Higher Ed ReWired

Latest Episodes:

This Virtual Life: How the Pandemic is Reshaping the Higher Ed Experience Jun 01, 2022

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About This Episode:

Higher education is beginning to reassess the college experience in response to the pandemic. Universities are updating curricula to offer larger or more robust professional programs, expanding remote options to ensure students with disabilities and other needs have equal access, and adopting innovative pedagogical methods to effectively teach students from all backgrounds in a variety of modalities.

In this episode, we speak with the president of Ohio University about how recent enrollment shifts may affect which programs universities choose to expand; two students with differing views on the future of remote courses; and a geology professor at Coastline College about the benefits and challenges of remote instruction and what college will look like moving forward.

Featured on This Episode:

President Hugh Sherman is the 22nd President of Ohio University. He earned a B.A. in economics from Guelph University (Canada), an MBA from Northeastern University, and a Ph.D. in strategic management and international business from Temple University. His research interests include corporate governance, international business, entrepreneurship, and economic development.
Mayor Steve Patterson is serving as the mayor of the City of Athens, Ohio. Mayor Patterson earned his BS in Psychology with a minor in Biology from the University of North Dakota. He earned his Ph. D in Health Psychology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. He served in the United States Air Force for 23 years in both the Enlisted and Commissioned ranks and retired in 2003 as a Major with the District of Columbia Air Nation Guard 113th Fighter Wing. Mayor Patterson lives in Athens, Ohio where he was an Associate Professor of Health Psychology at Ohio University for 18 years until he began his term first term as Mayor in January 2016.
Kelly Rupert is a part-time lecturer at Cal State Fullerton and a full-time geology professor at Coastline College. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the University of California, Riverside.

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Fixing the Financial Aid Crisis May 07, 2022

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About This Episode:

In 2021, Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes introduced assembly bill, AB469 to make applying for financial aid through the FAFSA and the California Dream Act application a requirement for high school seniors in California.

The idea behind the assembly bill is that if completing these forms is mandatory, then more underrepresented students will claim the aid that’s waiting for them. The measure passed last fall and began implementation at the start of 2022.

In this episode, we speak with the vice president of the Public Policy Institute of California, the executive director of the Education Trust-West, and the director of education services at the Montebello School District to discuss some of the benefits and drawbacks of this policy and what the next steps should be to ensure more students from underrepresented communities can finance their education.

Featured on This Episode:

Lande Ajose is vice president and Walter and Esther Hewlett Chair in Understanding California’s Future. She is also interim director of the PPIC Higher Education Center and a senior fellow at PPIC. Her career has focused on improving the lives of Californians by working in state government, private philanthropy, and research institutions. Her research interests include addressing issues of inequality through education and employment. She was recently the senior policy advisor for higher education for the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. Before joining the Newsom administration, she was executive director of California Competes, chaired the California Student Aid Commission, and served on the governance bodies of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, the Institute for College Access and Success, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. She currently sits on the Board of Trustees at Occidental College. She holds a PhD in urban and regional studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Christopher Nellum is the Executive Director of The Education Trust–West, a nonprofit education equity organization focused on educational justice and closing achievement and opportunity gaps for students of color and students from lower-income communities from preschool through college. Before joining The Education Trust–West, Nellum was at the National Center for Institutional Diversity, Young Invincibles, and the American Council on Education. He cut his teeth in education equity on college campuses working directly with students. Nellum completed his undergraduate degree at UC Santa Barbara, master’s degree at CSU Long Beach, and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan.
Leticia Alividrez is the director of education services at the Montebello School District

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Esports: Changing the Game in Higher Ed Apr 01, 2022

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About This Episode:

During the worldwide pandemic, esports programs stepped in to fill the void that social distancing created. Students in these programs had the unique opportunity to gather in virtual worlds and stay connected. The sense of belonging the programs fostered did not go unnoticed and universities began to view esports as a remedy for student recruitment and retention.

In this episode, we will speak with the director of the National Association of Collegiate Esports, the EA Sports Association president at CSUDH, and two esports directors in the CSU system about how they’re transforming the program and how this new way of competing is providing students a reason to pursue higher education.

