In The Know With Acct

This is the second in a series of episodes dedicated to the fundamentals of community college governance. In this series, Jaci King, co-editor of the recently released Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide for Effective Governance, Second Edition, interviews chapter authors about how to govern. In this episode, Dr. Karen Rafinski discusses board accountability and advocacy. Dr.Rafinski is President Emeriti of Clark State Community College (CSCC) . Over her 16 years at the helm of the college, enrollment more than doubled, CSCC expanded to more locations and developed closer ties with local businesses. She has also served as Interim President for the Ohio Association of Community Colleges. Between her CSCC presidency and her previous presidencies at higher education institutions in Minnesota, Rafinski has spent 26 years as CEO at three institutions and 41 years in higher education. To purchase Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide for Effective Governance, Second Edition, visit the ACCT Bookstore

This is the second in a series of episodes dedicated to the fundamentals of community college governance. In this series, Jaci King, co-editor of the recently released Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide for Effective Governance, Second Edition, interviews chapter authors about how to govern. In this episode, ACCT consultant, Dr. Pamila Fisher, discusses best practices for governing boards, including building a cohesive team, and making time for professional development. She provides advice on how to avoid areas that can derail the board’s effectiveness.   To purchase Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide for Effective Governance, Second Edition, visit the ACCT Bookstore online. 

This is the first in a series of episodes dedicated to the fundamentals of community college governance. In this series, Jaci King, co-editor of the recently released Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide for Effective Governance, Second Edition, interviews chapter authors about how to govern. In this episode, King interviews former longtime Washtenaw Community College Trustee and former ACCT Board of Directors Member David Rutledge about the board and its governing functions. Among the topics discussed: ·        Fiduciary responsibilities: What are they, what do they mean, and how are they carried out on a community college board? ·        What elements of the board role do trustees find most challenging? Are there common pitfalls that trustees can avoid? How can a president or board chair best help board members manage these roles and what should they do if a board member is off-track and creating challenges for the board or the CEO? ·        What qualities make a trustee effective? How these charact

On this episode of In the Know, ACCT’s Former Senior Policy Analyst, Allison Beer, talks with Veena Jayadeva, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Guardian Life Insurance, and Russ Kavalhuna, President of Henry Ford College in Michigan, about Reskilling and Recovery from the COVID 19 Pandemic. Guardian's Veena Jayadeva also discusses why the company has chosen to partner with community colleges for its corporate citizenship efforts. This conversation focuses on a recent ACCT report titled Reskilling for the Pandemic Recession and Recovery. This call was recorded on Zoom, so you may notice a few brief dips in audio quality.

On this episode of In the Know, ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown spoke with Deanna Mulligan, former President and CEO and current Board Chair of Guardian Life Insurance, about her recent book, Hire Purpose. Deanna and Noah discuss the skills gap, strategies for developing talent, and how community colleges are involved in these topics. Deanna was the only female CEO of a Fortune 500 company in New York City and was recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the 50 most powerful women in business.  

On this episode of In the Know, ACCT's Jacob Bray spoke with Jose Miranda, ACCT’s Senior Government Relations Associate, Lindsay Ahlman, Associate Director of Research and knowledge management at The Institute for College Access and Success, and Ryan Bonner, Assistant Director of Financial Aid and Consumer Relations at Guilford Technical Community College. We discussed a brief published last fall titled “What Works: College Strategies for Reducing Student Loan Default.” This interview was recorded on zoom, so you many notice a few brief dips in audio quality. 

On this episode of In the Know, ACCT’s Jacob Bray spoke with Katie Brown, ACCT’s Director of Government Relations, Jose Miranda, ACCT’s Senior Government Relations Associate, and Jim Hermes, AACC’s Associate Vice President for Government Relations about what to expect from capitol hill and the white house in the coming year. We also discussed the upcoming national legislative summit and how to prepare. More information will be available in this episode’s description. This conversation was recorded on Zoom, so you might notice a few brief dips in audio quality. This episode was recorded a couple weeks ago, so some information has changed since the time of recording. However, the bulk of the information discussed is still important for community college trustees to know. Register for the National Legislative Summit Preparing for the NLS Webinar Series

On this episode of In the Know, ACCT’s Vice President for Search Services, Julie Golder, interviews ACCT Searches Consultant and former Seattle Colleges Chancellor, Dr. Jill Wakefield. Discussion focuses on the searches process, and “5 Keys to a Successful Transition Year,” a report researched and written, in part, by Dr. Wakefield. This interview was recorded on Zoom, so you might notice a few brief dips in audio quality.

On this episode of In The Know, I spoke with Tamar Jacoby, President and CEO of Opportunity America. We spoke about Opportunity America’s national survey, currently underway, to profile noncredit workforce programs at community college. We discussed the survey’s early results, and how community colleges can get involved if they haven’t already participated.  For more information on Opportunity America and survey participation, please visit the Opportunity America website. 

