Episode 63: Tom Ellett on How Continuous Feedback Improves Student Experience
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How can you build a culture that thrives on feedback? What advisory boards should you consider to regularly hear from students, parents, counselors, and employers? How can you move beyond listening to co-creating that builds ownership? We dive into these questions with Tom Ellett, Chief Experience Officer (CXO) at Quinnipiac University.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of higher education, the traditional "siloed" approach to student affairs and academics is hitting a breaking point. As institutions grapple with declining enrollment and shifting student needs, a new leadership role has emerged to champion a more holistic view: the Chief Experience Officer (CXO). Tom Ellett, the CXO at Quinnipiac University, is at the forefront of this movement, bringing a unique blend of theater directing, professional coaching, and sociology to the world of student success.
By focusing on "regularized engagement" and intentional reflection, leaders like Ellett are proving that the student experience isn't just about facilities or technology—it’s about the deep, transformative relationships formed outside the classroom.
Defining Student Success as Realizing Potential
While many institutions measure success through retention rates and GPA, Tom Ellett defines student experience through the lens of potential. Success is achieved when a student can realize their potential through intentional engagement, reflection, and support. This isn't a "one-size-fits-all" journey like a visit to a theme park; it is a specific, developmental process where the university’s job is to help students identify who they are and who they want to become.
Interestingly, Ellett notes that the "ROI" of a college degree often isn't fully realized until the "second act" of life. This makes reflection a critical, yet often overlooked, component of the undergraduate journey.
Breaking Down Silos Through Shared Responsibility
A major barrier to a seamless student experience is the bifurcated nature of university administration. When student-facing operations are scattered across different departments, internal bureaucracy and "outdated rituals" often get in the way of student progress.
Quinnipiac’s model addresses this by bringing all student-facing operations under one "umbrella." By creating a shared vocabulary and collective goals among leaders, the institution can support the student journey from entry to exit. Programs like "Talks on the Rocks" exemplify this, bringing students, faculty, and staff together over a meal to solve campus challenges, creating a sense of shared responsibility for the community.
Navigating the Changing Student Landscape
The student of 2026 is vastly different from the student of a decade ago. Ellett identifies several shifting trends that leaders must navigate, including the diversifying nature of the student body, a workforce requiring careers that haven't been invented yet, and a significant decline in student self-confidence post-pandemic.
Furthermore, the "digital divide" isn't just about access to technology; it’s about communication. With social media often acting as a "dagger" for quick judgment, institutions must work harder to teach respect, curiosity, and the ability to work through differing perspectives.
Advice for Modern Higher Ed Leaders: Be Present
For those tasked with "minding the experience," Ellett’s advice is radical in its simplicity: be where the students are. Despite his high-level role reporting to the President, Ellett spends 30% to 40% of his time engaged with students and even lives in a residence hall.
He encourages all administrators to get back into the classroom. Teaching a first-year seminar or participating in informal events allows leaders to see the campus "at night" and hear what is actually happening. By utilizing data and understanding the history of why certain policies exist, leaders can tell a more compelling story and build the "positional privilege" necessary to advocate for real change.
Conclusion: The Power of Co-Creation
Ultimately, the most memorable college experiences are those where students feel they have left a mark. Whether it’s through student-run businesses or advisory boards, co-creation is the key to a valuable education. When students are empowered to own their experience, they develop the confidence and skills needed to navigate the complexities of life beyond graduation.
Episode 63 Transcript
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Tom Ellett: I really do believe regularized engagement for leaders in higher education is critically important. I often say that 30 percent of my time, 40 percent of my time is engaged with students. Many people will say, Tom, you're at this level, you know, you work for the president, you're spending 30 percent of your time with students. I live in a residence hall with students who at my level does that, um, but I, I think it makes a difference.
Uh, I'm a sociologist of sorts, right? I see what's happening. You know, when I go to the gym at five 30 in the morning, I look around, I see the campus at night. I hear what's happening. I mean, I go to events.
Elliot Felix: That was Tom Ellett, who's the CXO or Chief Experience Officer at Quinnipiac University, I think higher ed's first CXO, and he returns to the pod to talk about student experience. And we had a great conversation about feedback and building relationships, whether it's students or faculty or parents or counselors or employers, and how that feedback Fuels a better and better student experience and helps you build relationships with all the folks you have to partner with to enable student success and a great student experience that you're really going to enjoy it. Welcome to the Connected College Podcast.
