Institutions Driven by Marketing Are the Ones That Win

Chris Montagnino is reshaping higher education with a deceptively simple strategy: putting students first. As the leader of Champlain College’s online division, Montagnino combines marketing insights with a student-centric approach to to boost enrollment and retention. With almost three decades of experience, Montagnino is proving that institutions can thrive by prioritizing modern learners’ needs in the digital age.

Chris Montagnino, VP of Champlain College Online

With almost thirty years of experience in online higher education, Chris Montagnino has been at the forefront of online higher education. Her career, spanning roles at the University of Phoenix, Herzing University, and Excelsior College, has given her a unique perspective on the evolution of digital learning and how it can serve the needs of modern learners.

Now, as the leader of Champlain College’s online division, Montagnino is spearheading an ambitious growth strategy. Her vision includes increasing the college’s transfer-friendliness, streamlining the admissions pipeline, and expanding Champlain’s online program offerings. 

But Montagnino’s approach isn’t just about numbers—it’s about creating meaningful change in higher education. At the heart of her philosophy is a commitment to putting students first. Montagnino champions equitable policies that help break down barriers to education, while simultaneously cultivating a healthy workplace culture. “In this rapidly evolving landscape, the institutions that will thrive are those that can adapt quickly while never losing sight of their core mission: empowering students,” she says.

In this interview, Montagnino shares her insights and experience in her own words. From leadership lessons to the changing landscape of online learning, Montagnino offers a candid look at what it takes to succeed in today’s higher education environment.

I thrive in turnaround or startup situations

Leadership is all about context. When I take on a new role, I always assess the organizational environment. Is it a steady state where the goal is to maintain excellence? A turnaround situation that requires significant change? A startup that needs building from the ground up? ​​Each scenario demands a different approach.

For me, I’ve come to recognize that I’m at my best in turnaround or startup situations. There’s something exhilarating about the challenge of transforming an institution or building something new from scratch. It’s where my skills as a change agent really come into play. 

I think this kind of self-awareness is integral to good leadership, and can take years of experience to develop. Regardless of the situation, though, I’ve found that active listening is always crucial. When you step into a new role, you need to hear from everyone: your superiors, your peers, and especially your frontline team members. This builds trust and helps you clarify and prioritize the changes you want to make. It’s about gathering intelligence from all levels of the organization to inform your strategy.

Ultimately, effective leadership in any context—but especially in turnaround or startup situations—requires a combination of self-awareness, active listening, and the ability to adapt your approach to the specific needs of the organization. It’s challenging, often messy work, but I find the real joy of leadership lies in creating structure out of the chaos and striking a new path forward.

The upside of dissent: Why I cherish challenging voices

When you inherit a team, it’s crucial to get to know each person individually while also sharing your own non-negotiables. If there is a mutual exchange of vulnerability, you will naturally build trust in each other. This process is essential for creating a strong, cohesive team.

I love working with people who are described as “difficult” or “not a good fit.” If someone is bringing up challenging conversations, that means they’re engaged and courageous—that they are brave enough to surface difficult or uncomfortable topics at the risk of negatively impacting their career or social standing at work. Those are exactly the kind of people you want on your team. 

The key to working with these challenging voices is to check your ego, listen to them, and be honest about where things stand. It’s not always easy to hear criticism or face tough questions, but as a leader, it’s your job to create an environment where this kind of honest feedback is not just tolerated, but encouraged.

We’re not just ‘putting courses online’, we’re redesigning the learning experience

At Champlain, we’re not just offering online versions of traditional courses. We’re redesigning the entire learning experience with the modern learner in mind.

One of the biggest challenges our students face is time management. Many are coming back to education after years in the workforce, balancing study with work and family commitments. We’ve developed a learning model that breaks courses into manageable, week-long modules to address this challenge. This new structure, combined with our LMS’s intuitive interface and organizational tools, helps our students stay on track and manage their time effectively.

We’re also reimagining how we approach transfer credits. We recognize that many of our students come to us with prior learning experiences, whether from other institutions or from their professional lives. We’re working on implementing AI-driven systems to help evaluate and process transfer credits more efficiently and equitably. This will not only streamline the administrative process but also ensure that students can get fair recognition for their prior learning, potentially reducing their time to degree completion and overall tuition costs.

This redesign involves leveraging cutting-edge technologies, including AI, to enhance every aspect of the student journey. For example, we’re exploring ways to use AI to streamline and personalize student outreach. By analyzing a prospective student’s interactions with our website—say, their interest in cybersecurity programs or their background in military service—we can tailor our communication to their specific needs and interests.

The results of our approach speak for themselves. We’ve seen improved student engagement, higher completion rates, and strong positive feedback from our learners. They have expressed an appreciation for the flexibility and practicality of our approach, often noting how they can immediately apply what they’re learning to their current jobs.

One degree can ripple through generations

I’m passionate about online higher education because of the students we serve. A high percentage of our students are women, who often face additional pressures and unpaid work hours at home. Online education provides a path for them to achieve their goals while managing these societal expectations.

The same is true for our diverse learners. Many people making minimum wage in this country are women and people of color. Programs with synchronous requirements, either in-person or online, can’t help but exclude hourly wage workers. Our asynchronous model opens doors for these underserved populations who may find it difficult (if not impossible) to attend ‘live’ online lectures.

Higher education has a generational impact. A woman with a degree has an 80% chance of her children earning a degree. We’re changing the narrative and the future of our communities by empowering a more diverse student body.

Higher education needs a customer-centric revolution if it’s going to stay competitive

I believe that institutions driven by marketing and enrollment are the ones that win. The reason higher education is broken is that many institutions do not make decisions on behalf of the best interests of the student—either in terms of what students need to hear in a marketing message or what the product should look like. 

At Champlain, we’ve taken a different approach. We’re customer-centric, or more accurately, student-centric. We look at what programs students are searching for and use that to inform our offerings. We need to understand the labor market so that if students embark on a degree, they will get their expected return on investment. It’s really about meeting students where they are and listening to them.

While the changes in the higher education industry do not necessarily pose an existential threat, that doesn’t mean we can’t evolve. I like the idea of a three-year bachelor’s degree. We can achieve this goal through Prior Learning Assessment and being transfer-friendly, allowing students to complete a four-year degree in three years. This approach not only accelerates degree completion but also addresses the critical issue of student loan debt.

Ultimately, the key is to balance innovation with maintaining the integrity and value of higher education. We need to meet student needs and market demands while upholding academic standards and regulatory requirements. It’s a challenging but exciting time in the industry, and I’m thrilled to be part of shaping its future at Champlain College Online.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.