Featured on This Episode:

Michael Brooks is the Executive Director of the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). NACE is a nonprofit membership association organized by and on behalf of member institutions and is the largest association of varsity esports programs in North America. NACE’s members are developing the structure and tools needed to advance collegiate esports in the varsity space.
Ruben Caputo is the EA Sports academic advisor and general manager at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is also the Co-Chair of the CSU Esports Collective, responsible for the effective functioning of the board in its role of governing the CSU Esports Collective.
Dina Ibrahim is a Professor in the Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts department at San Francisco State University, where she teaches Radio and Television News Production courses. She has reported for the BBC World Service Radio in London, CNN in Atlanta and Cairo, NPR in Austin, Texas, UPI in Cairo, and Arab News newspaper in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Her research interests are in the area of American television news representation of Arabs and Muslims. Her B.A. and M.A. are from the American University in Cairo and her Ph.D. is from the University of Texas at Austin.
Alexandra Warren Carrasco is a senior at California State University, Dominguez Hills, and serves as the Esports Association president.

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Project Rebound: Redeeming Lives Through Education Mar 01, 2022

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About This Episode:

In 1967, Project Rebound was created to matriculate formerly incarcerated students into the CSU directly from the criminal justice system. Since the program’s inception, hundreds of Project Rebound students have obtained bachelor’s degrees and beyond. Project Rebound students system-wide have earned an overall grade point average of 3.0, have a zero percent recidivism rate, and 87% of graduates have secured full-time employment or admission to postgraduate programs.

In this episode, we will speak with the executive director of Project Rebound at Cal State San Bernardino, Annika Anderson about how she advocated for office space and resources on their campus. We’ll hear from a formerly incarcerated staff member, Paul Jones, and matriculated students, Robert Sandoval and Marta Barreto about the unique obstacles they face and the unique benefits they offer communities.And how this model can expand beyond California to transform campuses and students nationwide.

Featured on This Episode:

Annika Anderson, is the executive director of Project Rebound at CSUSB and an associate professor in the Department of Sociology. She received her B.A. in Public Relations from Pennsylvania State University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Washington State University. Her research interests are in developmental and life-course criminology, reentry, social stratification, and race and ethnic relations. She has presented her research at numerous conferences and has several publications on crime and reentry based on research conducted in San Bernardino.

Paul A. Jones, is the program director of Project Rebound at CSUSB. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Social Work from California State University, San Bernardino. In his role as program director, he also supervises interns placed in Project Rebound. He is a co-author on a chapter in an edited volume titled Prisoner Reentry in the 21st Century: Critical Perspectives of Returning Home; Reentry in the Inland Empire: The Prison to College Pipeline with Project Rebound.

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Reevaluating the Role of Education in the Workplace Feb 01, 2022

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About This Episode:

In 2019, amidst rising tuition and student debt, The Gates Foundation created a new panel called the Postsecondary Value Commission to examine the return on investment of the college degree across gender and race. Members of the panel measured “postsecondary value” in terms of earnings, access to high-quality jobs, and economic mobility and security.

Higher Ed Rewired had a conversation with the commission’s research analyst, University of Texas System Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Research and Advanced Analytics, David Troutman, Vice President and Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at IBM, Justina Nixon-Saintil and Filmmaker, Quincy Ledbetter. Listen as these experts discuss how higher education should be rethinking its role in the workplace.

Featured on This Episode:

David R. Troutman, Ph.D., is the Associate Vice-Chancellor and Chief Data Officer of Institutional Research and Advanced Analytics for the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis (OIRA) at The University of Texas System. As the Associate Vice Chancellor for OIRA, Dr. Troutman and his team of researchers and business intelligence analysts transform data into timely and meaningful information in order to support UT System initiatives and policy decisions across its 13 institutions and to enhance insight, transparency, and accountability. He earned his Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Justina Nixon-Saintil serves as IBM’s Vice President and Head of the company's Corporate Social Responsibility efforts. She is responsible for driving global social responsibility strategy and initiatives that enable IBM’s technology and talent to address and impact, at scale, the most demanding societal and community challenges in both growth and established markets.
Justina is an Aspen Institute First Mover Fellow and earned her Master of Business Administration from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business and her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Quincy Ledbetter, is a filmmaker, photographer, and musician who focuses primarily on the narrative, documentary, and experimental film.

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Redefining the Value of The College Degree Jan 01, 2022

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About This Episode:

For colleges and universities, the “great resignation” might be an opportunity to reach working adults looking to upskill for a new job. They could transform the college experience from a four year academic experience... to a lifelong learning experience.

