Futures Series on Community Colleges
By Kate Thirolf & Debbie Sydow
Futures Series on Community CollegesJun 20, 2021
Randy VanWagoner: Competing on Culture
Dr. Randy VanWagoner is president at Mohawk Valley Community College in New York and the author of a timeless book in the Futures Series titled Competing on Culture: Driving Change in Community Colleges.
In this episode, we dive into what culture is and why it’s so influential; we talk about the power of paradox and the importance of equity; and we explore how the pandemic has, in many ways, been a “cultural catalyst” for colleges. You'll also want to hear his ideas about what community colleges need to be thinking about now in order to prepare for the future.
Thanks again to community college student Jean Luc Gagnon for creating and producing our theme music.
Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at FuturesSeriesCC@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter @FuturesSeriesCC.
Kjell Christophersen: Community Colleges as Economic Engines
Dr. Kjell Christophersen is the co-founder and recently retired senior economist at Emsi, a company that, for decades, has produced high-quality economic impact studies on community colleges. In this episode, we talk about a range of topics that he explores in his new book, Community Colleges as Economic Engines.
He shares how Emsi carefully and thoroughly measures the net impact of community colleges and how community colleges can and should use their economic impact studies to gauge, not just what they are worth to their students and communities, but also how they can be even stronger economic engines for their regions.
Thanks again to community college student Jean Luc Gagnon for creating and producing our theme music.
Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at FuturesSeriesCC@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter @FuturesSeriesCC.
Chris Shults: Redefining the Community College Business Model
Dr. Christopher Shults recently authored a fantastic book for the Futures Series titled Reinventing the Community College Business Model. In this episode, we talk about his book and transformative power and potential of community colleges to support the success of their students and make their communities stronger.
Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at FuturesSeriesCC@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter @FuturesSeriesCC.
Scott Martin: Artificial Intelligence, Mixed Reality, and the Redefinition of the Classroom
In this episode, I connect with Dr. Scott Martin to interview him about his book in the Futures Series titled Artificial Intelligence, Mixed Reality, and the Redefinition of the Classroom. A main takeaway is that we’re in a really exciting time right now in education, even amidst the pandemic crisis and enrollment uncertainties we're facing, because some emerging technologies have the potential to alleviate some of the seemingly intractable challenges we’re facing and heighten limitless opportunities for educators and learners across the board.
Thanks again to community college student Jean Luc Gagnon for creating and producing our theme music.
Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at FuturesSeriesCC@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter @FuturesSeriesCC.
Introducing the Futures Series on Community Colleges Podcast
We're excited to introduce the Futures Series on Community Colleges podcast. We will be featuring thought leaders from across the sector, notably authors of the books in the Futures Series, with the goal of advancing insights and inspiration across community colleges. We also will be highlighting the voices and experiences of community college students, since their voices and their success matter most.
Special thanks to Jean-Luc Gagnon, a student in the audio production and engineering program at Washtenaw Community College, who helped produce our theme music.
Contact us at FuturesSeriesCC@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @FuturesSeriesCC.