CCA On the Air: Recent Episodes
Complete College America
Complete College America (CCA) is committed to being a bold voice in the higher education space elevating critical conversations that both actively and passively impact college completion. We find ourselves at a time when the need for these conversations has reached a heightened level of importance. As a convener of thought leaders, CCA's On the Air podcast provides access to the most innovative and effective higher education leaders and advocates through candid conversations.
Music by Wataboi from Pixabay
It’s been a challenging year for the FAFSA. A much-needed update to the form added complications to the submission process for many students, families, and institutions.
In this episode, financial aid experts and leaders share their strategies and tactics for increasing FAFSA completion rates while navigating this year’s challenges of implementing the updated financial aid application. You’ll hear from:
- Bill DeBaun, National College Attainment Network
- Donna Linderman, The State University of New York
- Jason Seay, Tennessee Higher Education Commission & Student Assistance Corporation
- James Snider, Tennessee Higher Education Commission & Student Assistance Corporation
- Lucy McIntyre, The City University of New York
- Laura Myers, The City University of New York
- Dr. Michelle Ashcraft, Indiana Commission for Higher Education
- Dr. Chuck Lloyd, Community College System of New Hampshire
- Brian Weingart, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
- Sarah Szurpicki, Office of 60 by 30, Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential
You can also check out resources shared by our speakers:
- SUNY's FAFSA Completion Workshops
- New York State's FAFSA Guidance
- Community College System of New Hampshire's "Summer's on Us" Program
- CUNY FAST (Financial Aid Support Team)
- Indiana's Financial Aid Programs
- Indiana's Pre-Admissions Programs
- National College Attainment Network's FAFSA Tracker
- Tennessee's FAFSA Resources
- Tennessee's TN FAFSA Frenzy Events
- Tennessee's FAFSA BootCamp Resources
In today’s episode, we speak to Dr. Tawnya Lubbes, Associate Professor of Education, ESL Program Advisor, and ESL Program Chair in the College of Education at Eastern Oregon University in Legrand, Oregon.
The Oregon Teacher Pathways program at EOU is supporting the next generation of culturally responsive teachers by implementing accessible pathways from high school to professional careers.
Dr. Lubbes shares how EOU is leveraging partnerships, peer mentoring, and identity-responsive strategies to engage students toward powerful college completion outcomes.
Join us in a conversation with Dr. Angela McLean, Director of American Indian and Minority Achievement and K-12 partnerships in the Montana University System, led by CCA Alliance Engagement Director Janelle Jefferson.
Dr. McLean shares her 20+ years of teaching experience and the student success strategies utilized and supported by the Office of the Commissioner in Higher Education in "Big Sky Country."
The National Center for Education Statistics published that 21% of college students report having a disability, often with higher numbers among historically underrepresented groups.
CCA Fellow and director of the Disability Access Center at California State University, Sacramento Dr. Mary Lee Vance shares her perspectives on the intersection of ableism and inequity, the impact of universal design on belonging, and how embedded approaches in accessibility can change the college experience for all students.
Minnesota's Direct Admissions program is centered on the belief that every student is college material and has a place in postsecondary education. Dr. Wendy Robinson and Aaron Salasek of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education share with CCA Strategy Director Janelle Jefferson how Direct Admissions connects high school students with the institutions eager to admit them and where they have a better chance of completing college.
Norfolk State University, a Historically Black University, recognized that it needed more strategies to meet its students where they were and get them to where they needed to go. Dr. Robin Marable, Director of Student Pathways and Academic Formation, inherited a system where she and her team could incorporate meta-majors to enhance student experiences.
In this episode, hear from a seasoned practitioner about how meta-majors and courses can be developed to set students up for success as early as possible.
In today's episode, three CCA PEP coaches will explain the concept of "Nimble Teams" and how they empower institutional change based on learnings from the PEP Initiative in Arkansas, Montana, and Oklahoma.
