In the Know with ACCT: Recent Episodes
ACCT
Hiring a new CEO or president can have lasting implications for a community college. So how can trustee boards ensure they're hiring the best candidate for the job? Julie Golder, Vice President for Search Services, sits down with two of our ACCT consultants to discuss best practices for an executive search and how the association can assist colleges in the process.
Learn more about all ACCT Search Services has to offer at https://acctsearches.org/ .
The state of California has made huge strides in getting college leadership and state legislators to look at dual enrollment with fresh eyes. In this third installment of our dual enrollment series, consultant, Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield speaks with education advocates in California who are working to increase graduation rates through the expansion of early access opportunities.
Challenging minds, sustainable solutions, global perspective.
What happens when two students from the United Kingdom get an opportunity to study abroad at an American community college?
ACCT Vice President of Membership and Educational Services, Robin Matross Helms, debriefs with two students who recently took part in the association’s US-UK Community College and Technical Education Exchange program.
CONGRESS RECAP: The following panel discussion was taken from the “Building Momentum for Innovative Dual Enrollment Pathways Policies” seminar, recorded during the 2025 ACCT Leadership Congress in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Dr. Claire Brady, President of Glass Half Full Consulting, answers lingering questions about the role of artificial intelligence in higher education. She explains how trustees can use AI to make their jobs more effective, while keeping students and staff at the forefront of the tech revolution.
*This podcast episode was recorded live during the Regional Awards Luncheon at the 2025 ACCT Leadership Congress in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 24, 2025.
In this second installment of ACCT’s dual enrollment/dual credit series, consultant Amy-Elle-Duke Benfield sits down with higher ed leaders from Texas and California to compare state programs and policies, and strategize ways to make systems more effective for students.
Honoring the past while empowering the future…
America’s tribal colleges and universities provide a culturally rooted educational experience that prepares students for jobs in their local communities and beyond!
In this episode, you'll hear from three tribal college alumni whose alma maters have laid the foundation for their professional journeys, inspiring impactful careers that are strengthening the local economies of their native lands.
For more information about the importance of TCUs, check out the 2025 American Indian Higher Education Consortium Economic Impact Report!
Student success…
The term is used all the time in higher ed spaces, but what does it truly mean?
Over the last two decades , community colleges have been making a conscious effort to “meet students where they’re at”, addressing basic needs issues like hunger, childcare for student parents, veterans benefits and disability resources.
But one of the most prominent issues leading to student stop out is still without a real solution...
New America's Senior Policy Manager for Higher Education Policy, Edward Conroy, unveils details of a new study revealing just how big an impact housing insecurity is having on student retention on community college campuses.
AI is the future… and for a lot of people, that can seem a little scary. But it doesn’t have to be!
In less than 30 days, community college trustees and administrators from around the country will be swarming the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana for the annual ACCT Leadership Congress. In this episode, one of our Congress sponsors, Element451, is giving our members a sneak preview of their conference session!
They’ll tell us how community colleges can streamline processes while taking a load off their academic advisors and student services workers through the use of innovative artificial intelligence software.
Learn more about Element451 by visiting their website: www.element451.com
Register for the 2025 ACCT Leadership Congress: https://acct.org/events/acct-leadership-congress
Dually enrolled students are becoming one of the fastest growing populations at community colleges! Earlier this year, ACCT launched a new project exploring innovative state strategies for community college funding and dual enrollment in the states of Texas and California. In this episode, consultant and guest host, Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, sits down with leaders from two Texas community colleges who were influential in the rollout of House Bill 8, which aims to increase the number of Texans with credentials of value.
In celebration of Student Parent Month, ACCT's Kids on Campus Director, Miya Simpson, sits down with the founder and CEO of Generation Hope, to discuss barriers to student parent success on college campuses. In this season premiere episode, Nicole Lynn Lewis details her journey through college as a single mother, highlighting the roadblocks she faced in securing adequate childcare, and the two-generation approach her organization is taking to drive systemic change nationwide.
The American people have spoken, and the results are in. President-elect Donald J. Trump is preparing to take on a second term in the the White House with an all new agenda and a Republican controlled Congress behind him. This shift in power could mean a sweep of changes will be coming to the public education sector. ACCT’s Vice President of Public Policy, Carrie-Warick Smith, Director of Government Relations, Jose Miranda, and Senior Government Relations Associate, Genesis Santiago are here to analyze how community colleges could be affected by the election results.
Is filling out the FAFSA posing a challenge to your college students? Significant revisions have been made to the application within the last few years, but don’t fret! The ACCT public policy team breaks down all things FAFSA in their latest financial aid brief.
Former International President of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Tala Alahmar, stopped by the ACCT office in Washington, D.C. to update the membership on her academic journey and professional goals following graduation from Oakland Community College and the University of Michigan. Alahmar was first introduced to the ACCT membership as a keynote speaker at the 2022 ACCT Leadership Congress in New York City, NY.
Link to Full Congress Keynote Speech
Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, biotechnology…The technology sector is advancing, and community colleges are finding themselves at the center of the innovation economy! On this episode of “In the Know”, Shalin Jyotishi from New America, breaks down the federal funding streams allocated through the CHIPS Act that are supplying community colleges with the resources needed to keep the workforce up to speed.
Did you know nearly one in ten undergraduate students are single mothers?
Did you know nearly all of those single mothers are living at or near the poverty line?
On this episode of in the know, ACCT’s Vice President of Public Policy, Carrie Warick-Smith is sitting down with Amber Angel from the ECMC Foundation. They’ll talk about how community colleges are aiming to provide more support to this growing student population and how the kids on campus project can be a reliable and effective solution for childcare needs.
Access to safe, reliable childcare can be one of the biggest barriers to adults looking to pursue higher education. The annual cost of childcare is surpassing the cost of college tuition in some states, and as a result, student parents are being pushed out of the retention pipeline. So how is ACCT addressing this basic needs issue? Steve Jurch, Associate Vice President for ACCT'S Center for Policy and Practice, leads this important discussion and provides us with an overview of the new Kids on Campus Initiative.
Guests:
Laura Weeldreyer
Executive Director, Maryland Family Network
Hilda Pena-Alfaro
Executive Director Child Development and Family Support, Mt. Hood Community College
On this episode of "In the Know", ACCT's Sean Robins sits down with Annie Phillips from Education Strategy Group to discuss the progress of our joint Non-Credit Alignment Lab Initiative. The grant program was designed to identify best practices to equitably and effectively serve learners enrolled in non-credit programs at community colleges.
Appropriations bills, power transitions, funding deadlines…ACCT’s public policy team is here to get you all caught up on the latest action in Washington as our members prepare to meet with their legislators and advocate for their students at the 2024 Community College National Legislative Summit!
Black learner success. What is it? And are we really doing enough to ensure that it's thriving at our institutions? Dr. Keith Curry, President and CEO of Compton College analyzes the community college’s role in reaching a dwindling black student population and shares some of the strategies he’s implemented through his leadership positions.
This episode of "In the Know" features the third installment of our SNAP E&T grant partnership series. Camille Vega from the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), and Stephany Barhorst from Lorain County Community College join us to discuss what it's like to serve as a third-party SNAP E&T provider, the challenges they've faced along the way, and the advice they have for community colleges looking to begin a partnership.
