News and Articles
The New Normal, Episode 13: Bob Becker
Bob Becker, who built the outbound direct sales teams at Carnival and Norwegian, on clearing the dirt out of a salesperson's day, calling the leads cruise lines already paid for, and starting AI with one use case. Five takeaways from Episode 13 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Oct 15, 2026
The New Normal, Episode 12: Dondra Ritzenthaler
Azamara Cruises CEO Dondra Ritzenthaler on building the data foundation before the rollout, letting AI do the groundwork while a person closes the sale, and treating efficiency as the minimum for AI. Five takeaways from Episode 12 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Oct 8, 2026
The New Normal, Episode 11: Mike Flaskey
Marriott Vacations Worldwide President and COO Mike Flaskey on loyalty as the growth engine, matching 1,400 sales associates to the right tour, and keeping the welcome human. Six takeaways from Episode 11 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Oct 1, 2026
The New Normal, Episode 10: Chancellor Justin Lonon
Dallas College Chancellor Justin Lonon on building a 22nd century college, taking bigger AI risks in the back office, and making outbound personal. Five takeaways from Episode 10 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Sep 24, 2026
The New Normal, Episode 9: Raghu Krishnaiah
University of Phoenix COO Raghu Krishnaiah on a decade of AI, keeping humans in charge of the critical calls, and connecting every course to work. Five takeaways from Episode 9 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Sep 16, 2026
The New Normal, Episode 8: Taylor Stockton
U.S. Department of Labor Chief Innovation Officer Taylor Stockton on putting workers at the center of the AI Action Plan, teaching AI over text message, and why operators get rollout wrong. Five takeaways from Episode 8 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Sep 10, 2026
The New Normal, Episode 7: Dr. Greg Fowler
University of Maryland Global Campus President Greg Fowler on turning military rank into academic credit, forecasting student needs, and choosing chatbots, copilots, or agents. Five takeaways from Episode 7 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Sep 3, 2026
The New Normal, Episode 6: President Lisa Marsh Ryerson
Southern New Hampshire University President Lisa Marsh Ryerson on serving 225,000 learners at a time, why higher ed cannot tweak its way to an AI-native future, and what she wants from the companies pitching her. Five takeaways from Episode 6 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Aug 27, 2026
The New Normal, Episode 5: President Mark Milliron
National University President Mark Milliron on designing for students who are ANDers, the AI wingman rolling out beside every employee, and why NU has stopped short of agentic systems. Five takeaways from Episode 5 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Aug 19, 2026
The New Normal, Episode 4: Chancellor David Andrews
UMass Global Chancellor David Andrews on grading that went from 48 hours to 48 seconds, commencement speeches written with AI, and student-facing AI with no human in the loop. Seven takeaways from Episode 4 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Aug 6, 2026
The New Normal, Episode 3: President Scott Pulsipher
Western Governors University President Scott Pulsipher on building your own replacement before you need it, matching AI to the task, and doubling a mentor's capacity. Seven takeaways from Episode 3 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Jul 23, 2026
The New Normal, Episode 2: President Madeline Pumariega
Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega on skipping pilots, putting Digital Workers on the org chart, and why students engage longer with AI. Seven takeaways from Episode 2 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Jul 9, 2026
The New Normal, Episode 1: Kermit Cook on Reinventing Penn Foster with AI
Penn Foster CEO Kermit Cook on building ugly pots, escaping the academic calendar, and the AI outreach that delivered a 30x return. Seven takeaways from Episode 1 of The New Normal.
Ruben Harris · Jun 25, 2026
OutRival Presents: The New Normal
The New Normal is OutRival's new show about how enterprises are deploying AI agents, putting Digital Workers on the org chart, and generating real ROI.
Ruben Harris · Jun 24, 2026
How AI Agents Are Shaping the Future of Higher Education and Customer Experience
Last week, over cafecito in Miami, I sat down with some customer experience leaders, and we kept circling around a critical question: How can customer-facing teams leverage AI to move beyond outdated solutions like prerecorded phone menus (Interactive Voice Response-IVR systems) and third-party offshore solutions like BPO's (business process outsourcing), to create personalized experiences that drive both satisfaction and business results?
Ruben Harris · Oct 15, 2024
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