The conversation explores the concept of a caring university and the incremental changes needed to transform institutional culture. It shares the origin story of this concept, the assessment and improvement of culture, the role of policy and procedure, and the importance of the employee value proposition in addressing institutional challenges. The conversation explores the challenges of workload, organizational capacity for change, and the need to prioritize quality over quantity in higher education. It emphasizes the importance of people-first change, building readiness, and empowering end users in change processes. The discussion also explores the need to update workplace mindsets and policies, embrace small wins, and reconstruct organizational practices to achieve a more caring university environment.

Dr. Kevin R. McClure is a Professor of Higher Education and Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He also serves as Co-Director of the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges.

Dr. McClure is a distinguished scholar of college leadership and organizational change. An award-winning public scholar, he has most recently served as a regular columnist at The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Dr. McClure’s best-selling book, The Caring University: Reimagining the Higher Education Workplace after the Great Resignation, was released with Johns Hopkins University Press in 2025.

Kevin's recent article: Higher Ed Has A Workload Problem

Connect with Kevin on Linked In

Takeaways from this episode -

• Creating a caring university
• Incremental change for institutional culture Prioritizing quality over quantity
• Emphasizing people-first change

Chapters

• 00:00 The Caring University
• 06:30 Assessing and Improving Culture
• 16:47 Employee Value Proposition
• 22:17 Doing Fewer Things Better Organizationally
• 28:08 Putting People First in Change Initiatives
• 34:29 Challenges of Letting Go and Updating Mindsets