Gardner-Webb Assistant Provost Dr. Greg Pillar Selected to Participate in National Conference

Inaugural HigherEd PodCon Showcases Over 40 Presenters from North America

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Gardner-Webb University Assistant Provost Dr. Greg Pillar has been selected to participate in the inaugural HigherEd PodCon set for July 12 at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Pillar is one of over 40 presenters and will be featured in a session on designing impactful campus podcasts. The all-day event includes 15 sessions with faculty, students, tech strategists, and communications professionals from more than 25 institutions and organizations from across North America.

Pillar is new to podcasting and host of “The Bulldog Mindset” on the GWU Podcast Network. He noted, “Participating in the inaugural HigherEd PodCon is an honor. This is the first national event dedicated exclusively to the intersection of podcasting and higher education, and being invited to present alongside nationally recognized leaders is both exciting and humbling.”

He continued, “It’s a chance to represent Gardner-Webb and ‘The Bulldog Mindset’ on a national stage and to contribute to a growing community of creative academic communicators. For me, it validates the work we’re doing here—elevating voices from our campus in ways that are accessible, human, and mission-driven. This is a great opportunity to not only help with my continual acclimation with, and connection to, the campus and the Gardner-Webb community, but also help develop and grow some new skills.”

Dean Hoke was part of a group that initiated HigherEd PodCon. He is the managing partner of Edu Alliance Group, a higher education consultancy, and a senior fellow with the Sagamore Institute. “For years, there have been conversations among many higher education podcasters asking: Why isn’t there a podcasting conference just for us?” Hoke wrote in a blog for Edu Alliance Group. “This question lingered, raised in passing at virtual meetups, in DM threads, and on campuses where faculty and staff were creating podcasts with little external support or collaboration. Last winter, a group of us decided it was time to do something about it.”

Pillar will be on a panel with Daniel Story, digital scholarship librarian, University of California, Santa Cruz, and Gordon Katic, director, Cited Media. Their session, “Designing Impactful Campus Podcasts: Storytelling, Series Strategies, and Narrative Craft” will blend their shared expertise on limited series strategies, scholarly longform storytelling, and aligning podcasts with campus identity.

They will discuss how to create podcasts that creatively capture the intellectual vibrancy, personal stories, and scholarly breakthroughs that define campus cultures. “The session brings together three experienced podcast creators—though I wouldn’t say I’m ‘experienced’—to explore how higher education podcasts can go beyond promotion and truly resonate with campus communities and audiences,” Pillar explained. “We’ll discuss strategies for building limited series that reduce burnout, using longform narrative techniques to tell scholarly stories, and aligning podcast tone and structure with institutional identity, which will likely be more my contribution.”

Pillar shared that podcasts are becoming powerful tools on college campuses. “At Gardner-Webb, ‘The Bulldog Mindset’ is helping us connect across departments and generations,” he affirmed. “It’s not just about marketing—it’s about creating a platform where people feel seen, heard, and valued. Podcasts are also incredibly accessible. In a world where attention is fragmented and trust in institutions is fragile, podcasting allows us to build deeper, more personal relationships with our audiences—whether they’re students, alumni, faculty, or prospective families. As campuses compete not only for enrollment but also for relevance and impact, podcasting gives us a flexible, mission-aligned way to tell our story well.”

The keynote speaker is Matt Abrahams, lecturer in Strategic Communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business and host of Think Fast, Talk Smart. His insights on clarity, message delivery, and audience engagement will set the tone for a day of meaningful exploration.

Learn more about the conference at www.higheredpodcon.com.

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.