The Future of Education

Is post-secondary education still worth it? While a debate about higher education’s value and place in society rages online, new data reveals that equitable opportunities for students are being created from post-secondary programs. In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Jamey Rorison, Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Rorison is leading efforts to advance a field-driven movement to increase equitable postsecondary value. He shares groundbreaking research on post-college outcomes with our host, Dr. DeHay, including how post-secondary institutions can participate in exciting new programs aimed at improving outcomes for their students.   For more information related to this episode, including access to the mentioned report and data tools, visit: postsecondaryvalue.org

Last year, around 1.4 million high school students engaged in dual enrollment coursework. In this episode, we dive deep into the fascinating world of dual enrollment—a rising higher education trend that's reshaping the educational journey for high school students and the colleges that serve them. Dual enrollment coursework can be transformational, and while the avenues a student takes can differ, the term generally applies to courses of study where high school students tackle college-level classes, earning both high school and college credits simultaneously. Our guest, Dr. Davis Jenkins, is a distinguished expert on dual enrollment. As a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Community College Research Center (CCRC), Dr. Jenkins has a wealth of experience in dual enrollment programs. His research has uncovered some intriguing insights into the most effective ways to deliver dual enrollment. In this interview, Dr. DeHay and Dr. Jenkins will discuss:   The primary goals of dual enrollment. The impact of dual enrollment on college readiness, immediate college attendance, and first-year retention rates.  The work being done by CCRC’s guided pathways—a whole-college redesign model aimed at helping all students explore, choose, plan, and complete programs aligned with their career and education goals. We hope you join us for this enlightening conversation on one of the approaches to higher education that is shaping our future.

Community college students often have diverse backgrounds and goals. For this reason, it has always been a challenge to evaluate a community college’s success rate. In this episode of The Future of Education, Dr. Galen DeHay talks to Dr. Laura Ullrich, a senior regional economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, about the complex topic of measuring community college success. They discuss why the current metrics used by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) are inadequate for truly evaluating a community college’s impact and Dr. Ullrich reveals some new insights from a pilot study of community colleges that used a broader and more nuanced definition of success. This episode gives listeners a deeper understanding of how higher education institutions are measured, the current challenges community colleges face, and the exciting opportunities that may arise from the Federal Reserve evaluating community colleges with a new lens. 

Understanding a community's needs starts with developing an understanding of the students who are attending the local community college. This requires elevating student voices to focus and drive reforms. In this episode, Dr. DeHay interviews Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, President of Amarillo College in Texas. Dr. Lowery-Hart has transformed the systems and culture at Amarillo by centering them on one word: love. Join us for this uplifting and inspiring episode! 

The demographics of many communities are shifting. As we emerge from the global pandemic, we are witnessing trend shifts in who is attending college and who is not. In this episode, Dr. DeHay discusses the role of community colleges in providing access for diverse communities. He is joined by Dr. Maria Harper-Marinick, a Senior Fellow for the College Excellence Program at The Aspen Institute and a Guided Pathways Coach for the Texas Success Center. Dr. Harper-Marinick served the Maricopa Community College District for almost 30 years in a variety of leadership roles, including as Chancellor for the system. She is a leader and a strong advocate for access to opportunity, equity, and student success. Thanks for joining us! 

Community colleges are not strangers to change. In fact, their ability to change to meet evolving needs is built into their DNA. As population demographics shift, community college leaders must adapt their organizations to meet the emerging needs of the communities they serve.  In this episode, Dr. DeHay talks with Dr. Hope Rivers, President of Piedmont Technical College, to discuss how leaders are engaging their communities differently to provide equitable access and opportunity for education.  

Welcome to The Future of Education, a podcast brought to you by Dr. Galen DeHay, President of Tri-County Technical College, and IdeaXChange, a community forum created by McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture. In this monthly series, we invite guests who are running Post-Secondary colleges and universities to discuss the biggest issues and opportunities facing higher education. Please join us!