I'm your host, Elliot Felix. I've helped more than a hundred colleges and universities change what they offer, how they operate, and how they're organized to enable student success. And if you're a leader in higher ed, and you think that the silos and separations get in the way of student success, then this podcast and my upcoming book, The Connected College, are for you. We're here to learn and work together to bust silos, question tradition, and forge partnerships so that students feel connected to their college, their community, their coursework and their careers.
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Elliot Felix: Um, welcome Tom. I'm so excited to talk to one of the few and the first, uh, CXO in higher ed. Tell us a little bit about yourself and, um, how you got started in student experience.
Tom Ellett: Thank you so much, Elliot. It's a pleasure to be, uh, with you and to share some of my journey. Um, I think that will be a through line through this conversation about the journeys. Student journeys, staff and faculty journeys, parents journeys, all of those folks who contribute to the success of students. Pretty briefly, um, when I think about your question about myself you know, I certainly grew up through student affairs roles. Um, first generation college student, um, and attended, uh, community college and a four year private institution, um, had the ability to, um, receive a PhD.
Um, but the two things that I think in terms of my journey that really has me thinking about student experience are two, uh, particular, um, things I decided to do. One was receiving my MFA in directing a theater, and that was really formative for me as I thought about the process of a play being performed you know, we work towards opening night, right? And so bringing together a group of actors who are excited, uh, to explore, uh, a play, uh, a written, uh, piece of work and for them to understand deeply about the characters and the conflict and the motivation and all of those things really helped me think about students.
Elliot Felix: It’s a lot like life.
Tom Ellett: It is. It is, you know, the through line of character development, right? Is finding your motivation for what I do on stage very similar to help students find their motivation for what it is that they want to do. So that was 1 and the 2nd 1, which is very similar was something we've talked about is coaching and receiving my coaching, um, certification and through that process, really listening deeply for, um, opportunity, uh, the client giving, you know, what opportunity they thinking about and trying to deepen action.
And I look at every conversation I have with a student. Or a parent or a staff member similarly, that I'm blessed to be brought into the conversation and to really listen for opportunity. Uh, and so, that has been really 2 formative pieces for me as I think about the skills that I've tried to hone in on in this role and the outcomes that I think are similarly aligned for all three, um, experiences.
Elliot Felix: I love the idea that, you're coaching people through like the theater of life and understanding like characters and conflict, um, and kind of helping them along their, uh, journey and, you know, understanding themselves and their place in the world. Uh, good stuff. Curious. Um, how do you define with student experience as such a cross cutting kind of thing? It's hard to say what's not student experience, but like, how do you define it? what is student experience?
Tom Ellett: Goes back to that coaching, that, uh, directing, uh, piece, helping students to realize potential through intentional engagement, intentional reflection, and intentional support. Um, I think all 3 of those things are really cornerstones, uh, for the college journey, the college experience, different than The journey at an amusement park like Disney or some kind of journey, uh, that might be offered, you know, hospitals experience, uh, this is specific, uh, to the client, the consumer, in this case, the student.
Elliot Felix: So their success is kind of defined by the degree to which they can realize their potential and the college or the university's job is To help them, you know, realize their potential kind of in both senses of the word, like realize, like, know what it is, but then, like, realize in terms of make it make it happen.
Tom Ellett: It's also important as I have seen adult learners, that some of that, which we do in a college experience may not be realized until the second act of life. And so there certainly is. We want to think about, um, outcomes and where students will go based on their education and their immersive learning. Learning that they would apply it towards X that they're studying, but it's it's deeper rooted than that because we want to also leave that whole important aspect of reflection because the journey isn't straight.
And we all face crossroads in life maybe because of a family situation, you know, ill parent or a financial situation. We're not able to take that turn right at that moment in time, but later on, we might be able to turn right because things have cleared up. Things have been resolved in those other challenges that we face in life.
Elliot Felix: I love the kind of like the building in the reflection piece, because one thing I learned, um, this year's national student experience survey, um, that I had the pleasure and privilege to, you know, analyze and talk about with a colleague in our white paper, uh, key finding was growth, like the thing that students want is growth and growth. If they have a sense that they're growing, which we talked about as teamwork and challenge and confidence and, um, impact, um, then they're happy with everything else.
