Living on the Edge: Design Thinking for a New Era in Higher Ed

Changing Higher Ed

Cesar Santalo, Dean of the College of Communications and Design at Lynn University, shares how he applies design thinking to drive innovation and change in higher education.

The interview provides insights into how design thinking can transform universities to meet future demands through empathy, experimentation, and engaging all stakeholders in the process of innovation. Cesar's unique background as an artist/designer is leveraged to inject fresh thinking into academia.

Overview

The core principles of design thinking he discusses include:

• Empathy - dive deep to understand the problem from the perspective of all stakeholders.
• Problem definition - distill insights into a clear, actionable problem statement.
• Ideation - brainstorm many creative ideas without judging.
• Prototyping - create rough prototypes to test and learn from.
• Testing - put prototypes into the real world for feedback, then iterate.

He provides examples of design thinking's successful implementation at Lynn, including:

• Using it to develop their 2025 strategic plan by interviewing over 650 stakeholders.
• Injecting design thinking into Lynn 101 and Citizenship courses so students gain self-awareness.
• Creating the Pulse Agency, where students solve real business problems for clients.
• Moving quickly to create an NFT museum during the NFT boom.

Cesar emphasizes the importance of stakeholder engagement, collaboration across disciplines, and creating job-ready graduates through practical learning experiences and internships.

Key Takeaways for Higher Ed Leaders:

• Don't be afraid of failure! Go big or go home. Foster an environment where people feel happy and faculty feel their voices are being heard.
• Allow faculty to live on the edge. Listen to them and empower them.
• Create partnerships with local businesses that hire your students, provide internships, and bring equity to higher education.

Read the podcast transcript on our website →

About Our Podcast Guest

Cesar Santalo, Dean of the College of Communication and Design, is an award-winning visual communications professional, artist, animator, and educator with over 20 years of experience. He has taught at prestigious institutions such as Miami Dade College, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and the University of Miami, covering subjects ranging from traditional and digital drawing to project budgeting and advanced animation.

Santalo's impressive portfolio includes collaborations with Telemundo/NBC Universal on the Quibi project, as well as roles at Univision, where he served as art director for corporate marketing, promotions, and digital content. His artistic contributions have graced live performances for the Latin Grammy's, Premio Lo Nuestro, and renowned artists like Calle 13, Carlos Vives, Cirque du Soleil, and Marc Anthony. Santalo's pursuit of a doctorate at St. Thomas University and his Six Sigma Green Belt certification demonstrate his commitment to continuous improvement.

Cesar Santalo on LinkedIn →

About the Host

Dr. Drumm McNaughton is a higher education consultant specializing in governance, accreditation, strategic planning, change management, and mergers. To learn more about his services and other thought leadership pieces, visit his firm’s website: https://changinghighered.com/.

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