The Chancellor Zeppos Episode | Ep 11

One of the most special episodes yet. I talked with a college hero of mine, the eighth chancellor of Vanderbilt University (the greatest university on planet Earth), none other than Nicholas Zeppos. Nicholas Zeppos is a legend in higher education, helped Vanderbilt soar to new heights, and now is doing special things in the startup ecosystem.We talked about the future of higher ed, AI, NIL money, what makes Vanderbilt special (and not so special), and chancellors that both shared insights that will be powerful for all young people, college students, and not. Check it out! (0:00) Welcome to Vanderbilt's 8th chancellor(1:57) 40 years of Vandy(7:30) "You don't run a university to make money — you make money to run it"(9:54) Launching Opportunity Vanderbilt(11:30) "You didn't just change my life - you changed all my descendants'"(15:51) The "Vanderbilt phenotype" of student(18:02) Why Vanderbilt punches below its weight on entrepreneurs(24:46) NIL, the transfer portal, and paying college athletes(31:59) Leading a multi-billion dollar university(41:09) Is higher ed still worth it in the AI era?(45:44) Happiness = human connection(53:32) Free speech on college campuses(55:20) Advice for the young person who feels behind(1:02:45) Going deeper than surface-level friendships(1:09:43) Building the Vanderbilt founders network