Dr. Brandon Protas, Assistant Vice President of Alliance Engagement at CCA, will lead the discussion. Our PEP coaches are Dr. Margaret-Montgomery Richard, Dr. Arnel Cosey, and Dr. Heidi Loshbaugh.
We will explore how faculty, staff, and leadership investigate campus policies and practices and how each college can find unique, student-centered solutions.
Visit completecollege.org/cca-on-the-air to view a transcript of this episode.
Today’s episode is an essential conversation about equity and AI, cohosted with Dr. Sean Leahy of Arizona State University’s Learning Futures podcast.
Joining us in this conversation are Meacie Fairfax from Complete College America, Dr. Linda Garcia of The University of Texas at Austin, and Al Anderson from Salish Kootenai College.
Our guests explore the importance of ensuring AI's design is inclusive, focusing on serving a diverse range of students, particularly those from marginalized communities.
Through insightful discussions on challenges, opportunities, and real-world applications, the guests shed light on AI's ability to democratize access to education and promote equitable participation in the digital era.
For more discussions on future-focused topics in higher education, check out the Learning Futures podcast at learning-futures.simplecast.com.
View a transcript of this episode.
Indiana University didn't just want to build a coaching initiative with the Coaching Conversations program; they wanted to impact the culture. In this episode, IU's Kate Goldstein and Emily McCord describe how the program was developed and how IU has intentionally built a "coached experience" into their student support.
The Coaching Conversations program offers workshops across nine campus locations, including online options for better accessibility. Kate and Emily discuss their backgrounds and how they came to coaching, the growth and development of the program over the years, and their future plans to infuse well-being practices into the training.
In today’s episode of CCA on the Air, we delve into CCA’s mission of advocacy with our two new Alliance Engagement Directors, Dr. Janelle Jefferson and Nichole Mann. Drawing from their backgrounds in academic advising, our AEDs shed light on their personal journeys and their pivotal role in amplifying student success stories. Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of CCA’s mission and how it strategically connects leaders in higher education to foster collaboration and drive positive change.
This episode was recorded live at Future Ready, Complete College America's 2023 Annual Convening in Las Vegas.
Listen to key members of Complete College America's Policy Advisory Council as they discuss the intersection of policy, equity, and college completion, casting a vision for what lies ahead. This panel delves into the institutional, state, and federal policy landscape as it pertains to college completion, offering timely updates and insights as we enter the new year.
Our speakers focus on how policy can foster a more equitable and inclusive higher education system, touching on the strategies, challenges, and opportunities that will define our collective path forward.
We’re back with another conversation recorded live at Future Ready, Complete College America’s 2023 Annual Convening. In this episode, former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift moderates a panel of three distinguished Nevada college presidents: Dr. J. Kyle Dalpe of Western Nevada College, Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard of Nevada State University, and Dr. Federico Zaragoza of College of Southern Nevada.
This discussion covers the importance of leadership, new technology, and emphasis on student support at every point in the college journey.
Recorded live at Future Ready, Complete College America's 2023 Annual Convening, CCA President Yolanda Watson Spiva, Ph.D., moderates a conversation among higher education leaders on what it means for their campuses and students to be future ready. This episode features:
- Maria Anguiano, Executive Vice President of Learning Enterprise, Arizona State University; Regent, University of California
- COL Chris Mayer, U.S. Army, Ph.D.; Department Head, Department of English & Philosophy, The U.S. Military Academy at West Point
- Suzanne Elise Walsh, President, Bennett College
Perpetual Pathways at Denmark Technical College, a historically Black community college in South Carolina, provides students with a guided journey to connect their education to their planned careers. The program supports students from their first experience registering for classes to after graduation. The effort has been transformational for the institution.
In the second part of this conversation, CCA's Nikolas Huot continues with A. Clifton Myles, Ph.D. executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Denmark Tech, Leslie Holman-Brooks, executive director of career and student services at Denmark Tech, and Edson Barton, founder and CEO of YouScience.