 In this episode, Strada Education Network Consumer Insights Director of Research Andrew R. Hanson talks about the implications of Strada's ongoing Public Viewpoints study. The conversation covered a wide range of findings from the study, including: How self-doubt gets in the way of assessing the challenges of education and training for half of Americans. Why confidence in the value of education has fallen among aspiring adult learners. How much the pandemic has affected interest in nondegree studies.  How connecting education to career convinces students that their educations will be worth the cost. And much more. Related information:  Public Viewpoint One-Pager: COVID-19 Work and Education Survey Insights from 2020, Implications for 2021 Webinar: Public Viewpoint: Insights, Trends, and Implications for 2021

In this episode, Strada Education Network Consumer Insights Director of Research Andrew R. Hanson talks about the implications of Strada's ongoing Public Viewpoints study. The conversation covered a wide range of findings from the study, including: How self-doubt gets in the way of assessing the challenges of education and training for half of Americans. Why confidence in the value of education has fallen among aspiring adult learners. How much the pandemic has affected interest in nondegree studies.  How connecting education to career convinces students that their educations will be worth the cost. And much more. Related information:  Public Viewpoint One-Pager: COVID-19 Work and Education Survey Insights from 2020, Implications for 2021 Webinar: Public Viewpoint: Insights, Trends, and Implications for 2021

Season 4, Episode 2: ACCT Chair David Mathis has been a member of the Mohawk Valley Community College board of trustees since 1977. In this episode, Mathis reflects on how community college and how public higher education governance have evolved over the past four decades, including challenges, opportunities, and changes that have taken place. As he takes the helm of the association during one of the most tumultuous years of American history, and when ACCT is undergoing its own major changes, Mathis discusses his many goals, including pandemic recovery; making meaningful progress in diversity, equity and inclusion at community colleges; finding the best person to lead ACCT into the future, and more.

Season 4, Episode 1: ACCT Chair David Mathis has been a member of the Mohawk Valley Community College board of trustees since 1977. In this episode, Mathis reflects on how community college and how public higher education governance have evolved over the past four decades, including challenges, opportunities, and changes that have taken place. As he takes the helm of the association during one of the most tumultuous years of American history, and when ACCT is undergoing its own major changes, Mathis discusses his many goals, including pandemic recovery; making meaningful progress in diversity, equity and inclusion at community colleges; finding the best person to lead ACCT into the future, and more.

This episode of In The Know features conversation with Veena Jayadeva, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Guardian Life Insurance, Hannah Gregory from Capital Community College in Connecticut, and Allison Beer and Jacob Bray from ACCT. Our discussion focuses on ACCT's most recent report, Bridging Financial Wellness And Student Success: Effective Models for Community College. Major takeaways from the report include: Community college students’ expenses often exceed available grant aid. Community college tuition is known for being relatively affordable; however, the cost of tuition and living expenses is typically greater than the amount of their available resources and grant aid. Sufficient federal and state financial aid resources are necessary to meet students’ financial needs. Colleges can also support students with financial aid interventions such as emergency grant aid, institutional balance forgiveness, and improved financial aid information. Financial education can be critical for students as th

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and protocols banning social interactions in the state of California, the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees convened for the first time by virtual meeting on April 9. In this episode, ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown speaks with SDCCD Board President Dr. Maria Nieto Senour about how the district board met, what they learned, and what considerations will be made as future board meetings are convened. The board meeting discussed during this podcast is available for viewing via YouTube.    

In this episode of In The Know, David Conner and Jacob Bray spoke with John Clark. John is a consultant at Gallup and has done extensive research on the public perception of postsecondary education, and how community colleges can distinguish themselves positively from other sectors of higher education. His presentation at our most recent National Legislative Summit was well-received, so we thought it would be a good idea to catch John for an episode and discuss his work a little more.    

This episode of In The Know is about how to best reach Generation Z students. ACCT's David Conner and Jacob Bray spoke with Ted Tedmon and Casey Wilhelm, professors at North Idaho College who have researched how Gen Z students learn, what special considerations colleges should be making to adapt to their needs, and what questions community college trustees should ask to make sure their colleges are making the investments needed to make their youngest students as successful as they can be. This is the first part of a two-part conversation. Part one was published on March 31.

This episode of In The Know is about how to best reach Generation Z students. ACCT's David Conner and Jacob Bray spoke with Ted Tedmon and Casey Wilhelm, professors at North Idaho College who have researched how Gen Z students learn, what special considerations colleges should be making to adapt to their needs, and what questions community college trustees should ask to make sure their colleges are making the investments needed to make their youngest students as successful as they can be. This is the first part of a two-part conversation. Part two will be published on April 7.

On this episode of In The Know, ACCT’s Director of Strategic Communications David Conner talks with me and Allison Beer, ACCT’s Senior Policy Analyst about the paper we just published about Prior Learning Assessment. We dive into why we chose to profile Dallas County Community College District and Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, and the benefits of Prior Learning Assessments. The full report is available here. 

This is the question-and-answer component of a two-part episode on strengthening rural community colleges. In this episode, Jee Hang Lee, ACCT’s Senior Vice President, and Casey Sacks, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges at the Department of Education, talk about ACCT’s Strengthening Rural Community Colleges Initiative, supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The project will focus on California, Iowa, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Texas, but will take into account information from rural community colleges nationwide. This episode was recorded at our annual Congress in San Francisco.  For more information, please visit rural.acct.org.