So if they feel like they're growing, they're happy with their classes. They're happy with the community. They're happy with the culture of the campus, you know, they're even happy with technology and facilities. It's like the best indicator. Um, unfortunately only two thirds of students were happy with. But then you read all these stories about how much people feel like they got out of college in hindsight. Feel like one of the key takeaways for institutions is not only do you have to be focused on the stuff that helps students grow, but you have to help them realize that they're growing, uh, with that reflection, because, like you know, if you're just on the wheel, um, You may not realize like what you learned in Class X and how it's helping you in Class Y or Internship Z and so forth.
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Tom Ellett: And that's why, you know, the whole aspect for me that's so important, think it has been a part of my DNA really from the very early stages of my career. And this is more a little bit about the Student Affairs piece, but let me share it nonetheless. Class is. We have an obligation as an institution to bring forward opportunities for engagement with faculty outside the classroom in intentional ways.
And so if I look across my career at all four institutions I've worked at, I have brought crossed the divide that some institutions call a divide, I don't, of bringing faculty Into residence halls to live with students, uh, living, learning communities that are intentionally focus that bring an adult presence in a way that's not curriculum based. But is actually more informal and to have that ability to be a role model and speak with a role model about how they made it through the journey. Do think there's another area that really could be and should be optimized more is how do we do that with alums?
Tried it a couple of times and I'm still working on the exact formula for success. But I do think that's another series of folks. And then the 3rd could certainly be partners. Um, you know, those organizations that are not formally aligned originally with an institution, but have services that they provide to an institution and how do we bring the leadership or members of those, organizations into the lives of our students.
Elliot Felix: Love that. So a key part of the student experience and how you enable student success is help facilitate these connections between students, uh, and different adults, you know, not just in the classroom, but outside of it and more informal settings where maybe they're more approachable. And you, you find a mentor, you find a role model, um, you build these relationships that are what college is all about. Um, you know, as you're thinking about helping students realize their potential, um, what's changing about the student experience in college uh, that folks need to think about because it's gonna change how they do their work.
Tom Ellett: There is so much that I could share and I'll just try to pick a few certainly the diversifying nature of the students who are coming to campuses today, um, certainly is one, um, you know, I think the workforce that is diversifying as well with new, uh, and burgeoning careers that haven't even been created today, That will be the future couriers. Um, I would say that. And this has been a long standing one, though. I think it's changed over time is self confidence for students and certainly covid played a role in, um, probably slowing down some of the developmental experiences that students had, uh, in high school.
Um, I'd say communication is a challenge, uh, and certainly evolving, especially with social media. Um, um. And the last one I'll just say, is certainly the divide of perspectives and our inability as a society to work through those divides and to, uh, create a level of respect, um, for conversation, um, For our students and our campus. I'm teaching a first year seminar and I use Adam Grant's book, Think Again, and it's really been really helpful for these students to start to realize what they don't know and that it's okay. Uh, you know, I, think, we press so hard for everyone to know everything, but that's impossible. Right. Um, so those are things that I think are, yeah, changes that are happening.
Elliot Felix: Yeah. I mean, that's quite a lot. It's like who students are, um, how to communicate with them, the confidence that they have, the way they can come together or not around an issue with respect and discussion, and curiosity and so forth, and the jobs that they'll have that they need to be prepared for.
Tom Ellett: I would say that, you know, confidence and lack thereof certainly heightens in conversation or engagement, um, anxiety, uh, and other unintended outcomes, um, from not feeling comfortable where you are and then there's the whole mental health piece, which is even a little different than that, but, um, certainly does, get heightened when anxiety is high.
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Elliot Felix: So you've got all these things changing. Um, as a result of those changes or those challenges, like, what do you see as some of the most common kind of like pain points in the student journey and the student experience?
Tom Ellett: Uh, think sometimes having bureaucracy is certainly important for big organizations to have policies, procedures, ways of doing things and even rituals. That may have over time not been as appropriate for rituals on a campus or have changed. They're just not that kind of engaging thing. So sometimes those are tied to tradition.
Elliot Felix: Absolutely.
Tom Ellett: Um, so, think that we have to be really thoughtful about, uh, how we approach these engagements, um, for students. So, you know, clearly, it's important for us to be thinking about, um, assessing and understanding, uh, students where they are, um, understanding an institution's strategic Uh, initiatives and what it is it wants to be. Um, as that may morph and it's challenging when you have, have most, institutions are led by faculty who are here a long time. Students change every year and staff do as well. Um, how do you get that campus conversation? Um, that really helps To frame who we are and what it is from a strategy standpoint. We want to be those would be a couple of those.