Perpetual Pathways at Denmark Technical College, a historically Black community college in South Carolina, provides students with a guided journey to connect their education to their planned careers. The program supports students from their first experience registering for classes to after graduation. The effort has been transformational for the institution. In this week's episode, CCA's Nikolas Huot is joined by A. Clifton Myles, Ph.D. executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Denmark Tech, Leslie Holman-Brooks, executive director of career and student services at Denmark Tech, and Edson Barton, founder and CEO of YouScience.
Join Meacie Fairfax, Strategy Director at Complete College America, in a captivating conversation with Dr. Jun Fu, an educational psychologist, on supporting historically excluded student populations in STEM education online. Uncover key learning outcomes, strategies, and actionable measures for inclusivity. Explore the vital role of socio-emotional support in enhancing learning for marginalized groups. Gain insights into tailored support mechanisms and the imperative to incorporate data disaggregation in program assessment. Tune in for transformative insights into applying an equity lens in STEM education, offering actionable takeaways for educators, administrators, and policymakers dedicated to fostering inclusivity.
Part II of Meacie Fairfax's conversation with the co-creators of Lehman College's Learning Recovery Program, Dr. Althea Forde and Dr. Elin Waring. Entering its third year, the program provides multi-faceted interventions for COVID-19-impacted students during their first year in college and is a national model for equitably supporting unfinished learning.
Meacie Fairfax is joined by the co-creators of Lehman College's Learning Recovery Program, Dr. Althea Forde and Dr. Elin Waring. Entering its third year, the program provides multi-faceted interventions for COVID-19-impacted students during their first year in college and is a national model for equitably supporting unfinished learning.
Will AI actually change higher education? How can institutions use it for better and appropriately exercise caution? CCA's Cassie Walizer is joined by Audrey Ellis for a wide-ranging conversation about the evolving role of artificial intelligence in higher education.
There has been an increased interest in multiple measures in the last few years. In this podcast, Dan Cullinan of MDRC speaks with CCA Assistant Vice President Brandon Protas about what this really means, particularly for placement into college-level courses and as part of developmental education reform.
What is the current landscape for transfer students? Why does it matter? Vistasp Karbhari and Elena Quiroz-Livanis speak to Cassie Walizer about the myths surrounding this critical, and growing, group of students.
How might we build a postsecondary experience that is designed especially for adult learners? In the second part of this conversation, Buffy Tanner speaks to Laura Schueller about the ACE program at Shasta College; what has been successful and what they have learned along the way.
How might we build a postsecondary experience that is designed especially for adult learners? In this conversation, Buffy Tanner speaks to Laura Schueller about the ACE program at Shasta College; what has been successful and what they have learned along the way.
Nikolas Huot is joined by the president of NCDA (National Career Development Association), Dr. Lakeisha Mathews, in this conversation about the crucial role career services play in retaining and graduating our students.
Laura Schueller is joined by David Kung, from the Charles A. Dana Center, to explore how we arrived in postsecondary math and what opportunities there are to rethink math pathways in light of the need to modernize and consider the role of equity.
CCA’s Brandon Protas is joined by Dr. Timothy Renick, CCA Fellow and Executive Director at the National Institute for Student Success at Georgia State University. They discuss how data can be effectively harnessed to drive action and create significant change in student outcomes.
CCA's Nikolas Huot is joined by Dr. Tammie Briggs, Jennifer Reynolds, and Lula Snowden from Wallace Community College Selma to discuss their scaled coaching model. Together, they share how their intentional coaching model creates meaningful relationships with students and breaks down silos to increase student success and retention at this Predominantly Black Community College.
CCA AVP of Alliance Engagement, Brandon Protas, speaks with Dr. Barbara Damron, Professor and Senior Advisor at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences about the kick-off of the first ever higher education research project testing Project ECHO® as an intervention to scale up the corequisite model in New Mexico.