On this episode of “In the Know”, we dive deeper into the inner workings of the SNAP E&T grant program. Which contract structure is best suited for your institution? ACCT's Steve Jurch sits down with Nicole Braxton and Kate Kinder to talk about the pros and cons of using an intermediary model.
On this episode of “In the Know”, Steve Jurch, Director of ACCT's Center for Policy and Practice, takes a closer look into our joint SNAP E&T grant partnership with the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA).
APHSA Senior Policy Analyst, Brandy Whisman joins us as a guest to discuss the importance of third-party partnerships within the SNAP E&T landscape.
On this episode of "In the Know", we’re tackling all things mental health!
We’ll sit down with a representative from TimelyCare and a licensed counselor at Amarillo College to discuss access to mental health services and trends we’re seeing among students on our campuses.
On this episode of in the know—ACCT’s Steve Jurch sits down with Bridgette Gray from Opportunity@Work and Kermit Kaleba from the Lumina Foundation to discuss a new project focused on creating a more efficient pipeline from community colleges to the workforce. We’ll discuss the importance of skills-based hiring and how it can help employers meet their need for competent workers while closing the employment gap for minority communities.
On this episode of "In the Know", ACCT's Andy Laine sits down with career lawyer, Ira Shepard to discuss the Supreme Court's ruling in the Houston Community College vs. Wilson case. With very little precedent for cases dealing with the function of a community college board, we'll pinpoint the ruling's significance and how it may affect board member relations moving forward.
This episode of “In the Know” features an in-depth discussion with ACCT's Vice President of Public Policy, Carrie Warick-Smith, Director of Government Relations, Jose Miranda, and Senior Government Relations Associate, Rosario Duran. We'll take a closer look at the legislative priorities for the 118th Congress and the policy changes that could affect how community colleges serve students. We'll also preview the upcoming Community College National Legislative Summit happening February 5-8 in Washington, D.C.
On this episode of In the Know ACCT's Director of Strategic Communications, David Conner, and I spoke with Hester Tinti-Kane, Senior Marketing Director at Cengage and Jeff Seaman, Director of Bay View Analytics about the Digital Learning Pulse Survey: Student, Faculty and Administrator Perspective on Digital Learning in the Community College. Bay View Analytics conducted this survey of higher education students, faculty and administrators between October 20 and November 8, 2021 in partnership with leading community college organizations. This project is underwritten by Cengage.
This is an episode of Need to Know, a more policy-focused offshoot of In the Know. Today, we're talking about appropriations with Carrie Warick-Smith and José Miranda. Carrie is ACCT's Vice President of Public Policy and José is ACCT's Senior Government Relations Associate. We talk about new developments in the appropriations process and updates to programs that are of interest to community colleges.
Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Fact Sheet
ACCT LAW Alerts
This episode of In the Know features United States Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh’s address to community college leaders at the 2022 National Legislative Summit, with an introduction by Pam Eddinger, president of Bunker Hill Community College in Massachusetts. This episode also features an extensive Q&A the secretary did with community college leaders. There is a lot of great information here, so even if you were at the NLS, I think this is worth listening to again.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly at jbray@acct.org if you have ideas for future episodes. What do you want to learn about? We’re always open to suggestions!
On this episode of In the Know, I spoke with Judge Jim Cooksey, ACCT Board Chair and Trustee at Moberly Area Community College in Missouri. We spoke about his path to becoming a trustee, and the theme for this year's annual Congress theme, "Improving the Lives of Entire Families." Registration is now open, as is the call for presentations.
On this episode of In the Know, David Conner and Jacob Bray spoke with Shauna Davis and Mary Laphen from the Lumina Foundation. Shauna is the Strategy Director for Community College Participation and Mary is the Strategy Officer for Participation. We spoke about Lumina's Million Dollar Community College Challenge, a grant opportunity to support brand building and strategic marketing efforts for community colleges.
This episode of In the Know features Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona’s address to community college leaders at the 2022 National Legislative Summit. Secretary Cardona has a long history of advocating for public education and community colleges. He is an inspiring leader, and I think you’ll enjoy what he has to say. This episode also features a Q&A with Secretary Cardona moderated by ACCT Chair-Elect, Rose Benavidez.
Thank you for listening to this episode of In the Know, and thank you again to Secretary Cardona for taking the time to speak with us at the 2022 National Legislative Summit. If you have ideas for future episodes, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. You can email me directly at jbray@acct.org. We’ll see you next week.
On this episode of In the Know, ACCT’s Vice President of Public Policy, Carrie Warick-Smith, ACCT’s Senior Government Affairs Associate, José Miranda, AACC’s Senior Vice President for Government Relations, David Baime, and AACC’s Associate Vice President for Government Relations, Jim Hermes, discuss the 2022 community college priorities. This session was recorded at the 2022 National Legislative Summit, and was moderated by William Serrata, President of El Paso Community College in Texas.
If you have questions about our legislative priorities, feel free to get in touch with the ACCT public policy team by emailing publicpolicy@acct.org.
On this episode of In the Know, I spoke to Nicole Lynn Lewis, Founder and CEO of Generation Hope, a non-profit based in the DC area that works to ensure all student parents have the opportunities to succeed and experience economic mobility. Generation Hope engages education and policy partners to drive systemic change and provides direct support to teen parents in college as well as their children through holistic, two-generation programming. Nicole has a very inspiring story and valuable perspective. I think you’ll enjoy this episode.
On this episode of In the Know, ACCT’s Director of Strategic Communications, David Conner, and I spoke with ACCT’s new Vice President of Public Policy, Carrie Warick-Smith. Carrie is coming to ACCT from the National College Attainment Network where she gained extensive insight into the issues effecting community colleges and community college students. She has a lot to offer ACCT, and I think you all will enjoy getting to know her. We’re truly excited to welcome Carrie to ACCT!
On this episode of In the Know, ACCT's Digital Media and Communications Specialist, Jacob Bray, talks with Jose Miranda, ACCT’s Senior Government Relations Associate, about the upcoming National Legislative Summit. They talk about federal policies attendees should be ready to learn about, and some logistical details.
You can find more information on ACCT's NLS website, nls.acct.org, or feel free to email Jose at publicpolicy@acct.org with any questions.
Welcome to Season 4 of In the Know with ACCT. In this Episode, David Conner and Jacob Bray talk to Jee Hang Lee about how he fell in love with community colleges and his plans for ACCT as the association's new President and CEO.
Jee Hang's next town hall meeting is on January 14th. Click here for more information on how to participate.
Additionally, click here to register for the 2022 National Legislative Summit.
Thanks for listening, we'll see you next week.
This episode of In the Know features in-depth discussion of ACCT’s most recent report, Strengthening Rural Community Colleges Innovations and Opportunities, which was researched and written by ACCT’s Senior Program Manager Rachel Rush-Marlowe. Travis Reindl, Senior Communications Officer for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation moderates a conversation between Dave Loope, President of Beaufort Community College in North Carolina, and Martha Garcia, Superintendent and President of Imperial Valley Community College in California. The conversation picks back up with discussion of housing options for students. This conversation was recorded on zoom, so please excuse a few brief dips in audio quality.