Elliot Felix: So students are kind of battling bureaucracy and maybe some traditions and rituals that are outdated. And then sometimes there's a lack of understanding about the students themselves, like who they are, what their needs are, where they're at, or a lack of understanding about, like, the institution itself, like who we are, who do we want to be? You know, what are our goals? What's our strategy? Um, uh, what about, like, the opposite of that? Like, what do you see? As some of the most like memorable, remarkable, valuable experiences in college. Um, you know, the highlights.
Tom Ellett: There's a lot of those. Um, and I'm happy to share. Think that, um, co creation is is one of those key important aspects, uh, that make it certainly memorable for students to think that they are leaving a mark on their peers in the institution overall. So that would certainly be one of them. Um, think that, uh, not only the co creation piece, but then making sure that The institution demonstrates the impact of that co creation on the institution itself, but on the students as well, how the institution is impacted by those students. Um, and, um, would say that, um. Really, um, bring together, uh, an organization that focuses on the student journey.
And I think that's been why I feel like this institution has been successful is all student facing operations are all working under one umbrella. Now, right? Under The student experience I think sometimes the bifurcated nature of the administration causes internal battles that actually have a downward negative effect on how students experience to get things done and a lot of organizations are created higher ed and elsewhere. Are created based on people, uh, sometimes and not necessarily on what does the customer benefit from? And I've had lots of conversations with, you know, those who run the one stop operations across the country. Um, how does that work?
So that's one example, I think, of an administrative potential barrier. But, you know, the student journey piece here is really thinking about the whole idea of entry to exit. Uh, how do we get A group of leaders in those areas together around the table having a shared approach and understanding of what are the impacts when we don't collectively work together with a shared vocabulary and shared goal on supporting students and enhancing engagement with students.
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Elliot Felix: So when institutions create things with their stakeholders, with their students, with their faculty, creates a valuable experience that leads to highlights. And when they think about things holistically from entry to exit, that does as well. What are like three of your favorite initiatives or approaches or programs that are really like moving the needle on Student experience, like either at Quinnipiac or across the country. What's really like what's blowing you away?
Tom Ellett: Think that, um, I see, um, students, uh, running businesses on college campuses, I think that's really truly impactful, right? That they have a level of ownership, uh, and they are the ones who then need to explain to their peers the service that they're providing and what are the barriers that they experience and they in many times can have a closer affinity towards the institution because they're living some of the barriers that exist out there. So I think running businesses is a huge opportunity for institutions to do better.
Um, I think that, um, having a formalized process to listen with solutions for students to provide about how they're experiencing things certainly another way. Important way advisory boards and ways to formalize the conversation is really important. One of the things that we do here, just to give an example, is we have a program co sponsored by, um, this office and student government. It's called Talks on the Rocks. And once a month, we have a topical area where we invite 50 students for a free, pretty high scale buffet, uh, surf and turf, et cetera. 10 faculty and 10 staff sit at small tables together, and they're asked a series of questions. And then there's a sharing out process. And then those answers, depending on the topic is given to the office who has responsibility for that.
It meets with the student government president to go through that. I think, you know, what it does is it starts to create a shared responsibility, the stakeholders, students, faculty and staff, uh, to reflect on a particular topic, whether it be wellness on campus. How do we build a stronger community on campus? Um, how do we, um, help with the transition for transfer students? I mean, any of those topics, right? And I think that, um. For a 2 hour period of time, there's some pretty deep thinking that goes on with some really good suggestions as to how we can enhance community.
I think the other last 1 I'll share is how do we utilize technology? And, you know, certainly with AI and all that it connotes, you know, it is not our enemy. Um, but how can we use it in a way that's going to better experience? Um, there's some institutions that are doing some pretty interesting things. Uh, one colleague is, um, transforming delivery of, food with robots going around campus doing that on a pretty large scale. Um, but it goes to deeper than that, too, you know, how do we bring it in the classroom?
How do we, um, helped students? I'm in a committee right now leading for, um, branding and really creating a program in a new residence hall we're building. So we all created mission statements and then we fed all of our mission statements into chat and we got a mission statement, uh, and tried to see whether that was better than the ones we had sent in. So there's lots of ways to do it, but those are some of the, I think, interesting, uh, things, um, that I see happening.
Elliot Felix: That's great the student run businesses um, is a great point. You know, it's taking the real world project or the internship or the co op, you know, to the next level where, like, the rubber really does meet the road. Um, there's some really interesting programs out there. Um, like Saxby's, for instance, it's doing excellent work in that space. Um, so in our last Five or so minutes here. What advice do you have for other CXOs or, people who feel like it's their job to mind the student experience on their campus and online? And in between, um, what are the tactics? What are the tools uh, that you think could help them?
