Just Jared Podcast

What happens when you let AI crash the conversation about the future of higher ed? Dean Jared Auclair sits down with EdD student Matthew Spearing and recent grad Gayathri Manoj for an unscripted, no-BS take on AI in education and the workplace — from student voice to AI literacy to why universities need to stop waiting for perfect answers and start experimenting. Nobody has it all figured out, but that's exactly the point.

Jared sits down with Richard Meiklejohn of Lahey Clinic’s Innovation Hub and Diego Martins, a current CPS graduate student, to discuss Massachusetts' first registered apprenticeship in AI — a partnership between Northeastern, Lahey Clinic, and the state. Richard explains how the Innovation Hub, launched in mid-2025, is using the apprenticeship model to build talent from the ground up while giving patients and clinicians a stronger voice in how AI tools get built. Diego describes his day-to-day work as the state’s first AI Apprentice generating synthetic patient datasets, supporting the Care-AI-thon (a hackathon-style event pairing outside teams with Lahey's clinical staff to co-design solutions), and building AI systems while learning to navigate a technical, data-sensitive healthcare environment. Both guests unpack why a 2,000-hour, 12-to-18-month apprenticeship offers a different kind of runway than a co-op or internship — more time to build relationships, deepen domain expertise, and develop soft skills like communication and networking alongside technical ones. Richard and Jared also talk about the state's broader push toward 100,000 registered apprenticeships, the importance of employer-education collaboration in designing new pathways, and how students can be proactive in creating opportunities that don't yet exist. Guests Richard Meiklejohn, Director, Lahey Innovation Hub, Lahey Clinic Diego Martins, CPS Graduate Student and AI Apprentice, Lahey Clinic

Jared is joined by a national caregiver advocate, a wellness leader, and a mindfulness practitioner for a conversation about what it really costs to care. CPS students, faculty, and staff carry more into the classroom and the office than their coursework and project lists. They are raising children, supporting aging parents, managing chronic illness, and holding together households — often while pursuing a degree or leading a team. This episode names that reality and takes it seriously. Jared sits down with three guests who approach caregiving and wellbeing from very different angles: a national advocate using data and storytelling to reframe how caregivers are seen and supported, an institutional leader building the wellness and belonging infrastructure at CPS, and a dean and certified yoga instructor who bridges the practical and the embodied in her work with students every day. Together, they explore what it means for an institution to truly show up for the people in its care — not just acknowledge the weight they carry, but actively help them set it down. Guests Alex Drane, Co-Founder & CEO, ARCHANGELS Shannon Alpert, Assistant Dean of Wellness and Belonging, CPS Erin Clair, Associate Dean of Bachelor's Completion & Certified Yoga and Mindfulness Instructor, CPS

Dean Auclair sits down with Joseph Randall Kwadwo-Obeng Manford and Sushmitha Katherine Jayaraj in an honest reflection about what worked, what was surprising, and what could have been done differently during their journey at Northeastern. This is an authentic, unscripted glimpse into the CPS experience from the student perspective.

CPS is centered on teaching and workforce and economic development, but our research is expanding to serve both of those core strengths.  The Center for Higher Education and Work (CHEW) is a great example of that as a lab that has successfully partnered with both public and private funders to deepen our understanding of the changing role of higher ed and the demands of shifting workforce and economic development realities.  This podcast discusses the integration of that research into CPS’s overall mission to catalyze learning pathways for all learners that are skill-based and work integrated.  Guests Connie Yowell, Executive Director Center of the Future of Higher Ed and Work (CHEW) Sasha Goldman, Senior Director Center of the Future of Higher Ed and Work (CHEW) Michael Dean, Associate Teaching Professor Richard Arum, Professor of Sociology and Education

This episode focuses on a successful and expanding educational partnership that created an “associates to masters” pathway, allowing RCC students a seamless transition to a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s degree at Northeastern. Guests:Francesca Grippa, Senior Associate Dean of ResearchEarlene Avalon, Teaching Professor and Academic LeadHillel Sims, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at Roxbury Community CollegeDaveen Blythe, Associate Dean of Professional Studies and Health Careers at Roxbury Community College

Dean Jared Auclair sits down with two leaders in the Bachelor’s Completion space at the College of Professional Studies to explore the value of the bachelor’s degree and the changing face of today’s bachelor’s student (hint: they have some live experience under their belt and are already in the workforce). Guests:Erin Clair , Associate Dean, Undergraduate ProgramsChris Cook , Senior Director, Lowell Institute School

Jared talks with two academic voices from the College of Professional Studies to explore the evolving philosophy of education. Together, they dive into what’s needed to shape the future of higher education, especially in relation to workforce development, and how the college is leading that transformation.

Jared gets real with researchers and educators in the College of Professional Studies to discuss the importance of mental health during mental health awareness month. Revealing his own journey to identify personal mental health issues, Jared discusses the impact that evidence-based research can have on improving lives.

Jared talks with two alumni about the impact of their CPS experience to help them realize their goals and equipped them to make a difference.

Jared invites ElevateBio Senior Vice President of Global Head of Government Affairs, Heidi Wagner for a virtual conversation about the growing importance of collaboration between higher education and industry to meet the needs of learners and the workforce.

Jared sits down with Amanda Welsh, Associate Dean Workforce and Economic Development and Chris Cook, Senior Director, Workforce and Economic Development to explore the vital importance of workforce and economic development and CPS’s role in advancing collaborative programing to connect learners with industry needs.

Jared discusses the impact of AI on the educational and industry landscape, as well as what CPS is doing to ensure learners are prepared to thrive in an increasingly dynamic workplace.

Jared discusses life at CPS, the challenges of building community in a non-residential college experience, thoughts on the role of AI i, and the realities of balancing studies with other demands like family and work. It’s not easy, but nothing worth doing ever is.