This episode of In the Know features in-depth discussion of ACCT’s most recent report, Strengthening Rural Community Colleges Innovations and Opportunities, which was researched and written by ACCT’s Senior Program Manager Rachel Rush-Marlowe. Travis Reindl, Senior Communications Officer for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation moderates a conversation between Dave Loope, President of Beaufort Community College in North Carolina, and Martha Garcia, Superintendent and President of Imperial Valley Community College in California. ACCT’s Senior Vice President Jee Hang Lee provides an introduction. This is part one of a two part episode.
This is the Seventh 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, the tables turn as ACCT’s David Conner and Colleen Allen interview Jaci and discuss trusteeship and student success. There are a couple of great stories in here that I think you’ll enjoy.
To purchase Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide for Effective Governance, Second Edition, visit the ACCT Bookstore online. Additionally, please feel free to get in touch if you have ideas for future episodes. Thanks for listening, we’ll see you next week.
This is the Sixth 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. Eduardo Marti discusses Board Planning and Monitoring. Dr. Marti is an experienced educator who has led several community colleges with distinction for more than 25 years, Dr. Eduardo J. Martí joined CUNY in 2000 as President of Queensborough Community College. Prior to that, he served for six years as President of Corning Community College of the State University of New York, and for eight years, as President of SUNY’s Tompkins Cortland Community College. Dr. Martí also served as Executive Dean of Tunxis Community College and Acting President of Middlesex Community College, both located in Connecticut.
This conversation was recorded on ZOOM, so please excuse a few brief dips in audio quality.
To purchase Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide for Effective Governance, Second Edition, visit the ACCT Bookstore online. Additionally, please feel free to get in touch if you have ideas for future episodes. Thanks for listening, we’ll see you next week.
For more information about the 2021 call for proposals, please visit congress.acct.org.
This is the fifth 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, Ken Burke and Dr. Mary Spilde discuss the relationship between a board and CEO. Ken serves as the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for Pinellas County, Florida. Burke has served on the Board of Trustees of St. Petersburg College, and was also elected to the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Board of Directors in 2001. In 2005-07 he served as Chair of the Association.
Dr. Mary Spilde served as president of Lane Community College for 16 years. She was named President Emerita upon her retirement from the college in June, 2017. She is a nationally respected authority on community colleges, workforce development, leadership and sustainability. Dr. Spilde has 37 years of experience in higher education.
To purchase Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide for Effective Governance, Second Edition, visit the ACCT Bookstore online. Additionally, please feel free to get in touch if you have ideas for future episodes. Thanks for listening, we’ll see you next week.
This is the fourth 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. Charlene Dukes discusses student success and diversity, equity and inclusion. Dr. Dukes is president emerita of Prince George’s Community College in Largo, MD where she spent 25 years of her service in higher education – the first twelve as vice president for Student Services.
This conversation was recorded on ZOOM, so please excuse a few brief dips in audio quality.
To purchase Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide for Effective Governance, Second Edition, visit the ACCT Bookstore online.
On this episode of In The Know, ACCT’s David Conner, Rachel Rush-Marlowe, and Jee Hang Lee spoke about ACCT’s most recent report, “Strengthening Rural Community Colleges: Innovation and Opportunities.” The report, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, details the needs and challenges of rural community colleges throughout the United States without focusing on a deficit narrative.
For more information on the report, and about rural institutions in general, please visit rural.acct.org. The report is not the end for our rural institution project, information will continue to be added.
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 online.
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 characteristics play out when a board is dealing with an issue or challenge? · The size and complexity of community college boards—and the fact that most operate under some type of open meetings requirement—is likely quite different from what trustees may have experienced in the private sector. What advice do you have for new trustees as they become familiar with the way their board functions?
To purchase Trusteeship in Community Colleges: A Guide for Effective Governance, Second Edition, visit the ACCT Bookstore at https://www.acct.org/publications.
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 they navigate the complex nature of college financing and personal expenses; however, education about finances is not a replacement for financial aid resources. Financial education combined with sufficient aid can help empower students to make complex financial decisions associated with attending college. To provide relevant financial education, community colleges must consider the varied skill sets and knowledge held by their students.
- This report highlights the Guardian Money Management for Life Program as a financial empowerment model for community colleges. Among students who participated in the course from 2015 to 2019, 75% report having a better understanding of personal financial management. Recognizing that when students’ basic financial needs are met, they are more likely to succeed academically, several Guardian Life partner colleges have evolved the personal finance course to a holistic financial wellness model. Notably, these colleges are moving toward developing or expanding one-stop financial empowerment centers where students receive resources for financial education, aid, and career development.
This report was made possible by a grant from Guardian.
If you want to check out the full report, it’s available on our website, acct.org, under the publications tab.
Thanks for listening, we’ll see you next time.
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.
On 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 also will take into account information from rural community colleges nationwide. This episode was recorded at our annual Congress in San Francisco. This is a two part episode with part two being the question and answer section.
For more information, please visit rural.acct.org.
In this episode of In The Know, ACCT’s Senior Policy Analyst Allison Beer talks with Dave Clayton, Strada Education Network’s Senior Vice President for Consumer Insights.
Allison and Dave dive into what students actually think about higher education, guided by a recent Strada consumer insights survey.
Visit StradaEducation.org for more information.
This episode was recorded during the 50th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress in San Francisco, California.
In an ideal world, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system would help your institution operate like a well-oiled machine, bringing campus processes, people and the institutional strategic plan together.
Unfortunately, these powerful and complex technologies come with powerful and complex systems, processes and procedures that can cause the kinds of operational inefficiencies they were designed to eliminate, according to CampusWorks, a company that specializes in supporting ERP for community colleges.
In this episode, ACCT's Jacob Bray and David Conner spoke with CampusWorks Senior Vice President for Client Development Keith Myers about what community college trustees should know about ERP.
Drawing from experiences at Educause's 2020 Trend Watch, Myers demystifies the technical aspects of ERP, offering a market context and walking through the preparation, evaluation and implementation phases.
To learn more, visit https://www.campusworksinc.com/capabilities/enterprise-resource-planning-support
In an ideal world, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system would help your institution operate like a well-oiled machine, bringing campus processes, people and the institutional strategic plan together.
Unfortunately, these powerful and complex technologies come with powerful and complex systems, processes and procedures that can cause the kinds of operational inefficiencies they were designed to eliminate, according to CampusWorks, a company that specializes in supporting ERP for community colleges.
In this episode, ACCT's Jacob Bray and David Conner spoke with CampusWorks Senior Vice President for Client Development Keith Myers about what community college trustees should know about ERP.
Drawing from experiences at Educause's 2020 Trend Watch, Myers demystifies the technical aspects of ERP, offering a market context and walking through the preparation, evaluation and implementation phases.
