About This Episode
In this episode of EDU Unlocked, Ashish Fernando sits down with Brian Sondey, Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success at Dutchess Community College, to discover how enrollment leadership is evolving in today’s higher education landscape.
Brian’s journey into higher ed is anything but traditional. From being a Division III NCAA basketball athlete to working in sales and coaching, his path eventually led him into admissions, where he’s spent over 15 years shaping how institutions connect with students. That background still influences how he approaches enrollment today, with a strong focus on relationships, persistence, and understanding student needs.
The conversation dives into how student expectations are changing, especially with the rise of first-generation students, adult learners, and digital-first behaviors shaped by social media. For Brian, the focus has shifted from simply enrolling students to ensuring they are choosing the right programs, whether that’s microcredentials or degrees that directly impact career outcomes.
He also emphasizes that recruitment alone isn’t enough. Institutions need to focus just as much on retention and student success, ensuring that students not only enroll but actually thrive. At Dutchess, that means combining human effort with technology, from CRM systems to multiple software tools that streamline recruitment, enrollment, and retention processes.
Brian also addresses the evolving perception of community colleges, noting that while they may have historically struggled to communicate their value, that narrative is beginning to change. With more intentional engagement and clearer outcomes, community colleges are repositioning themselves as powerful pathways to career success.
The discussion also explores the impact of AI and automation, particularly on adult learners and the workforce. Brian takes a direct stance: education remains one of the strongest predictors of economic mobility and personal fulfillment. At the same time, he sees AI as a transformative tool, one that institutions must adopt thoughtfully, with a clear roadmap for the future.
This episode is a grounded and practical look at enrollment, technology, and what it really takes to support today’s students in a rapidly changing world.
Host & Guest
Brian Sondey
GuestBrian Sondey is the Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success at Dutchess Community College, where he leads initiatives focused on enrollment growth, student retention, persistence, and outcomes-driven student success. With more than 14 years of experience across multiple areas of higher education, Sondey has built a reputation for combining enrollment strategy, student support, and data-informed decision-making to help institutions better serve diverse student populations.
Throughout his career, Sondey has held leadership roles in admissions, enrollment management, and student success at institutions including Manhattanville College, The College of New Rochelle, and Concordia College New York. His work has consistently focused on strengthening enrollment pipelines, improving student outcomes, expanding access to education, and aligning academic programs with workforce and transfer opportunities.
A strong advocate for student-centered enrollment strategies, Sondey frequently speaks about the evolving role of higher education, emphasizing that enrollment success should be measured not only by recruitment numbers but also by student achievement, career readiness, completion rates, and long-term outcomes. His leadership philosophy centers on helping students find clear educational pathways that lead to meaningful careers and continued academic success.
Through his work at Dutchess Community College and across the higher education community, Sondey continues to contribute to conversations around enrollment innovation, student success, workforce alignment, community college transformation, and the future of higher education.
Key Highlights:
1. Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success at Dutchess Community College
2. Higher education leader with more than 14 years of experience in admissions, enrollment management, and student success
3. Focuses on student retention, persistence, enrollment growth, and outcomes-driven education
4. Advocate for aligning academic programs with workforce needs, transfer pathways, and career readiness
5. Experienced in leading enrollment strategy, recruitment operations, and institutional growth initiatives across multiple colleges and universities
6. Frequently contributes to discussions on the future of higher education, student success, and enrollment innovation through podcasts, public speaking, and professional engagement
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 – How AI helped save a student’s enrollment journey
- 2 1:01 – Welcome to Edu Unlocked & introducing Brian Sunday
- 3 3:26 – From college basketball coach to enrollment leader
- 4 7:40 – The enrollment cliff and higher education’s biggest challenge
- 5 10:41 – Why recruitment and student success must work together
- 6 12:07 – How technology is transforming community college enrollment
- 7 14:48 – Building a modern recruitment strategy with limited resources
- 8 17:01 – Why community colleges remain higher education’s best value
- 9 20:17 – Community colleges can no longer wait for students to show up
- 10 22:33 – Adult learners and the future of enrollment growth
- 11 24:51 – The overlooked workforce opportunity hiding in every community
- 12 26:41 – Why most adults don’t know about micro-credentials
- 13 28:31 – Creating support systems that help adult learners succeed
- 14 31:27 – Building regional partnerships to expand student opportunity
- 15 33:04 – How AI is changing enrollment and student success
- 16 35:01 – Using AI to identify and support at-risk students
- 17 36:08 – The Christmas Eve chatbot story every enrollment leader should hear
- 18 38:46 – Preparing students for an AI-powered workforce
- 19 42:10 – Faculty concerns, academic integrity, and AI guardrails
- 20 46:01 – Why human connection will always matter in higher education
- 21 48:17 – The warning every higher education leader should hear
- 22 49:24 – Final thoughts on AI, access, and the future of community colleges
Key Quotes
"The students found us, then we could find them."
"We need to figure out how AI and humans are going to complement each other."
"The college campuses that thrive in the next five years will be those that learn how to integrate AI while preserving the human connections that make higher education valuable."
Resources
Supercharge Your University CRM