Shows
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 13: Understanding Campus ClimateToday on Spotlight on Community Colleges we focus on issues related to campus climate in community colleges. In other words, how might faculty, staff, administrators, and other constituents perceive institutional policies, practices, and routines that influence satisfaction, efficacy, and success.
Deconstructing this complicated and nuanced topic is a panel of guests who have a deep understanding of campus climate. Dr. Audrey (AJ) Jaeger serves as the W. Dallas Herring Distinguished Professor of Community College Education and Executive Director of the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at NC State University. The Belk Center administers the PACE...
2026-01-2154 min
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 12: Fundraising in Community CollegesOn this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges we take a peek into the world of community college fundraising! Guests Dr. Everrett Smith (Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati) and Charles Silver (Development Director, Scottsdale Community College) join in the conversation to share the research on community college fundraising and the unique considerations that practitioners face, respectively. Along the way they offer thoughts on how community colleges engage in meaningful collaborations, programs, and efforts that bolster giving.
If you are seeking to make a donation during this giving season and are wondering where your contributions can make a b...
2025-12-171h 00
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 11: Community College TrusteesThis episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges centers some of the most understudied yet vital members of the higher education community: community college trustees. These are the incredible folks who volunteer their time to act as fiscal stewards of their institutions, guide institutional mission and strategy, monitor operations, hire the CEOs, and ensure that their colleges and students can flourish.
Sharing insights on this episode include three guests with a wide range of perspectives on community college governing boards and the people who serve on them: Ms. Geralyn Presti (former attorney and current Chair of the Board o...
2025-11-1950 min
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 10: Challenges and Opportunities in Financial Aid
The community college financial aid landscape is fraught with challenges related to income verification and making satisfactory academic progress, but also opportunities associated with supporting students' payments and financial literacy training. This episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges deconstructs the current realities of community college financial aid.
Today's guests discuss the various dimensions of financial aid. They include: Dr. Devon Graves (Assistant Professor of Community College Leadership at North Carolina State University); Dr. Matthew Mayhew (Professor of Educational Administration at The Ohio State University); and Dr. Courtney De Roche (Postdoctoral Scholar at The Ohio State University).
Sp...
2025-10-151h 05
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 9: International and Transborder StudentsDrawing in tens of thousands of international students each year, community colleges welcome these learners to higher education. Similarly, transborder students attend community colleges, each day crossing the border to attain their education. Yet the turbulent political and immigration landscape is creating challenges for community colleges and, in tandem, international and transborder students. On today's episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges, we disentangle these issues with three fantastic guests: Dr. Fanta Aw (CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators), Dr. Vanessa Falcón Orta (Assistant Professor in the School of Education at San Diego State University, and a founding di...
2025-09-171h 09
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 8: CSCC: A Home for Community College Scholars and PractitionersThe Council for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) represents an academic home for many scholars and practitioners invested in these higher education institutions. On this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges, we are joined by Dr. Jason Taylor (Associate Professor, University of Utah; President-Elect, CSCC), as well as CSCC members Dr. Nicole Contreras-García (Assistant Professor, Florida Atlantic University) and Dr. Karow Gordon (Dean of Instruction, Wayne County Community College District). Whereas Karow and Nicole share their experiences in participating in the conference and CSCC community, Jason previews what is to come for the 2026 CSCC Conference in Salt Lake Ci...
2025-09-0343 min
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 7: Equitable and Effective Teaching Practices in STEMOn this episode of SPOTLIGHT ON COMMUNITY COLLEGES we feature a conversation on building and maintaining equitable teaching practices in community college science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM education. We are joined by two community college educators: Dr. Melonie Sexton (psychology professor) and Ms. Josephine Pino (biology professor).
Today's discussion is framed around a consensus report that was released by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) in January, 2025, titled Transforming Undergraduate STEM Education,Supporting Equitable and Effective Teaching. The Charge of NASEM's report was to draw on the resources of a committee of...
2025-05-2143 min
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 6: Perceptions of the Community CollegeFor decades community colleges have served as an alternative higher education option for students, yet not always are these perceptions framed positively by the media and influential forces. On this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges, we feature a conversation featuring two guests who help us make sense of the various ways the American public frames and views these institutions: Dr. Chauncy Lennon (Vice President for Learning and Work and Senior Strategy Advisor at the Lumina Foundation) and Sophie Nguyen (Senior Policy Manager of New America's higher education team).
Join Spotlight on Community Colleges the third Wednesday of every month t...
2025-04-1644 min
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 5: Responding to Anti-DEI LegislationOn this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges, we disentangle the many constantly changing challenges and threats to higher education via anti-DEI legislation. This episode, recorded in February 2025, features a conversation with two guests who hold important perspectives on these important issues and how they may impact community colleges: Dr. Jeremy Young (Director of State and Higher Education Policy at PEN America) and Dr. George Boggs (President and CEO Emeritus of the American Association of Community Colleges, Superintendent/President Emeritus of Palomar College).
For further context about the letter from the American Council on Education, read its statement here. The Fe...
2025-03-1946 min
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 4: Community College Student Mental HealthIn this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges ("Community College Student Mental Health), we speak to two individuals who share their experiences and thoughts on how to best serve students who may face challenges as they pursue their education:
Dr. Amanda O. Latz (Associate Professor, Ball State University)
Tony Williams (Vice President of Student Services, Coconino Community College)
Check out the report from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement on students' basic needs here.
Purchase a copy of Dr. Latz's book: Community College Student Mental Health: Faculty Experiences and Institutional Actions from Rowman and Li...
2025-02-1952 min
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 3: Women of Color in the Community College Leadership PipelineOn this episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges ("Women of Color in the Community College Leadership Pipeline"), take an opportunity to recognize the incredible leadership conducted by women of color in community colleges. Joining on this panel discussion are three key leaders who have brought meaningful, transformative change to their educational institutions:
Dr. Daria Willis (President of Howard Community College)
Dr. CharMaine Hines (Vice Chancellor for Academic Accountability and Policy at the Wayne County Community College District)
Dr. Briseida Elenes (Career Center Supervisor at Cuyamaca Community College)
Join Spotlight on Community Colleges the third Wednesday of every month to...
2025-01-151h 01
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 2: Meet the Spotlight on Community Colleges Hosts: Drs. Erin Doran, Carrie B. Kisker, and Brett Ranon NachmanIn the second episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges ("Meet the Spotlight on Community Colleges Hosts: Drs. Erin Doran, Carrie B. Kisker, and Brett Ranon Nachman"), learn about the practical experiences and research that have guided the work and lives of each of the three podcast hosts: Dr. Carrie B. Kisker (Kisker Education Consulting), Dr. Erin Doran (University of Texas at El Paso), and Dr. Brett Ranon Nachman (University of Pittsburgh).
Join Spotlight on Community Colleges the third Wednesday of every month to hear topical exchanges between researchers and practitioners, learn about emerging scholarship paired with practical solutions, an...
2025-01-1245 min
Spotlight on Community CollegesEp 1 Welcome to Spotlight on Community CollegesWelcome to the first episode of Spotlight on Community Colleges. In this inaugural episode, our hosting team (Drs. Carrie B. Kisker, Erin Doran, and Brett Ranon Nachman) establishes context on what to expect from the podcast! This podcast, a project of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, will serve as a space for administrators, researchers, faculty, and additional stakeholders to hold conversations about the modern issues that confront community colleges.
Join Spotlight on Community Colleges the third Wednesday of every month to hear topical exchanges between researchers and practitioners, learn about emerging scholarship paired with practical s...
2025-01-1232 min