So how are colleges adapting to stay competitive? And will these demands change the face of college as we know it?

Higher Ed Rewired spoke with Paul Fain, author of The Job newsletter at Inside Higher Ed, Julie Newman-Biggers, director of career development at Clemson University, Allison Salisbury, senior vice president at Guild Education and Chipotle field recruiting analyst, Iris Vazquez Morales. They share their ideas and experience on how the university model can evolve to emphasize career preparation, prepare studentsfour-year for future opportunities, and bring a new demographic of students to the table.

Featured on This Episode:

Paul Fain is a ContributingEditor at Inside Higher Ed. Paul has also worked in higher ed P.R., with Widmeyer Communications. He is a former staff writer for C-VILLE Weekly, a newspaper in Charlottesville, Va., Paul has written for The New York Times, Washington City Paper, and Mother Jones. He's won journalism awards, including one for beat reporting from the Education Writers Association and the Dick Schaap Excellence in Sports Journalism Award. He earned a degree in political science at the University of Delaware in 1996.
Julie Newman-Biggers is the director of career development at Clemson University. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in kinesiotherapy from Catawba College and a
master of education degree in Guidance and Counseling from Clemson University.
Allison Salisbury is a Senior Vice President at Guild Education, where she leads strategy and solutions teams that help Guild’s employer partners reskill their workforce for the future. She regularly shares what she is learning in her column on Forbes.
Prior to Guild, Allison served as a Senior Partner and the Head of Innovation at Entangled Group (acquired by Guild), where she started the Economic Mobility Practice focused on advising employers, universities, and philanthropists on creating opportunity through education and upskilling. While at Entangled, she also helped start and advise four edtech companies: ReUp Education, Pathstream, Adjacent Academies, and Outset Careers.
Previously, she held senior roles at EdSurge, where she built the higher education business, and Davidson College, where she led strategic initiatives from the President’s Office.
Iris Vazquez Morales is a field recruiting analyst at Chipotle Mexican Grill. She focuses on the policies with long-term results when working with opportunity youth, such as by providing a clear pathway for advancement through the company. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources management from Bellevue University.

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Rewiring Mental Health Services For A Post Pandemic Campus Dec 01, 2021

Show notes

About this episode

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed structural weaknesses and inequities across the nation in all major industries - housing, government, finance, health care, and education. This revelation resulted in educational institutions across the nation successfully reworking the more traditional aspects of student success such as instructional modality, classroom technology, and basic needs. However, most institutions continue to seek the elusive answer to the problem of finding the best practice in addressing the fragility of mental health services on the college campus.

Higher Ed Rewired has a roundtable discussion with three student leaders from the California State University as they recount what the pandemic meant for their mental health. We also meet with Dr. Eric Wood, Director of Counseling and Mental Health at Texas Christian University, and Dr. Sarah Lipson, Co-Principal Investigator and Associate Director of the Healthy Minds Network, as they provide solutions and discuss what universities should be doing to address the mental health crises on the college campus.

Featured on the Episode:

Dr. Sarah Ketchen Lipson is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Law Policy and Management at the Boston University School of Public Health. She is co-Principal Investigator of the Healthy Minds Study and Associate Director of the Healthy Minds Network.

Lipson's research focuses on understanding and addressing mental health inequalities in adolescent and young adult populations, especially college students. She employs varied methodologies, including large-scale epidemiological surveys and population-level interventions. Her work has been featured in the Boston Globe, New York Times, Huffington Post, and NPR.

At BUSPH, she teaches Research Theory and Design and Applied Studies in Health Services Research and is faculty director of the Master's of Science in Health Services and Systems Research

Lipson completed a dual PhD at the University of Michigan in Health Services Organization and Policy at the School of Public Health and Higher Education at the School of Education, and a master’s degree from Harvard University.

Dr. Eric Wood currently serves as the Director of Counseling & Mental Health at Texas Christian University and has over 12 years of experience in college mental health, including serving on the advisory board for the National College Depression Partnership and a peer reviewer for the Journal of American College Health.

Wood holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of North Texas. The highest priority for he and his staff is stewarding the trust that TCU students, and their families, give us regarding their mental health and psychological well-being. He is committed to providing the highest quality of care and maintaining TCU’s recognized status as one of the leading institutions in the field of college campus counseling.