CCA’s Meacie Fairfax is joined by Dr. Michael Buccilli from CT State Community College, which officially launches July of this year, to discuss the guided pathways advising experience that at times feels so personalized it appears to rival those provided by private institutions or provided through cohort or athletic support programs. The advising redesign across 12 campuses allows the college to provide local and systemwide supports and opportunities that benefit the student academically and boosts their well-being.
Brandon Protas, Assistant Vice President for Alliance Engagement at Complete College America, is joined by Matt Bergman, Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership at the University of Louisville and CCA Fellow, to discuss the power of Credit for Prior Learning (CPL). They will talk about how CPL can propel students, colleges, and universities forward to increase success at individual and institutional levels.
Marián Vargas, Policy Analyst at Complete College America is joined by Jessie Hernández-Reyes, Senior Policy Analyst for Higher Education at the Education Trust to discuss their recent publication, Higher Education Access and Success for Undocumented Students Start with 9 Key Criteria. The conversation reviews why it is a critical time to focus on serving undocumented students in the postsecondary sector, and how this can be done at the institutional, state, and federal level.
Publication Link: Higher Education Access and Success for Undocumented Students Start with 9 Key Criteria
Nikolas Huot, Assistant Vice President for Alliance Engagement at Complete College America, is joined by Charlee Beasor, Associate Commissioner for Marketing & Communications of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, and Alison Kuehr, Communications Director for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education for a conversation about increasing the understanding of the value of higher education from a communications perspective. This includes ensuring the state is appropriately reaching out to students and making sure that the messaging is compelling for the audience that is targeted.
To learn more about the excellent work and efforts in this area occurring in Indiana, please visit:
https://resources.learnmoreindiana.org/edvalue
David Hawkins, Chief Education and Policy Officer at NACAC, joins Nikolas Huot, Assistant Vice President for Institutional Transformation to discuss the work that NACAC is involved with, including their report, “Roadmap for Change”. They dive into equity, the impending supreme court decision which will likely limit race as a factor in the admissions process, how purpose first fits into this equation, the importance of data, and more.
To view the report from NACAC and NASFAA, please click here.
Stephanie Rodriguez, Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico New Mexico Higher Education Department, and Dr. Patricia Trujillo, Deputy Secretary of the New Mexico Higher Education Department, join Brandon Protas, Assistant Vice President for Alliance Engagement at Complete College America to discuss the exciting opportunities and work occurring in New Mexico, including the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship, work on student food insecurity and mental health, what it looks like trying to push initiatives through at the legislative level, and more.
CCA president Yolanda Watson Spiva is joined by NewU founder and president, Stratsi Kulinski, to discuss the three-year bachelor's degree program model, lessons learned in its development, the founder's aspirations for scaled student success, and more.
The Self Care Doc, Dr. Rae Lundy, joins CCA’s Meacie Fairfax in the final episode of our mental health series to discuss a sorely needed campus-based culture shift - supporting faculty, staff, and administrators' mental health care. Dr. Lundy explores how this internal change can trickle down and inform the work and care we must deliver to our students. They also discuss the 8 areas of wellness and how to incorporate the Surgeon General's 5 aspects of a mentally healthy workplace.
Wiley College’s AVP of Student Health Counseling and Wellness, Dr. Rae Lundy, joinsCCA’s Meacie Fairfax in episode 2 of our mental health series to discuss trauma-informed campus strategies. Dr. Lundy shares how embracing and elevating trauma-informed leaders institutions can embed a much-needed culture of psychological safety, active listening, skilled practitioners, and leadership who understand and examine the pivotal role individuals, institutions, and technology play in supporting the mental health needs of the campus community.
Wiley College’s AVP of Student Health Counseling and Wellness, Dr. Rae Lundy, joins CCA’s Meacie Fairfax to discuss how administrators, faculty, staff, and the larger community can come together to support the mental health needs of students in and outside of the classroom. Dr. Lundy points out the dangers of using a reactive approach to mental health and discusses ways to embed mental health in the culture and to further bolster student success outcomes.