To learn more, visit https://www.campusworksinc.com/capabilities/enterprise-resource-planning-support
This episode of In The Know is about serving the new traditional student. It features a panel of James Elliott, the International President of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and student at Delaware Technical Community College, Klayre Guzman, former student at San Jose City College and University of California-Davis, and Rosie O'Neill, trustee at Northern Virginia Community College and ACCT board member, moderating the panel. This episode was recorded at our most recent annual congress in San Francisco.
This episode of In The Know features Kim Hunter Reed, Commissioner of Higher Education for the State of Louisiana, Joseph Garcia, Chancellor of the Colorado Community College System, and Sandy Caldwell, Executive Director of the Wyoming Community College Commission discussing the intricacies and future of public higher education governance.
This episode was recorded at our annual congress this past year in San Francisco.
This episode of In The Know features Kim Hunter Reed, Commissioner of Higher Education for the State of Louisiana, Joseph Garcia, Chancellor of the Colorado Community College System, and Sandy Caldwell, Executive Director of the Wyoming Community College Commission discussing the intricacies and future of public higher education governance.
This episode was recorded at our annual congress this past year in San Francisco.
Since 2015, over 25 community colleges throughout the United States have been offering college programs in prisons funded by the Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell Grant experiment. Part of ACCT’s congressional advocacy has been to support a repeal of the ban on using federal financial aid in prisons.
This episode, recorded live during the 50th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress, explains how trustees can help to bring their colleges' educational resources to area prisons.
The episode features colleges that have been offering college in prison programs and campus reentry services. You will also hear from two students whose participation in college in prison transformed their lives.
Panelists include:
- Moderator: Brian Walsh, Senior Program Associate, Vera Institute of Justice, NY
- Norma Cumpian, Student, Chaffey Community College, CA
- Steve Grabowski, Trustee, Metropolitan Community College, NE
- Robert Ryan, Trustee, Tacoma Community College, WA
- Genaro Sanchez, Student, Skagit Valley College, WA
- Albert Yancey, Student, Alvin Community College, TX
Related information:
- Study on Prison-Based College Program (Inside Higher Ed)
- Serving Students with Second-Chance Pell (Trustee Quarterly)
- Advocating for Second-Chance Pell (ACCT NOW)
- Op-Ed: Congress should lift ban on Pell Grants for incarcerated students (Des Moines Register)
- Op-Ed: A Sure Bet (Inside Higher Ed)
Since 2015, over 25 community colleges throughout the United States have been offering college programs in prisons funded by the Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell Grant experiment. Part of ACCT’s congressional advocacy has been to support a repeal of the ban on using federal financial aid in prisons.
This episode, recorded live during the 50th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress, explains how trustees can help to bring their colleges' educational resources to area prisons.
The episode features colleges that have been offering college in prison programs and campus reentry services. You will also hear from two students whose participation in college in prison transformed their lives.
Panelists include:
- Moderator: Brian Walsh, Senior Program Associate, Vera Institute of Justice, NY
- Norma Cumpian, Student, Chaffey Community College, CA
- Steve Grabowski, Trustee, Metropolitan Community College, NE
- Robert Ryan, Trustee, Tacoma Community College, WA
- Genaro Sanchez, Student, Skagit Valley College, WA
- Albert Yancey, Student, Alvin Community College, TX
Related information:
- Study on Prison-Based College Program (Inside Higher Ed)
- Serving Students with Second-Chance Pell (Trustee Quarterly)
- Advocating for Second-Chance Pell (ACCT NOW)
- Op-Ed: Congress should lift ban on Pell Grants for incarcerated students (Des Moines Register)
- Op-Ed: A Sure Bet (Inside Higher Ed)
The leadership at Amarillo Colleges in Texas wants nothing more than for its students to succeed. And they knew that in order to empower every student to make the most of their potential, they need to understand every student. But how? The college has operated in its community for 90 years, and the makeup of the community and the needs of students have changed dramatically over time.
In this episode, Amarillo Colleges Regent Jay Barrett and President Russell Lowery-Hart profile the college's most significant student, Maria, and explain how getting to know her has transformed the institution.
Maria is a “the typical student at Amarillo College. She’s...female. She’s first-generation; 71 percent of our students are first generation. She goes to school part time; 60 percent of our students go to class 12 (credit) hours a year. She’s working two part-time jobs. She’s the mother of at least 1.2 kids, and she’s 28 years old," according to Lowery-Hart. She is highly intelligent and tenacious—but she won't reach her potential without higher education. Maria is a composite representative of the typical Amarillo College student, and understanding her needs and motivations has proven to be the key to success for the college.
By empowering Maria as a secret shopper, asking her to write the college values, and redesigning systems around her, completion rates at the college improved from 19 percent to 48 percent over three years.
This episode was recorded live during the 50th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress in San Francisco, California.
The leadership at Amarillo Colleges in Texas wants nothing more than for its students to succeed. And they knew that in order to empower every student to make the most of their potential, they need to understand every student. But how? The college has operated in its community for 90 years, and the makeup of the community and the needs of students have changed dramatically over time.
In this episode, Amarillo Colleges Regent Jay Barrett and President Russell Lowery-Hart profile the college's most significant student, Maria, and explain how getting to know her has transformed the institution.
Maria is a “the typical student at Amarillo College. She’s...female. She’s first-generation; 71 percent of our students are first generation. She goes to school part time; 60 percent of our students go to class 12 (credit) hours a year. She’s working two part-time jobs. She’s the mother of at least 1.2 kids, and she’s 28 years old," according to Lowery-Hart. She is highly intelligent and tenacious—but she won't reach her potential without higher education. Maria is a composite representative of the typical Amarillo College student, and understanding her needs and motivations has proven to be the key to success for the college.
By empowering Maria as a secret shopper, asking her to write the college values, and redesigning systems around her, completion rates at the college improved from 19 percent to 48 percent over three years.
This episode was recorded live during the 50th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress in San Francisco, California.
On this episode In The Know, ACCT Director of Strategic Communications David Conner and Educational Events Director Christina Simons talked with Dr. Kim Dale, the incoming president at Western Wyoming Community College, and Dr. Karla Leech, the outgoing president. They discuss how they have worked together to avail Dale of Leech's extensive experience and her relationships throughout Wyoming, while handing the college reins to Dale so that she can run the college in her own way. Their mutual respect is evident throughout the conversation, and it sets an example for an ideal presidential transition.
This episode was recorded in August 2019 during the Governance Leadership Institute (GLI) for New Trustees. Check out our events page for more information about the GLI and other events.
On today’s episode, ACCT Associate Writer Jacob Bray spoke with Director of Government Relations Jennifer Stiddard about what's at stake for community colleges in the coming year. In addition to an overview of the 2020 Community College National Legislative Summit, Jennifer discusses the legislative priorities that all community college leaders and advocates should be aware of during the next legislative session. A lot is changing next year with a presidential election, along with house and senate elections. It will be important to make sure your voice is heard in the higher education conversation.
To register for the National Legislative Summit visit NLS.ACCT.org. For more information, you can email Jennifer at jstiddard@acct.org.
For this episode of In The Know, we pulled together a panel of trustees and faculty from across the country to discuss the advantages of open educational resources, commonly referred to as O.E.R. Each of the three institutions represented, Pima Community College, Harper College, and South Florida State College, are at different stages in their adoption of OER, and everyone had valuable knowledge and experience to share.
