Spotlight on Community Colleges
Spotlight on Community Colleges
Podcast Description
The Spotlight on Community Colleges podcast provides community college administrators, trustees, and faculty, as well as higher education scholars, students, and thought leaders, with insights into major challenges and issues community colleges face. Through topical exchanges between researchers and practitioners, guests discuss emerging scholarship paired with practical solutions, as well as critical analyses of possibilities for future practice. Together they share stories and anecdotes grounded in personal narratives, professional examples, and practical take-aways. Hosted by Drs. Carrie B. Kisker, Erin Doran, and Brett Ranon Nachman, a trio of community college scholars from diverse backgrounds, the Spotlight on Community Colleges highlights the centrality of community colleges to our democracy, economy, and work toward social justice, and shines a light on the perspectives of those who attend, teach, lead, and study these institutions.
Spotlight on Community Colleges is a project of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, the largest association of university-based researchers and community college scholar-practitioners dedicated to furthering scholarship on the community college enterprise.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers themes central to community college challenges, including leadership diversity, educational equity, and practical reforms. Episodes like 'Women of Color in the Community College Leadership Pipeline' highlight the transformative impact of diverse leadership, while introductory episodes provide context on the roles and contributions of community colleges in broader societal frameworks.
The Spotlight on Community Colleges podcast provides community college administrators, trustees, and faculty, as well as higher education scholars, students, and thought leaders, with insights into major challenges and issues community colleges face. Through topical exchanges between researchers and practitioners, guests discuss emerging scholarship paired with practical solutions, as well as critical analyses of possibilities for future practice. Together they share stories and anecdotes grounded in personal narratives, professional examples, and practical take-aways. Hosted by Drs. Carrie B. Kisker, Erin Doran, and Brett Ranon Nachman, a trio of community college scholars from diverse backgrounds, the Spotlight on Community Colleges highlights the centrality of community colleges to our democracy, economy, and work toward social justice, and shines a light on the perspectives of those who attend, teach, lead, and study these institutions.
Spotlight on Community Colleges is a project of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, the largest association of university-based researchers and community college scholar-practitioners dedicated to furthering scholarship on the community college enterprise.
Simply put, America’s confidence in higher education is considerably declining, with a recent Gallup poll finding that only 38% of U.S. adults only “had a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in our postsecondary system, down from 57% a decade ago. It also found that currently one in every four adults has little or no confidence in our institutions.
Joining us to disentangle a lack of public trust in our higher education institutions, and community colleges specifically, are three guests who possess distinct connections to this topic. Dr. Jeremy C. Young is senior advisor for strategic initiatives at the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U). He is also the principal author of a recent AAC&U report titled “The Trust Agenda: A Framework for Advancing Public Trust in Higher Education.” Dr. Mike Gavin is President and CEO of The Alliance for Higher Education, in addition to having past served as president of Delta College in Michigan. Finally, Dr. Erin Doran (our podcast co-host) is the forthcoming president of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges and oversees the upcoming conference that features a conference theme connected to this topic of public trust. Our three guests discuss not only what accounts for the general public’s declining trust of these educational institutions, but also offers some possibilities behind how the narrative may change.
Here are some resources referenced in the episode:
AAC&U’s The Trust Agenda Report: https://www.aacu.org/initiatives/advancing-public-trust-in-higher-education/the-trust-agenda
Alliance for Higher Education Website: https://allianceforhighered.org/
CSCC 2027 Annual Conference: https://www.cscc.pitt.edu/annual-conferences/
Learn more about the Community College Data Hub via this website. The Community College Data Hub is a publicly available repository of nearly 60 datasets and data-related publications associated with community colleges and their students, faculty, staff, and communities. The Data Hub is currently offering $5,000 Research Grants and $15,000 Research-to-Practice Stipends for any scholars, students, or college-based personnel wishing to utilize data from the Hub for secondary analysis or institutional improvement. Learn more about the grants here.
Spotlight on Community Colleges is the official podcast of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges (https://www.cscc.pitt.edu/).
We would like to thank the Lumina Foundation, our Season Three Sponsor. The Lumina Foundation is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available for all.
Stay Connected With Us:
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @spotlightonccs
BlueSky: @SpotlightonCCs.bksy.social
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carriekisker/, https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-doran-7545a67a/, and https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettnachman/
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