Deep Dives Podcast With Trimeka Benjamin

Communities in the Appalachian Region often experience isolation and economic disparity due to the geography of the region and the decline of the coal industry. Gayle Manchin, Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), talks about the funding initiatives provided to communities within the region to revitalize the economy. She shares how the programs are focused on strategies that connect students to the automotive industry, reintegrate members of the community affected by the Opioid crisis, and expand broadband access throughout the region.

Strong business and community partnerships are essential to the success of Workforce Development programs in higher education. Dr. Micheal McDonough talks about approach to building strong business partnerships at the New Jersey Consortium of Community Colleges and at Raritan Valley Community College. He discusses internships, apprenticeships and job opportunities that contribute to student success; and alignment of course curriculum with labor market needs.

Dr. Kimberly Moore is a trailblazer for workforce development, and in this episode, she’ll share lessons learned in her decade of experience. Dr. Moore discusses the importance of building an integrated workforce system in order to keep up with the constantly changing labor market, and shares examples of how Tallahassee Community College is doing just that by working with formerly incarcerated students and forming new partnerships with Amazon.

Broward College President Gregory Adam Haile, J.D. shares how the Broward UP model was created to better the community through an educated workforce. He discusses how partnerships were built with local non-profit organizations, municipalities and businesses to create an improved pathway that better prepares Broward residents to successfully enter the workforce.

A first-generation college student herself, Dr. Linda García is now the executive director for the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE). In this episode, Dr. Garcia shares how CCCSE is providing institutions with research, best practices and tools to build strategies for “worker learners.” She will share insights from her research among 25,000 working students at 74 different institutions, and how that guided the development of the three questions you should ask your leadership team.

Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart returns to "Deep Dives with Trimeka Benjamin" to lead the conversation by interviewing Trimeka about her college experience and how that shaped her passion for helping higher education institutions make improvements that better guide students through their journey.

With Dr. Baston at the helm, Rockland Community College (RCC) isbuilding real world ready students. In the episode, Dr. Baston explains what that means as the faculty and staff prepare students for graduation, and how theyhad to shift their approach to instruction and student engagement. He also shares in-depth knowledge on how he led this shift during his first three years at the College through a combination of data, transparency, and organizationalcollaboration.

The recent murder of George Floyd sparked protests and movements worldwide that continue to make an impact. But how do these tragic events affect the higher education space - the students, the presidents, and the culture of college? In this live episode, Dr. Merrill Irving will discuss his experience, both as a Black male and the President of Hennepin Technical College (HTC). He will dive deep into questions on racial and social justice, providing advice to fellow higher education leaders on their role in all of this. Learn more about Dr. Irving’s story, his career development, and the impact he’s made on HTC with programs actively fighting the institutional racism rooted in college processes.

The American Association of Community Colleges reported that 62% of students hold a job while attending school full-time. So, what role does a community college play in supporting students through the challenges they may face? In this episode, Dr. Michael Baston, President of Rockland Community College (RCC), talks through his definition of experience at RCC. He discusses both the missteps his college has made and the transformation of RCC’s experience design while unraveling the importance of accepting responsibility for student success as educational leaders. Dr. Baston reveals the logistics of the Student Success Team, along with the use of technology in a human-driven enterprise, and the fragile courage of many community college students as the key components in defining the educational experience at RCC.

St. Petersburg College created “The College Experience” to transform the way out-of-classroom is provided to significantly improve student success rates. Now President Tonjua Williams is moving that work inside the classroom. In this episode, Dr. Williams shares how she engaged faculty and staff to build “The Learning Experience” and the challenges she faced. She provides honest insight on how the College used transparency and collaboration to engage every member of the College to complete the work, and the lessons learned along the way.