Towards the end of the episode, our panelists shared a few resources they thought would be helpful. They are linked below.
- Rice University OpenStax
- OER Commons
- Consortium for Community Colleges for OER
The United States has a unique, ever-changing culture made up of people who migrate from throughout the rest of the world. Committed to open educational access, diversity and inclusiveness, community colleges have a special and vital role in guaranteeing a high-quality education to everyone in the country. Paying attention to demographic changes today and knowing what to expect tomorrow are imperatives for community college leaders.
In this episode of In the Know with ACCT, Pew Research Center Director of Global Migration and Demography Mark Hugo Lopez addresses the changing demographics of people within the United States.
Topics discussed include:
- What are diversity, equity and inclusion from a research perspective?
- How are these principles embraced today compared with how they were seen decades ago?
- How does the American perception of diversity, equity and inclusion compare with that of other parts of the world?
- How does the political partisanship seen in the media compare with research-based understanding of people's perceptions of diverse cultures within the United States?
- Are diversity and immigration one and the same?
- How do geographic and generational considerations relate to these issues?
- How do perceptions of higher education vary among racial and ethnic groups? What about different generations?
- How could changes to the 2020 Census affect perceptions of diversity and personal identity?
- Will future generations give greater or lesser attention to discrete aspects of diversity and differences?
For more information from Pew Research Center, visit www.pewresearch.org.
Trustees are busy people who volunteer their time to govern community colleges through board and committee meetings. Are retreats really worthwhile? If they're done right, one trustee says, they can be indispensable.
In this episode of In The Know, ACCT Board Member and Northern Virginia Community College Trustee Rosie O'Neil speak with ACCT Director of Strategic Communications David Conner and Director of Retreat and Evaluation Services Colleen Allen about how retreats at her college and at ACCT have enabled her to grow as a trustee and have enabled the board to set clear strategic visions, monitor those visions and follow them through to completion.
For more information about ACCT's board services, visit our website.
On this episode of In The Know we interviewed Jeff Advokat, Trustee at the County College of Morris in New Jersey. Jeff was in town for the most recent Governance Leadership Institute, so we talked with him about community college board ethics. He’s been an attorney for nearly four decades and had a lot of good advice regarding ethical dilemmas trustees might encounter.
If you like this episode, check out the other episode we recorded with Jeff about what new trustees should know before getting started. It’s titled “Attention New Trustees, This Episode is for you.” Remember to subscribe so you’re notified when we release new episodes. Thanks for listening, we’ll see you next week.
This episode featuring Michelle Weise was recorded at the 50th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress in October. Michelle is Strada Education Network's Senior Vice President of Workforce Strategies and serves as Chief Innovation Officer for the Strada Institute Future of Work, which is dedicated to advancing understanding of the future of work to build the learning ecosystem of the future.
Michelle's research focuses on the future of the workforce and how to connect student learners more directly to meaningful employment pathways through their working lives.
For more information on what Michelle spoke about, check out the book she co-authored with Clayton Christensen titled Hire Education: Mastery, Modularization, and the Workforce Revolution.
Rosaelena "Rosie" O'Neil is a trustee at Northern Virginia Community College and a member of the ACCT Board of Directors, with over 20 years of experience in education advocacy and leadership development. In this episode, Rosie talks to ACCT about what she wishes she had known when she became a new trustee.
In addition to her trusteeship, Rosie serves as deputy director and program counselor in the Landegger Program in International Business Diplomacy in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
How familiar are most new community college trustees with their roles and responsibilities? Not very, according to Jeffrey M. Advokat, Esq., a long-serving trustee from County College of Morris in New Jersey. That's OK—and actually, according to Advokat, new trustees' relative naivety can be a great asset to any board.
In this must-listen episode for new community college trustees, Advokat discusses "tips of the trade" for new trustees with ACCT's Jacob Bray and David Conner.
Questions addressed in this episode include:
- What does a new trustee need to know?
- When should a new trustee speak up, and when might it be better to listen?
- How can mentoring relationships help a new trustee to gain a greater understanding of the college and its board?
- How can a new trustee's relative lack of knowledge be an asset to a board?
- What should a new trustee understand about the role of the chair versus other board members' roles?
- What should a new trustee understand about issues such as communications, ethics and how they interrelate?
- What's rewarding about serving as a community college trustee?
Related Resources:
- Case Study: The Making of a New Community College Trustee, Chapter One
- Case Study: The Making of a New Community College Trustee, Chapter Two
- Four Questions that Every New Community College Trustee Needs to Ask
- Trusteeship 101: Board Basics for ACCT's Trusteeship in Community Colleges
For more resources for new trustees, visit ACCT.org or email us at acctinfo@acct.org.
In this episode, CampusWorks CEO and Board Chair Liz Murphy discusses what community college boards need to know about strategic planning. Liz Murphy joined CampusWorks in 2011, bringing with her 22 years of experience at Datatel (now Ellucian), where she most recently served as the chief client officer. Liz is the immediate past president of the Alliance for Innovation & Transformation (AFIT) and a board member of both Community College Business Officers (CCBO) and Quality Matters.
CampusWorks partners with institutions of all shapes and sizes—from single campus colleges and universities with small enrollments to multi-school systems—to improve operations, reduce costs, and position students for success. The ACCT Corporate Council member company provides a structured approach to make meaningful change minimizing disruptions to your operations. Whether reimagining and redesigning broken business processes, bridging a leadership gap, or providing IT transformation services so your staff can focus on initiatives that support student success, our team members are ready and willing to roll up their sleeves and do the heavy lifting necessary to deliver results and help you achieve real, lasting transformation.
To learn more about strategic planning for higher education, visit: https://www.campusworksinc.com/capabilities/strategic-planning
In this episode, ACCT's Allison Beer and Jacob Bray discuss ACCT's new report, The College-Work Balancing Act. Nearly 70% of community college students work while enrolled. Listen to learn how this complicates their students' lives and ways colleges can help.
Read the report at ACCT.org.
Ayman Mendoza is a recent graduate of the University of California, Irvine, who transferred to the university from a community college. He completed a summer internship in Washington, D.C., and while he was here, he told us that "choosing community college was the best academic decision I ever made."
In this podcast, the "public Ivy" grad explains why he feels it's time to stop stigmatizing community colleges and their students, and to recognize the value and high quality of community college educations.
To round out our National Campus Safety Awareness Month series, United Educators Risk Management Consultant Justin Kollinger spoke with us about what community college trustees need to do to safeguard their campuses against potential liabilities and safety concerns, including:
- Preventing and addressing harassment and abuse on campus;
- How to avoid the common campus culture of believing that some individuals are beyond reproach;
- Commonly overlooked threats to public safety and well being on campuses, such as poorly maintained infrastructure;
- And much more.
This is the second part of a two-part episode.
Additional Resources from United Educators
-
Safeguarding Our Communities from Sexual Predators: What College Presidents and Trustees Should Ask – Sexual abuse prevention starts at the top by setting a culture of inquiry and protection for reporters. This document can help trustees and their presidents question whether the institution is adequately protecting minors on campus.