CCA President Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva is joined by Henderson State University Chancellor, Dr. Charles Ambrose, to discuss his tenure, challenges faced in higher education leadership, and the great work that Henderson State University is doing to bolster student success as a public institution.
CCA Strategy Director Brandon Protas is joined by Dr. Gregg Busch, President/CEO of Mesalands Community College; Dr. Kate Mahar, Dean of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives at Shasta College, and Dr. Kathie Stromile Golden, Provost/Senior Vice-President for Academic Affairs and the Executive Director of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists at Mississippi Valley State University, which is an HBCU, to speak on rural colleges and the students, experiences, and culture around them.
For more information, please visit:
https://www.mesalands.edu/
https://www.mvsu.edu/
https://www.shastacollege.edu/
CCA President Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva is joined by Dr. Maxine Roberts, Executive Director of Strong Start to Finish, to speak about the great work that Strong Start to Finish has been doing in the advancing equity through developmental education reform.
CCA Strategy Director, Dr. Brandon Protas, is joined by MariánVargas and Alejandra Garcia to speak from their personal experiences about the benefits and transformative aspects of dual enrollment programs.
CCA President Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva is joined by Dr. F. DuBois Bowman, Dean of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, to discuss navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, lessons learned, and the equity implications that face students amidst this health crisis.
CCA President Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva is joined by Dr. F. DuBois Bowman, Dean of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, to discuss navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, lessons learned, and the equity implications that face students amidst this health crisis.
CCA Strategy Director, Nikolas Huot, is joined by Dr. Jasmine Haywood, Strategy Director from the Lumina Foundation, and Dr. Lilly Massa-McKinley, Executive Director of the Kentucky Student Success Collaborative, to discuss the Kentucky Purpose First initiative. The Kentucky Purpose First initiative:
- Emphasizes the importance of colleges connecting program learning outcomes to career competencies.
- Building out interventions to help students make informed decisions.
- Having programs be intentional to address the needs of students of color and other marginalized student groups.
To learn more about the Kentucky Purpose First project, visit https://completecollege.org/kentucky-purpose-first/.
Dr. Nia Haydel, Vice President of Alliance Engagement and Institutional Transformation at CCA, is joined by three guests: Dr. Richard Moss, Director of STEM Success at the University of Arkansas, Pulaski Technical College; Dr. Brandon Nichols, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Olive-Harvey College, and Dr. Amber Garrison Duncan, formerly Strategy Director at the Lumina Foundation, and currently the Executive Vice President at the Competency-Based Education Network. Please join us for this exciting conversation about Complete College America’s work to improve student success outcomes at Predominantly Black Community Colleges and Historically Black Community Colleges, in this two-year project, funded by the Lumina Foundation.
CCA Strategy Director, Brandon Protas, Ed.D., is joined by Dr. Monica Martinez, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Learning Policy Institute, to discuss the transformative nature of performance assessment implementation in college advising and placement processes. To learn more about the Learning Policy Institute and the Reimagining College Access initaitive that Dr. Martinez leads, please visit: https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/project/reimagining-college-access
Strategy Director Nikolas Huot is joined by Kurt Lazaroff, Ph.D., BIS Academic Services Director and Professor, and Janet Ha Poirot, Term Assistant Professor and Associate Director of Academic Services in BIS. They discuss George Mason University’s exemplar program for adult learner engagement, the Bachelor of Individualized Study (or BIS) program. This unique program allows students to individualize their course selection, and craft their academic maps to fit their interests and career goals. Join them for their conversation about this exciting program.