Joshua Ochoais currently serving as the Associated Students President at San Francisco State University, and earning his Master’s in Public Administration. Joshua believes “we must all be and fight for the change that we want to see in the world.” At SFSU, Joshua has served students on the Associated Students Board of Directors by advocating for expanding basic needs initiatives, tuition-free public college, and equitable access to public transportation. He is motivated to fight for working-class issues through writing public policy, people-centered urban planning, and a constant push for advocacy and activism.

Dixie Samaniego (Ella/She/Her) is a third-year Political Science major and Women and Gender Studies minor at California State University Fullerton. Dixie is a proud Latina, daughter of immigrants, and a first-generation high school graduate and higher education student. She serves as the California State University Fullerton’s Associated Students Incorporated Chief Governmental Officer and as a Director and the Vice-Chair of Legislative Affairs on the Cal State Student Association. In addition to her campus advocacy, Dixie is the co-founder and Creative Director of The Black + Brown Healing Project, a grassroots organization working to center healing in advocacy through collective action. She is a huge fan of the MCU and all things music."

D’Aungilique Jackson, ASI President at Fresno State

Return on Investment Calculator for College Mental Health Services and Programs by the Healthy Minds Network:

https://umich.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6xN9QUSlFtgtRQh

Resources for people struggling with depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide:

California State University Mental Health Services

https://www.calstate.edu/attend/student-services/Pages/mental-health-services.aspx

The CSU provides programs and services to support the psychological and emotional health of our students. Mental health and counseling services on the campuses offer support and strive to help students achieve their academic, personal and professional goals.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Available to anyone in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in emotional distress. You can speak to them online or over the phone by calling 1-800-273-8255.

The TREVOR Project
thetrevorproject.org
Specific crisis support for LGBTQ+ young people is available on 1-866-488-7386.

SAFE Alternatives for self-abuse
selfinjury.com
Helpline: 800-366-8288.

Trans Lifeline
translifeline.org/hotline
A peer support service run by trans people, for trans and questioning callers in crisis. Call 877-565-8860.

SAT: Rethinking College Admission Criteria Nov 01, 2021

Show notes

In a sweeping decision amid the height of the pandemic, universities across the nation decided to remove the SAT/ACT as an admission requirement and go test-optional. In the absence of this tool, institutions have been forced to rethink their approach to admissions and take a holistic look at the students who apply.

Higher Ed Rewired spoke with Gary Clark, Director of Undergraduate Admission at UCLA, David Holmes, the executive director of the Character Collaborative, Kelly Rosinger, assistant professor of education at Pennsylvania State University, and Angel B. Pérez of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. They share their research and experience on how this decision has affected admission at test-optional institutions and what this may look like for the future of enrollment management for higher education.

If you haven’t already, please review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. It will help bring new listeners in to learn more about student success efforts occurring across the country.

Higher Ed ReWired is produced by California State University.

Beyond the Pandemic: System Leaders on Driving Student Success May 17, 2021

Show notes

The complexity and challenges of the pandemic have posed extraordinary shifts to education as we have known it. Unique opportunities have risen out of the stay-at-home orders and the shift to remote learning, presenting a transformative time for postsecondary leaders. A number of these changes would have never been envisioned pre-pandemic, but rapidly are becoming welcomed additions to our institutions. Higher Ed Rewired meets with three system leaders, California State University Chancellor Joseph I. Castro, Commissioner of Higher Education for the state of Texas Harrison Keller and Commissioner of Higher Education for the state of Louisiana Kim Hunter Reed, and asks what have they gleaned from the pandemic and what they envision for the future of higher education.

Higher Ed ReWired is produced by California State University.

Conversation with Leading Authors on Equity Apr 01, 2021

Show notes

Higher Ed Rewired engages listeners in a conversation with a panel of nationally recognized authors who will discuss their recent books and share insight on equity and student success. Listen to Tia Brown McNair “From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education“ (2020) and “Becoming A Student Ready College” (2016), Bryan Alexander “Academia Next: The Futures of Higher Education (2021) and Lindsay Pérez Huber “Why They Hate Us: How Racist Rhetoric Impacts Education” (2021) talk about everything from the books on their bedside stands to what inspired them as scholars in their field. Whether their work informs student success strategy or guides your professional development agenda, these are the authors you want on your summer reading list.

Higher Ed ReWired is produced by California State University.

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