Higher Education Professionals Discuss Modern Ways to Address College Students' Needs
Bakhtiyor Isoev released two new episodes of his Education & Empowerment Podcast - Powered by Mission Matters
Higher education specialist Bakhtiyor Isoev released two new episodes of the Education & Empowerment Podcast. The episodes feature interviews with Ryan Akers, Student Employment Coordinator & Career Counselor at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California, and Thomas Torres-Gil, Director of the International Office of the Peralta Community College District in northern Alameda County, California. In the just-released episodes, Akers and Torres-Gil discuss how technological advancements are improving community colleges and how challenges outside the classroom can affect students' long-term success.
Addressing Non-traditional Students' Needs
Colleges have more non-traditional students than ever before, Akers explains in Episode 10. "It's not (just) the ‘typical’ 18- to 22-year-old... we have such a wide variety: students who are undocumented, international, refugees, older generations, even students who are 15 or 16 in higher education." He says colleges should implement bridge-building programs ranging from peer involvement and leadership activities to sustainable on-campus employment, meeting students where they are to better prepare them for success.
Financial challenges, a common student issue, were only worsened by the pandemic. "I've had students say, 'I couldn't afford internet, and I only did in-person classes,' and now they had to go buy internet (service) and couldn't afford it," Akers says, and mentions the cost-prohibitive nature of internships as another career-building barrier. When the lower end of Maslow's hierarchy of needs—i.e., housing, basic survival—is barely met, he says, it's tough to flourish in an academic setting and cultivate long-term success.
Effective solutions include work-study funding; free, holistic mentorship programs; well-paying internship programs; grant-funded employment matching; and strong alumni relations programs with intergenerational components. "You don't leave your student(s) after they graduate," Akers observes. "We are all lifelong learners."
Listen to the full interview of Ryan Akers with Bakhtiyor Isoev on 4stay.
Technological Best Practices for Community Colleges
"Our field can change quickly," Torres-Gil observes in Episode 11, noting that many community colleges, including those in his district, have benefited from leveling up their digital systems to process applications, coordinate international programs, handle course load requests and more.
"We were a little ahead," he says of his district's pre-pandemic embrace of tech tools, noting that staying nimble is key in adjusting to new challenges while meeting students' needs.
When students are asked if they want to keep holding advisor meetings virtually post-COVID, "overwhelmingly, they're all saying 'yes' or 'maybe,'" Torres-Gil explains. He notes that many students find it difficult to fit in-person advisor appointments into their packed school/work schedules, making a virtual option preferable. His office is exploring how to accommodate students further, including waiting room software to replace or accentuate the formal student/advisor scheduling process with impromptu visits.
Torres-Gil notes that in-person meetings do carry value, especially the connections they foster. Given the trauma of the past year, people need opportunities to process it and move forward together. So, as for how to best communicate, he says, "It's about finding the right balance."
Listen to the full interview of Thomas Torres-Gil with Bakhtiyor Isoev on 4stay.
About: The Education & Empowerment Podcast explores success and advancement through education by interviewing today's top leaders in the fields of education, business and technology. This show is brought to you by 4stay, a SaaS-enabled Online Booking marketplace for student and intern housing. Learn more at: https://4stay.com/
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