CCA Strategy Director Brandon Protas, Ed. D, is joined by Daniel Douglas, Visiting Assistant Professor of Education Studies and Sociology at Trinity College; Alexandra Logue, Research Professor at The Center for Advanced Study in Education at the Graduate Center at the City University of New York; and Mari Watanabe-Rose, Director of Undergraduate Education Initiatives and Research in Office of Academic Affairs at The City University of New York. In this two-part podcast, our guests discuss their most recent work, "Community College Students Assessed as Needing Mathematics Remediation: Seven-Year Impacts of Corequisite Remediation with Statistics". Don't forget to catch Part I and Part II of this exciting and informative conversation.
CCA Strategy Director Brandon Protas, Ed. D, is joined by Daniel Douglas, Visiting Assistant Professor of Education Studies and Sociology at Trinity College; Alexandra Logue, Research Professor at The Center for Advanced Study in Education at the Graduate Center at the City University of New York; and Mari Watanabe-Rose, Director of Undergraduate Education Initiatives and Research in Office of Academic Affairs at The City University of New York. In this two-part podcast, our guests discuss their most recent work, "Community College Students Assessed as Needing Mathematics Remediation: Seven-Year Impacts of Corequisite Remediation with Statistics". Don't forget to catch Part I and Part II of this exciting and informative conversation.
CCA Strategy Director Brandon Protas, Ed.D., is joined by Dr. Angie Paccione, the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education. Tune in as they discuss Pathway to Affordability: Annual Report on Dual and Concurrent Enrollment in Colorado.
CCA Vice President of Policy, Research and Advocacy is joined by Davis Jenkins, Senior Research Scholar, Community College Research Center (CCRC) to discuss data and the future of student success in community colleges.
Katrina Caldwell, Ph.D., Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at Johns Hopkins University, joins Complete College America President Yolanda Watson Spiva, Ph.D. for a candid conversation on how leaders can reconcile with America's past to create a more inclusive future for higher education students.
Complete College America President Yolanda Watson Spiva is joined by Western Governors University President Scott Pulsipher for a candid conversation on how higher education can meet the needs of today's student.
Committing to Equitable Systemic Change featuring Lais Martinez, Assistant Commissioner for EDI, Utah System of Higher Education and Virginia Madrid-Salazar, Strategies Lead,Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC)
Listen in as we discuss a regional and state approach to turn equity into action from working being done in the state of Utah and the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) in California.
Adrian Trinidad, Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Southern California Race & Equity Center joins CCA Strategy Director Brandon Protas, Ed.D., to share a critical race analysis of California's AB 705 and how its goals to impact racial equity are seen through policy and practice.
Complete College America Strategy Director Brandon Protas, Ed., and Carla Mebane, Director, University of Missouri - Kansas City High School / College Dual Credit Partnership and Member at Large Representative on the NACEP Board - National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships.talk through the different models of concurrent/dual enrollment, quality standards and the impact of race on successfully programming for high school students to take college classes
Complete College America (CCA) Strategy Director Nikolas Huot meets with Patrick Frasier, Vice President at Acadeum, and Robert Mitchell, Registrar at DIllard University, to discuss course sharing and its impact on student success and CCA strategies.
Complete College America (CCA) President Yolanda Watson Spiva, Ph.D. and Timothy Renick, Ph.D., Executive Director at the National Institute for Student Success at Georgia State University discuss evidence-based strategies designed to boost equitable outcomes. Spiva and Renick also discuss what to expect from the National Institute for Student Success (NISS) and opportunities for learning, support, and collaboration across the field.
CCA Strategy Director Brandon Protas speaks with Molly Sarubbi, Senior Project Manager at Strong Start to Finish, about the role of Corequisite Support in changing the landscape of developmental education around the country.
Complete College America (CCA) President Yolanda Watson Spiva, Ph.D. and Futuro Health CEO Van Ton-Quinlivan discuss the intersection between workforce & community college efforts and how this alignment improves the health and wealth of students who are essential workers.
Complete College America (CCA) Strategy Directors Melanie Harris, Nikolas Huot, and Brandon Protas discuss their passion for student success and what they are looking forward to in 2021.