-
Reputational Risk Toolkit – In 2017, UES surveyed board chairs, presidents, and CFOs on effective risk management and its impact on institutional reputation. These resources discuss findings and implications.
- 2019 Large Loss Report – Each year, UE summarizes the largest losses across educational institutions (not just UE members). According to the report, in 2019, “the most frequent and costliest cases involved sexual abuse claims.” Additional large losses include athletics injuries, breaches of contracts, bullying, disabilities, discrimination, free speech, gender issues, negligence or wrongful death, unequal pay and workplace issues such as hostile work environments.
Stay up to date on education-related risk management matters via the United Educators blog.
"There's a really big difference between having two victims and having 20 victims. And when I talk about reducing the impact, it's about having reporting mechanisms in place."
To round out our National Campus Safety Awareness Month series, United Educators Risk Management Consultant Justin Kollinger spoke with us about what community college trustees need to do to safeguard their campuses against potential liabilities and safety concerns, including:
- Preventing and addressing harassment and abuse on campus;
- How to avoid the common campus culture of believing that some individuals are beyond reproach;
- Commonly overlooked threats to public safety and well being on campuses, such as poorly maintained infrastructure;
- And much more.
This is part one of a special two-part episode.
Additional Resources from United Educators
-
Safeguarding Our Communities from Sexual Predators: What College Presidents and Trustees Should Ask – Sexual abuse prevention starts at the top by setting a culture of inquiry and protection for reporters. This document can help trustees and their presidents question whether the institution is adequately protecting minors on campus.
-
Reputational Risk Toolkit – In 2017, UES surveyed board chairs, presidents, and CFOs on effective risk management and its impact on institutional reputation. These resources discuss findings and implications.
- 2019 Large Loss Report – Each year, UE summarizes the largest losses across educational institutions (not just UE members). According to the report, in 2019, “the most frequent and costliest cases involved sexual abuse claims.” Additional large losses include athletics injuries, breaches of contracts, bullying, disabilities, discrimination, free speech, gender issues, negligence or wrongful death, unequal pay and workplace issues such as hostile work environments.
Stay up to date on education-related risk management matters via the United Educators blog.
This is the second half of our discussion with National Center for Campus Public Safety Director Kim Richmond. Richmond discusses what trustees and other community college leaders need to know about issues ranging from sexual assault to firearms on campus, the Clery Act, Title IX, emergency management and other issues. Richmond walks us through these concerns, explains how to prioritize public safety concerns, how to prepare for on-campus crises, and she directs listeners to additional free resources, including webinars and publications.
The National Center for Campus Public Safety was created by Congress and funded through the United States Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance to serve as a national clearinghouse for campus safety and security-related best practices and other resources on issues that include:
- Active shooters
- Active thread
- Alcohol and substance abuse
- Behavioral threat assessment
- Bicycle and pedestrian safety
- Binge drinking
- Bullying and cyberbullying
- Campus carry
- Campus violence
- Clery Act
- Community policing
- Dating & domestic violence
- Ethics
- Fire safety
- Food insecurity
- Grants and funding
- Hate crimes
- Hazing
- Homelessness
- Laws and regulations
- Legal assistance
- LGBTQ concerns
- Media and public relations
- Mental health
- Missing persons
- Officer safety
- Policy and plan development
- Risk assessment
- Sexual assault
- Social media
- Stalking
- Suicide
- Terrorism
- Title IX
- Underage drinking
- Victim services
- Violence prevention
- And others
For more information, visit nccpsafety.org/library.
In this episode, National Center for Campus Public Safety Director Kim Richmond discusses what trustees and other community college leaders need to know about issues ranging from sexual assault to firearms on campus, the Clery Act, Title IX, emergency management and other issues. Richmond walks us through these concerns, explains how to prioritize public safety concerns, how to prepare for on-campus crises, and she directs listeners to additional free resources, including webinars and publications.
The National Center for Campus Public Safety was created by Congress and funded through the United States Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance to serve as a national clearinghouse for campus safety and security-related best practices and other resources on issues that include:
- Active shooters
- Active thread
- Alcohol and substance abuse
- Behavioral threat assessment
- Bicycle and pedestrian safety
- Binge drinking
- Bullying and cyberbullying
- Campus carry
- Campus violence
- Clery Act
- Community policing
- Dating & domestic violence
- Ethics
- Fire safety
- Food insecurity
- Grants and funding
- Hate crimes
- Hazing
- Homelessness
- Laws and regulations
- Legal assistance
- LGBTQ concerns
- Media and public relations
- Mental health
- Missing persons
- Officer safety
- Policy and plan development
- Risk assessment
- Sexual assault
- Social media
- Stalking
- Suicide
- Terrorism
- Title IX
- Underage drinking
- Victim services
- Violence prevention
- And others
For more information, visit nccpsafety.org/library.
For this episode, we interviewed Doug Houston, the Chancellor of the Yuba Community College District in California. We talked to Doug about how last year’s wildfires impacted community colleges in his area. This episode is part of a series we curated for September, National Campus Safety Awareness Month.
Welcome to Season 3 of In The Know with ACCT. This is the first in a month-long series of episodes that deals with safeguarding colleges, in observance of National Campus Safety Month.
This episode features an interview with Dr. Brenda Hellyer, Chancellor of San Jacinto College in Houston, who discusses the impact of 2017's hurricane Harvey on the San Jacinto College community.
Click for more information on the roles of community college board members in dealing with natural disasters.
Congress is poised to pass a new federal budget. It's expected the budget will include large increases which means increases for higher education spending. Listen to learn more about the budget and appropriations process and which community college programs are likely to receive more federal funding.
In this episode, ACCT Educational Events Director Christina Simons tells you what you need to know about the upcoming 50th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress. The event will feature over 100 peer-to-peer educational sessions, provocative keynote addresses and much more. Register before the August 9 discount period ends.
Contact Christina at csimons@acct.org.
Your representatives in Congress are coming home for the summer. Learn how to organize summer advocacy visits and tools to build relationships with your elective officials.
Learn more about the U.S. Department of Education’s experimental site initiatives on Federal Work Study and Second Chance Pell and how your institution may participate.
What is the difference between the budget process and appropriations? In this episode of Need to Know, Allison Beer and Jennifer Stiddard explain the current federal higher education appropriations process and proposals for funding increases.
For more information, visit acct.org and now.acct.org.
In this episode, Jacob Bray closes season 2 with information about the summer schedule, and the 2019 Congress and GLI's. Stayed tuned for Need To Know episodes from Allison Beer and Jennifer Stiddard over the summer. We'll be back with regularly scheduled episodes in September. Thank you all for your continued support, and remember to contact us with ideas for future episodes.
Sincerely,
The ACCT Podcast Team
This episode of In The Know is about the value of humanities in a community college education. Director of Strategic Communications David Conner and Associate Writer Jacob Bray interview Julia Nguyen, Senior Program Officer at the National Endowment for the Humanities. Julia oversees the Humanities Initiatives at Community Colleges Grants.
For more information about the grant, which Julia encourages all community colleges to apply for, visit https://www.neh.gov/grants/education/humanities-initiatives-community-colleges.
