About This Episode
In this episode of EDU Unlocked, Ashish Fernando sits down with T. Ramon Stuart, President at WVU Tech, for a deeply personal and thoughtful conversation on what student success really looks like in higher education today.
T. Ramon shares how his journey into leadership has been shaped by his upbringing, especially his mother’s path from GED to PhD while navigating financial challenges. It’s where one of his core beliefs comes from. Students don’t really drop out. They stop out, and with the right support, they can always come back.
Coming from an engineering background, he brings a different lens to leadership. For him, failure isn’t really failure. It’s a matter of preparation. That mindset shows up in how he approaches challenges, focusing on designing solutions early rather than reacting when things go wrong. He extends this idea into what he calls “people engineering,” creating environments where individuals are supported to overcome challenges and succeed.
The conversation also gets into what actually drives growth for institutions. It’s not just about bringing more students in. As he puts it, you can’t recruit your way to success. Retention is where the real work happens, and it takes alignment across the entire institution.
A big part of that comes down to culture and connection. Knowing students by name, building real relationships, and creating a sense of belonging can change how students show up and how they succeed. That same thinking extends beyond campus through his idea of a “communiversity,” where the university and the surrounding community grow together and support each other.
They also touch on AI, where T. Ramon takes a balanced view. It has a clear role to play in improving how institutions operate, but it needs to be approached thoughtfully, with the right guardrails in place.
Overall, this is a conversation about people, culture, and the kind of leadership it takes to build systems that actually work for students
Host & Guest
T.Ramon Stuart
GuestT. Ramon Stuart, Ph.D., is the President of West Virginia University Institute of Technology, where he leads institutional strategy focused on student success, enrollment growth, academic innovation, and community impact. A West Virginia native, Dr. Stuart returned to his home state in 2023 to serve as the university’s 12th president, bringing extensive experience in higher education leadership, academic affairs, and student-centered initiatives.
Dr. Stuart has built a distinguished career advancing institutional growth, retention, and academic excellence. Prior to joining WVU Tech, he served as President of Clayton State University. Before that, he was Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Fort Valley State University, where he oversaw academic colleges, enrollment initiatives, sponsored research, and student success programs. His leadership contributed to improved retention, enrollment growth, and expanded academic offerings across multiple disciplines.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Stuart held faculty and administrative leadership roles at West Virginia State University and other institutions, where he helped strengthen accreditation efforts, expand academic programs, and improve student support systems. He earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from West Virginia University and completed his doctorate in Higher Education Administration at Ohio University.
Key Highlights:
1. President of West Virginia University Institute of Technology
2. Former President of Clayton State University
3. Former Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Fort Valley State University
4. Extensive leadership experience in enrollment growth, retention, academic affairs, and student success
5. Led initiatives that improved graduation rates, retention outcomes, and academic program expansion
6. Holds bachelor's and master's degrees from West Virginia University and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Ohio University
Ashish Fernando Founder & CEO, EDMO
HostAshish Fernando is the visionary founder and CEO of EDMO, a revolutionary educational technology platform that's transforming how people learn and grow. With over 15 years of experience in education and technology, Ashish has dedicated his career to making quality education accessible to learners worldwide. Before founding EDMO, Ashish held leadership positions at several prominent EdTech companies and worked as an educational consultant for Fortune 500 companies. He holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a master's in computer science from MIT. Ashish is a frequent speaker at educational conferences and has been featured in publications such as EdTech Magazine, Learning & Development Today, and TechCrunch. He's passionate about the intersection of technology and human potential, believing that the right tools can unlock extraordinary learning outcomes for everyone. Under his leadership, EDMO has grown to serve over 100,000 learners globally and has partnerships with leading educational institutions and corporations. Ashish continues to drive innovation in personalized learning, adaptive assessment, and educational analytics.
Key Achievements:
1. Founded EDMO in 2019, now serving 100,000+ learners globally
2. Named 'EdTech Innovator of the Year' by Learning Technology Awards 2023
3. Featured speaker at Global Education Summit 2024
4. Published researcher in educational technology and learning analytics
5. Advisor to multiple EdTech startups and educational initiatives
Show Notes
- 1 0:00 – Why AI needs guardrails, not fear
- 2 0:37 – Meet Dr. Ramon Stewart, President of WVU Tech
- 3 3:24 – Growing up in one of America's poorest counties
- 4 6:06 – The powerful difference between stopping out and dropping out
- 5 7:27 – From engineering student to university president
- 6 8:20 – Solving challenges before they become problems
- 7 10:11 – What most colleges get wrong about student success
- 8 11:56 – Retention is the key to enrollment growth
- 9 13:14 – Building a culture where everyone owns student success
- 10 14:37 – Servant leadership and the "Cheers Principle"
- 11 16:39 – The community university model
- 12 18:35 – How colleges become economic engines for their regions
- 13 19:54 – AI's role in the future of higher education
- 14 22:42 – Mental health, belonging, and supporting today's students
- 15 25:53 – The leadership philosophy that guides Dr. Stewart
- 16 28:25 – Final thoughts on opportunity, service, and higher education
Key Quotes
"You cannot drop out of college. You can stop out, but we must keep our doors open in a manner that allows students to stop back in."
"There are no failures in life. There's simply preparation for what's next."
"AI should be integrated for the purpose of elevating us and those we serve, but we also need the appropriate guardrails."
Resources
Supercharge Your University CRM