About This Episode
Karen McGregor is the executive director of student success at Purdue Global University.
She is one of the key leaders of the university's student enrollment, engagement, and success initiatives.
In a conversation with Ashish Fernando, she shared her insights on:
How do you navigate the ups and downs in life?
Importance of global education in today's competitive world
How are online education degrees from international universities changing the study abroad landscape?
Tune into the podcast to learn how Purdue Global University is spearheading its student's enrollments and success initiatives.
Host & Guest
Karen McGregor
GuestDr. Karen McGregor serves as the Executive Director of Student Success at Purdue University Global (PG), where she leads institution-wide initiatives to strengthen adult learner engagement, persistence, and belonging. At PG, she has overseen major strategic improvements, including the redesign of the university’s orientation ecosystem and the creation of the nationally recognized Best-in-Class Basic Needs Support Badging Program.
Before joining Purdue Global in 2022, Dr. McGregor held several leadership positions at Northwood University, including Associate Academic Dean for Student Success and Director of Institutional Effectiveness. She also previously served as an Academic Services Officer at Wayne State University, supporting student achievement and academic operations.
Dr. McGregor holds a Ph.D. in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education from Michigan State University, as well as both a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Eastern Michigan University.
She is the recipient of Purdue Global’s 2024 Excellence in Leadership Award and a contributing author to ASCEND: A Guide for Student Success Professionals. She has also been featured on The ASCEND Podcast. Looking ahead, she will present at the 2026 National Organization for Student Success (NOSS) Conference and SXSW EDU, sharing research-based approaches to building equitable and caring learner experiences.
Passionate about adult learning and educational innovation, Dr. McGregor actively explores emerging technologies that enhance student success. Outside of work, she enjoys golfing, spending time with family, practicing French, and making quilts.
Key Highlights:
1. Executive Director of Student Success, Purdue University Global
2. Led PG’s orientation ecosystem redesign and built the Best-in-Class Basic Needs Support Badging Program
3. Former Associate Academic Dean for Student Success & Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Northwood University
4. Ph.D. in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education (Michigan State University)
5. Recipient of Purdue Global’s 2024 Excellence in Leadership Award
6. Contributing author to ASCEND and featured guest on The ASCEND Podcast
7. Scheduled speaker for NOSS 2026 and SXSW EDU 2026
8. Focused on adult learning, equity-centered design, and emerging technologies in student success
Ashish Fernando
HostFounder & CEO, EDMO
Ashish 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 00:00 Introduction: Welcoming Karen McGregor
- 2 00:51 Career Overview: Karen's Journey in Higher Education
- 3 03:28 Personal Journey: From Struggling Student to PhD
- 4 09:27 Defining Student Success: Three Pillars at Purdue Global
- 5 13:00 Leveraging Technology: Monitoring Student Vitals
- 6 18:32 Emerging AI Solutions: Purdue Global's Learning Assistant
- 7 27:28 Aha Moment: Insights from GSV Panel on Coaching and AI
Key Quotes
"The majority of time when we lose a student at Purdue Global, it's not because the coursework was too difficult, something else is going on in their lives which is stealing their priority."
"We're able to look for patterns like do they struggle every January, do they struggle every Christmas season to manage their vitals and be able to say, okay, this student might need support."
"Nobody bats an eye when an elite athlete has a coach, so why is it considered a bad thing if a student needs a coach?"
Resources
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