How Listening to the Community Transforms Colleges

What does it take to lead a university that listens, learns, and evolves with the world around it?

In this episode of Radical Cooperation, Dr. Michael Horowitz sits down with Michael Alexander, former president of Lasell University, to explore what universities must learn from the communities, industries, and local voices just beyond their gates. Drawing from his unique journey from Hollywood studios to higher ed leadership, Alexander shares how asking the right questions—and listening to external voices—helped transform Lasell into a hub of innovation, civic engagement, and economic impact.

From launching a retirement village that became an academic asset to reshaping programs based on real employer needs, this conversation reveals how radical cooperation, and two-way learning can turn institutional challenges into lasting opportunity

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