In this episode of Need to Know, Allison Beer and Jennifer Stiddard discuss child care for community college students and resources for colleges to offer programs. Listen to learn about this year's application for the federal Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) grant program.
On today’s episode of In The Know, ACCT Assessment Specialist Semhar Abed, Director of Educational Services Colleen Allen, and Director of Communications David Conner interview Doctor DeRionne Pollard, President of Montgomery College in Maryland. Community colleges tend to be exceptionally diverse places. This diversity has tremendous value, but it also means that trustees and presidents need to be aware of the wide variety of challenges that students and prospective students face. This conversation focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion.
ACCT's Equity Action Agenda was developed to guide community college boards and presidents in creating a more diverse, inclusive and equitable institutional culture. It can be downloaded here.
Read more about the Equity Action Agenda in our Trustee Quarterly interview with former ACCT Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee member and former Montgomery College Trustee Ben Wu.
This episode of In The Know covers students’ roles in advocacy. This episode is the second half of a presentation recorded at the Community College National Legislative Summit, the annual event at which community college leaders gather in Washington, D.C. to meet with their federal legislators to advocate on behalf of their institutions and students.
Rosie O’Neill, an ACCT Board Member and Northern Virginia Community College Trustee, moderated the session, and Rich Williams, Officer for the Project on Student Borrower Success at the Pew Charitable Trust and Stephen Parker, Director of Policy and Advocacy for Education and Workforce Issues at the National Governors Association, also spoke, along with a number of students.
For more information about the National Legislative Summit, visit NLS.acct.org.
In this episode, Allison Beer and Jennifer Stiddard discuss important updates to federal and state financial aid. They discuss the impact of recently re-introduced federal bills to expand Pell Grant eligibility for short-term programs and for incarcerated students, and findings from new research about state funding for higher education.
This episode of In The Know covers the students’ role in advocacy. This episode was recorded at our National Legislative Summit before the students you will hear today went to Capitol Hill to advocate for themselves and their institutions.
Rosie O’Neill, an ACCT Board Member and Northern Virginia Community College Trustee, moderated the session, and Rich Williams, Officer for the Project on Student Borrower Success at the Pew Charitable Trust and Stephen Parker, Director of Policy and Advocacy for Education and Workforce Issues at the National Governors Association, also spoke, along with a number of students.
This is part one of a two part episode.
During March, the White House released a set of policy proposals for higher education. In this episode, ACCT Senior Policy Analyst Allison Beer and Director of Government Relations Jennifer Stiddard discuss the White House’s higher education budget; recommendations for the Higher Education Act; and Executive Order on free speech, transparency, and accountability. Listen to learn about the White House’s priorities and the potential impact for community colleges.
This episode of In The Know features ACCT Director of GISS and Special Projects Norma Goldstein talking with Karla Leach, President of Western Wyoming Community College and members of her board, about presidential transitions. They discuss how the institution and board are planning for President Leach to retire, and how a new president will be welcomed.
In this episode of In The Know, ACCT director of GISS and Special Projects Norma Goldstein talks with Julia Kennedy, who works in the funding agency for New Zealand’s Tertiary Education Commission—in this case, "tertiary education" is synonymous with post-secondary education in the United States. New Zealand may seem like world away, you’ll find that there are a lot of similarities between U.S. and Kiwi systems, and a lot to learn.
If you have any questions about this conversation, podcast ideas, or questions for our team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. If we can, we’ll answer your questions on air!
This episode is part two of a two part series about the College Promise. This panel, featuring Martha Kanter, Director of the College Promise Campaign, Zakiya Smith Ellis, Secretary of Higher Education of New Jersey, Bernie Rhinerson, San Diego Community College District Trustee, and F. King Alexander, President of the Louisiana State University, was part of a series of In The Know forums recorded at our annual congress last October.
This episode is part one of a two part series about the College Promise. This panel, featuring Martha Kanter, Director of the College Promise Campaign, Zakiya Smith Ellis, Secretary of Higher Education for the State of New Jersey, Bernie Rhinerson, San Diego Community College District Trustee, and F. King Alexander, President of the Louisiana State University, was part of a series of In The Know forums recorded at our annual congress last October. Part two will be available next week.
This episode features ACCT Senior Policy Analyst Allison Beer, Harper College President Ken Ender, and San Jacinto College Chancellor Brenda Hellyer discussing different apprenticeship program models profiled in our new report, called "Apprenticeships: An Emerging Community College Strategy for Workforce Development."
This project is supported by Strada Education Network. ACCT is solely responsible for its content; the views expressed in the report and in this podcast do not necessarily reflect those of Strada Education Network or its affiliates.
In this episode of In The Know, ACCT Senior Policy Analyst Allison Beer talks with Louisiana Community and Technical College System President Dr. Monty Sullivan about the underrepresentation of rural males in higher education.
This conversation is in connection with an issue brief ACCT recently released on rural males in higher education.
This episode of In The Know features ACCT’s senior policy analyst, Allison Beer, Michael Carren, head of corporate social responsibility at Guardian Life Insurance Company, and Angie Kamath, Dean of Continuing Education and Workforce, City University of New York.
This is part two of a conversation that features discussion surrounding the white paper ACCT partnered with Guardian on called Partnerships for a Future-Ready Workforce. The paper details how community colleges and businesses can form strong partnerships, national trends in employer needs and postsecondary attainment, and policies and practices that form a continuum of education and career training.
This episode of In The Know features ACCT’s senior policy analyst, Allison Beer, Michael Carren, head of corporate social responsibility at Guardian Life Insurance Company, and Angie Kamath, Dean of Continuing Education and Workforce, City University of New York.
This conversation features discussion surrounding the white paper ACCT partnered with Guardian on called Partnerships for a Future-Ready Workforce. The paper details how community colleges and businesses can form strong partnerships, national trends in employer needs and postsecondary attainment, and policies and practices that form a continuum of education and career training.
Future Workplace Partner Kevin Mulcahy coaches on leadership effectiveness at the Harvard Business School and is an adjunct faculty member at Babson College. This episode features Mulcahy's keynote address to the 2018 ACCT Leadership Congress in New York, New York.
In his provocative speech, Kevin discusses the technological and social changes that are radically redesigning how work is done, how the best employees are found, and some of the things colleges (and other organizations) must do today to ensure a productive future workforce.
Kevin is the co-author of The Future Workplace Experience and is the co-host of The Future Workplace network, a U.S.-based membership community for human resource executives. He can be followed on Twitter @KevinMulcahy.
Welcome back to Need To Know with ACCT, a spinoff of the popular In the Know with ACCT podcast, brought to you every Tuesday by the Association of Community College Trustees. These shorter podcasts feature bonus, or time-sensitive information and will be released on Thursdays.
This episode features ACCT Director of Government Relations Jennifer Stiddard, and ACCT Vice President for Public Policy and External Relations Jee Hang Lee discussing the legislative priorities ahead of the Community College National Legislative Summit—the largest annual gathering of community college advocates, convened each year in Washington, D.C.
