrastructure.Co-creation as a design principle: three of Quinnipiac's dining operations are now run by students who manage the P&L, hire and fire, and set the programming. When Tom arrived, zero students worked in dining; now there are over 250.The trade-offs conversation Tom has openly with students.Listening Labs, a structured small-group practice developed by Yael Shy at NYU that Tom is rolling out at Quinnipiac to rebuild conversation skills he sees eroding post-COVID.What Parents Should Ask:What does this institution do that differentiates it from peer schools? Where's the actual innovation?How are students involved in decision-making? Where are the formal mechanisms for student voice?What opportunities does my student have to leave a legacy — to build or change something while they're here?What things is this school doing to engage students who wouldn't normally seek out mental health support?Where are the quiet places on this campus? Are there spaces designed for reflection, not just productivity?Connect with Tom:Quinnipiac — https://www.qu.edu/faculty-and-staff/thomas-ellett/ LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-ellett-27b1b7325/Connect with Ringae:Website — https://waysmith.io/ Book a discovery call — https://cal.com/waysmith/discovery-call Sign up for my newsletter — https://waysmith.io/#newsletter