Tom Ellett meets with his freshman advisory board on Sunday nights. He runs four standing advisory boards at Quinnipiac, for first-years, upperclassmen, dining, and parents, and works with them to co-design their college experience.

Tom Ellett is the Chief Experience Officer at Quinnipiac University — a role that didn't exist before he stepped into it in 2020, and still an unusual one in higher ed. Before Quinnipiac, he spent 19 years at NYU helping shape the student experience for tens of thousands of students.

What we cover:

What the Chief Experience Officer role involves.

How Tom uses advisory boards (for first-years, upperclassmen, dining, and parents) as real-time feedback infrastructure.

Co-creation as a design principle: three of Quinnipiac's dining operations are now run by students who manag ...