Tom Ellett: And I went on a brief journey, um, speaking with XOs from other industries. And I think that that could be really valuable. It certainly was for me in learning what health care, entertainment, museums, um, you know, uh, marketing, communications, what are they doing to engage their customers? So, um, we always have to keep our eye on, um, the learning and what could be transferable to higher education. Um, I think another one certainly is what does really matter to students? I've come to realize, I've known it all my life that differs.
Now, how does it differ developmentally, I think that the first year students, there's a lot of similarities, not 100%. But there are things that kind of bubble up as first year students, kind of what they want belonging community, feeling like their pick made the right choice. And why? Right? I think it changes a little bit. Um, certainly for subpopulations. And you wrote a book on subpopulations so there's differences among those populations. So knowing that, um, really do believe regularized engagement for leaders in higher education is critically important.
You know, I often say that 30 percent of my time, 40 percent of my time is engaged with students. Many people will say, Tom, you're at this level, you know, you work for the president, you're spending 30 percent of your time with students. You know, I live in a residence hall with students at my level does that, you know, not many, um, but I, I think it makes a difference. Uh, I'm a sociologist of sorts, right? I see what's happening. You know, when I go to the gym at five 30 in the morning, I look around, I see the campus at night. I hear what's happening. I mean, I go to events.
So all of those things, um, utilizing data on issues, uh, is really important. And having a regularized kind of idea of, um, how students are experiencing what you are actually trying to do. And then the last one I would say that's really important as telling the story, is being able to provide history, And that's why last institution 19 years, I was able to do this really well. Why do we do this? Let's do this. We can do what you're asking us to do, but let me give you the history of how it evolved to be the way it is today. Not to stop conversation but perspectives is something that we need to teach students who are here at a point in time.
And that point in time is very short when you think about the history of an institution. Uh, I don't want to be seen as just the historian, but I do think it's important for people to know why our dining runs the way it does or why, uh, 15 credit hours is full time.
Elliot Felix: Or the thing You're proposing we tried. And here's why it didn't work or here's what worked about and here's what didn't.
Tom Ellett: And what can we learn from it and maybe try again, right? So those are some of the things that I certainly think have been advice moments. And finally, person in front of you is the most important person at that moment in time. You cannot lose sight. I can't lose sight, especially where I have positional privilege that it's hard for An entry level staff member to meet with me. And so when they're sharing their concerns, that took a lot or a first year student, Um, so, um, you know, I think being in the classroom is important. I teach a first year seminar and I think all administrators should be in the classroom teaching, um, absolutely without a doubt.
Elliot Felix: That's great advice. Uh, what's been your biggest surprise about the student experience? I mean, you've been doing this for a long time, so something that surprises you, uh, my guess could be pretty interesting.
Tom Ellett: But there's a percentage of folks who are pretty quick to judge. Without all the data and I find that mostly to be a small segment of parents. That's the hardest thing for any, uh, college administrator today is how quick there's a small percentage who are ready to blame rather than seeking to understand. Um, and it is interesting the amount of time I put in with a particular parent. After the, I can't believe you do it this way, I can't believe that this happened, and then we sit and talk, I usually get a thank you later on at some point in time.
The, too strong of a word, the damage that it does on social media to just quickly use the dagger. I'm going to take that dagger out rarely does a parent who does that go back to the social media and say, I got more clarity. I'm sorry. Um, and it is not just colleges, right? I mean, it's any industry. Um, but there is a small population that that takes up a lot of space. Uh, and, uh, I just wish our society was a little bit more forgiving or seeking to understand, um, before acting.
Elliot Felix: Yeah. Um, well, Tom, thank you so much for this great overview of student experience, uh, your insights uh, and your advice. It's going to help a lot of folks. And, uh, I'm looking forward to see how this chapter turns out.
Tom Ellett: Thank you so much for the opportunity. Always a pleasure to speak with you.
Elliot Felix: Thanks for listening to the connected college podcast. Subscribe to my Connected College Newsletter at ElliotFelix. com for insights and excerpts from my upcoming book, tools you can download, and special offers. You can also find more information about talks I've given, articles I've written, and upcoming events there, and please support the podcast by rating and reviewing it wherever you're listening. Let's create connected colleges where students will succeed.