Episode 26 features Andre LeDuc, Chief Resilience Officer and Associate Vice President for Safety and Risk Services from the University of Oregon speaking with Noah Brown about what community college trustees and presidents need to know about Campus Security and Organizational Resiliency as it relates to violence on campus, natural disasters and other unforeseen issues on campus.
This podcast is a good primer for the 2019 Governance Leadership Institute which will focus on Safeguarding College Campuses, and it is being held in Mr. LeDuc's home state of Oregon.
Welcome to Need To Know with ACCT, a spinoff of the popular In the Know with ACCT podcast, brought to you every Tuesday by the Association of Community College Trustees. These shorter podcasts feature bonus, or time-sensitive information and will be released on Thursdays.
This episode features ACCT Director of Government Relations Jennifer Stiddard, and ACCT Vice President for Public Policy and External Relations Jee Hang Lee discussing how to prepare for the Community College National Legislative Summit—the largest annual gathering of community college advocates, convened each year in Washington, D.C.
Sponsored by Ascendium Education Philanthropy. The urgency attached to the board's role in selecting, supporting, and positioning their institution and new presidents to thrive and excel cannot be overstated. In 2016, more than 50% of the presidents of colleges that award associate degrees reported that they anticipated stepping down within the next five years, yet only 21% of these colleges report having a succession plan in place. This session, recorded live during the 49th Annual ACCT Leadership Congress, focuses on the important role of boards in selecting, oboarding and supporting presidents, and is based on the new AACC/ACCT report Executive Leadership Transitioning at Community Colleges (2018).
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Aspen Institute Vice President and College Excellence Program Founder and Executive Director Josh Wyner leads a discussion among four community college chief executives about what boards can and should do to get the most out of their institutions’ presidents. Panelists include Bunker Hill Community College President Pam Eddinger; Alamo College District Chancellor Mike Flores; Montgomery College President DeRionne Pollard; and Florida College System Chancellor Madeline M. Pumariega.
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ACCT President and CEO Noah Brown talks with Allan Golston, president of the United States Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Deanna Mulligan, president and CEO at The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America about leadership, philanthropy, and corporate partnerships with community colleges. This podcast was recorded at the Annual ACCT Leadership Congress in New York City.
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Top global tech firm executives from Cisco, IBM and Lenovo discuss the critical and accelerating role community colleges are playing to support workforce needs. Today's technology field is faced with hundreds of thousands of unfilled positions—and the number is growing as talent needs outpace available skilled employees. Wake Technical Community College Trustee Tom Looney facilitates a conversation among three top technology sector executives: Lenovo Data Center Group Vice President for Development and Quality Beverly Crair; IBM Vice President for Education Grace Suh; and Cisco RTP Site Executive and Vice President of Trustworthy Systems Engineering Ed Paradise.
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Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab has long championed community colleges and their students. The self-proclaimed “scholar-activist” has well known among higher education leaders for stubbornly refusing to let unmet basic student needs go unaddressed any longer, and for being the engine behind research into homelessness, hunger, mental illness and other issues that can affect academic progress and completion. In this podcast, Jacob Bray, David Conner and Indya Rogers from ACCT talk to Goldrick-Rab about what inspired her to become a figurehead for this groundbreaking movement in higher education, what can be done to help students in the short and long terms, and what’s next for #RealCollege.
Goldrick-Rab is Professor of Higher Education Policy and Sociology at Temple University and founder of the Hope Center for College, Community and Justice in Philadelphia, as well as founder of the Wisconsin HOPE Lab. She has authored and co-authored several research papers in collaboration with ACCT, and she was named a 2018 Carnegie Fellow in recognition of her pioneering work. For more information, visit saragoldrickrab.com.
Related resources from ACCT:
- Hungry and Homeless in College: Results from a National Study of Basic Needs Insecurity in Higher Education
- Too Distressed to Learn? Mental Health Among Community College Students
- Hungry to Learn: Addressing Food and Housing Insecurity Among Undergraduates
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Sara Goldrick-Rab leads a discussion on the challenges of food and housing insecurity facing community college students and efforts to address those challenges. Presidents from three Texas community colleges discuss approaches from three different perspectives—a large urban district, a moderate-sized college in a borderland, and a rural college in the Panhandle. Panelists include: Sara Goldrick-Rab, Professor of Higher Education and Sociology at Temple University and Founder of the Wisconsin HOPE Lab; Amarillo College President Russell Lowery Hart; Dallas Community College District Chancellor Joe May; and El Paso Community College President William Serrata.
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In our season two premiere episode, ACCT speaks with Iowa Western Community College’s Connie Hornbeck about how her extraordinary upbringing in rural Iowa led her from a one-room schoolhouse and cornfields to taking the helm of a national education association.
Hornbeck is the vice president of IWCC’s board of trustees, and current chair of the ACCT board of directors.
She has pledged to focus on member engagement and extending opportunities to our incarcerated brothers and sisters through community and technical colleges.
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Season 2 begins December 4, 2018
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In the final episode of ACCT's inaugural season, Christina, David, Indya and Justin discuss everything you need to know about the upcoming ACCT Leadership Congress. Whether you'll be joining us for the first time or the 20th, whether you're a trustee, a college president, a student, faculty, or professional board staff, this conversation is geared toward helping you get the most out of your time at the conference. Listen to the ultimate behind the curtain discussion from a group that has almost 30 years of combined Congress experience.
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What's the real value of a board retreat? Are retreats in order just when a crisis arises at the college, when board members can't get along, or are they useful for keeping everything running well among a well-run board? In this episode, Jacob Bray sits down with Director of Educational Services Colleen Allen, former St. Petersburg College Trustee and former Chair of the ACCT Board of Directors Ken Burke, and former President of Lane Community College Mary Spilde to discuss what board retreats are good for, what they're not good for, and how to get the most out of them. For more information, contact Colleen Allen at callen@acct.org.
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In this episode, ACCT President and CEO J. Noah Brown talks with the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship's Rebecca Corbin about the vital importance of innovative leadership and entrepreneurship at today's community colleges.
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In this episode, ACCT President and CEO Noah Brown talks with Education Strategy Group’s Matt Gandal about efforts of community college trustees and presidents to embrace the higher standards many K-12 school systems have adopted and to implement strategies to increase college readiness and success.
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In this second part of our conversation with Lumina Foundation Vice President of Strategic Engagement Debra Humphreys, ACCT Vice President Jee Hang Lee, Director of Educational Services Colleen Allen, and Director of Strategic Communications David Conner go beyond quality assurance for a lively discussion about the societal value of higher education. From the comprehensive, well-rounded liberal arts educations of the past to the more recent focus on STEM to the even more recent development of STEAM and focus on "soft skills," we discuss how higher ed is evolving--and why.
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In this episode of In The Know, Lumina Foundation Vice President of Strategic Engagement Debra Humphreys sits down with ACCT Vice President Jee Hang Lee, Director of Educational Services Colleen Allen, and Director of Strategic Communications David Conner to discuss quality assurance and the future of accreditation--how to ensure that students are employable when they complete college. Humphreys discuses the vital role accrediting agencies play, but also emphasizes the roles of federal and state policymakers, public systems, and community colleges and academic programs in attending to outcomes and student achievements.
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