Episode 459 – Unstoppable Student Success with John Frost
What if the future of higher education depends less on old systems and more on curiosity?
I speak with John Frost, vice president of marketing and enrollment management at Doane University, about his path from basketball dreams and local news to student recruitment and educational leadership. John shares how storytelling, liberal arts education, strong relationships, and applied learning can turn natural talent into career skills. We also explore AI in education, college costs, financial aid, trade schools, and why higher education is changing rather than fading away. You will find a hopeful look at student success, lifelong learning, and the human support that helps people become unstoppable.
Highlights:
04:58 – Why student opportunity matters more than campus image.
12:22 – How one conversation can change a student’s future.
16:51 – Why respectful disagreement keeps curiosity alive.
24:55 – How applying knowledge creates real impact.
36:28 – Why AI should support learning, not replace it.
55:12 – How higher education will keep shaping future leaders.
About the Guest:
How one storyteller–turned–strategist is transforming the way America thinks about college. Meet JOHN FROST, the enrollment innovator on a mission to rebuild faith in higher education. As Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing at Doane University, a four-year public university, John is rewriting the playbook on how colleges attract, inspire, and serve the next generation of learners.
Before he led campuses, John led with a camera, as a reporter, editor, and photojournalist covering real human stories that shaped communities. That same instinct for truth and connection now drives his work in education, where he helps institutions move beyond numbers and focus on what really matters: student purpose and success.
With nearly two decades of experience across Metropolitan Community College, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Doane University, John has guided organizations through shifting markets, declining enrollments, and cultural change.
His leadership has sparked bold conversations around student engagement, workforce readiness, and the evolving value of a college degree. John’s voice bridges two worlds, media and academia, helping audiences understand not just why college is changing, but how it can thrive again.
Ways to connect with John**:**
– Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/DoaneUniversity/
– Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/doaneuniversity/
– LinkedIn link: linkedin.com/school/doane-university/
– X link: https://x.com/DoaneUniversity
– YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/user/DoaneCollegeNE
– Website link: https://www.doane.edu/
About the Host:
Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.
Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children’s Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association’s 2012 Hero Dog Awards.
https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/
https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/
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Transcription Notes:
