Episode 61 is with Lenny Williams, Assistant to the Dean of Enrollment Management at the School of Business at New Jersey City University. Aside from his day job, he is an adjunct professor at NJCU, Hudson Community College, and Brookdale Community College. Lenny sounds like a busy guy, but his work doesn’t stop there. We talk at length with him about Trill or not Trill, an organization he co-founded which centers around pop cultural as educational lessons. We talk about staying timely with pop culture and his posts, as well as his plans for the future.
Episode 59 congratulates Missy Vetrano, current graduate student at the University of Buffalo who successfully unlocked her next achievement; getting a job in higher education. Although we can’t yet disclose exactly where she’ll be working, Missy talks about her path to higher ed beginning with her undergraduate studies, and her final semester feelings. Missy is moving for her first job, and she tells us the secret to negotiation at estate sales. if you haven’t already guessed, she’s Jackie’s sister, and reveals something pretty embarrassing about Jackie’s past.
Episode 57 welcomes Matt Reed, Vice President for Learning at Brookdale Community College and author of Confessions of a Community College Dean, which began in 2004. Confessions of a Community College Dean is hosted as a blog on Inside Higher Ed, and can also be found as a book! Matt works to post once a day, Monday through Friday to the blog, which is a lot of work! We talk about commitment, dedication, and deadlines, while also thinking about work-life balance. Matt sheds some light on what he does every day, and we also chat about the Tennessee Promise program and other legislations starting to take effect in higher education across the country.
Episode 56 is pretty tasty, with Ben Lamb, Assistant Director for Student Organizations and Involvement at Williams College. We quickly discover Ben’s crepe cafe, Oh Crepe! and Jackie’s love for these delicious desserts. While Jackie tries to wiggle her name onto the menu, we take the time to educate Lougan about New England. Ben discloses that there was a time at Williams College when there were simply too many clubs (is that even possible?) and how it was handled, as well as student run businesses that he oversees. We also talk about sports, and learn about Spikeball.
Episode 31 features Tim Nekritz, Associate Director of Communications and Marketing/Director of Digital Communications at SUNY Oswego. Tim tells us how he got his current job wearing many hats, all thanks to this thing called “the internet” that got really big a while back. Naturally, we talk about using social media on campus, and interestingly enough, Tim describes how social media works to break down departmental silos that exist at so many institutions across the country. Oswego is in the midst of a website redevelopment initiative, and we talk about content, “front end” and “back end,” and the most effective use of time with a new project like this one. We mention Slack for a second, but then Lougan and Tim dive into a deeply passionate conversation about children’s television shows. There’s singing. You don’t want to miss it.
We’re back from vacation with episode 30, welcoming the hosts of the Professional Reputations Aside Podcast; Matt Bloomingdale, Assistant Director of Residence Life at Georgia Tech, and Valerie Heruska, Assistant Director for Residence Life for Academic Initiatives and Services at Indiana University Bloomington. We talk a lot about the United States, especially the New England area along the coast, discussing seafood of all kinds (chowder, pronounced chow-dah, too). Naturally, our conversation weaves its way down a path of comparing the Higher Ed Social Podcast to the Professional Reputations Aside Podcast, both of which you should download and subscribe to, right now. We discuss preparation, recording, flounders, and successes, and reveal some behind-the-scenes info about the show. On a higher education related note, we talk about weird state laws that effect our students, and Lougan has a seriously innocent slip of the tongue, doesn’t realize it and meant absolutely nothing by it. Links to cool stuff: