Student Success & Equity with Dr. Michael Baston

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Learn how to implement transformational change to improve student success & equity.

In this episode, I interview college president extraordinaire, Dr. Michael Baston. 

(Scroll down to access the transcript.)

We cover the following topics:

[7:48]: Steps beyond statements: implementing diversity, inclusion, and equity by a leveraging a journey framework for both students and employees

[20:41]: The critical difference between buy-in and co-creation

[27:29]: Getting the work done: from committees to workgroups

[32:42]: Addressing staff that underperform

[36:45]: Levity, Leverage, Learning, Love: The "Four L's" college personnel need to be effective internal coaches

[40:14]: Addressing faculty with low student success rates and inequitable outcomes

[47:05]: Impact of COVID-19 on colleges

[51:59]: The "ROI" of effective leadership: Relationships, Outcomes, Improvements

[57:17]: Leading by example 

Links to resources discussed in the interview:

1. Download the free guide, Why Colleges Struggle to Implement Priorities & What To Do About It
- Reimagining the committee structure (pages 15-21)
- Implementing a student journey framework (pages 21-30)
- Breaking down silos (pages 30-37)
- Implementing equitable grading and instructional practices (pages 37-47)
- Effective leadership approaches (pages 47-61)

2. Books and people Dr. Baston referenced:
- Mark Sanborn, You Don't Need a Title To Be a Leader
- Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Vernon Can Read! A Memoir
- Valerie Jarrett, Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward
- MacKenzie Scott

Select Dr. Baston episode quotes.

"It doesn't matter what position you have at the college. Build relationships. If you can build good relationships, it will broaden your knowledge and put you in a place to ask the right questions."

"There are critical junctures of the student experience, but also the critical junctures of the experience of employees--who are responsible for partnering with the students to produce successful outcomes."

About Dr. Michael Baston
Dr. Baston is the 7th President of Rockland Community College in New York. His work to improve student success has been featured on MSNBC, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Atlantic, The Community College Times, and Black Enterprise Magazine. He's also contributing author to Race, Education, and Reintegrating Formerly Incarcerated Citizens and The Handbook for Student Affairs in Community Colleges. He holds a BA from Iona College, a JD from Brooklyn Law School, and an EdD from St. John Fisher College.

About Dr. Al Solano
Al is Founder & Coach at the Continuous Learning Institute. A big believer in kindness, he helps institutions of higher education to plan and implement homegrown practices that get results for students by coaching them through a process based on what he calls the "Three Cs": Clarity, Coherence, Consensus. In addition, his bite-sized, practitioner-based articles on student success strategies, institutional planning & implementation, and educational leadership are implemented at institutions across the country. He has worked directly with over 50 colleges and universities and has trained well over 5,000 educators. He has coached colleges for over a decade, worked at two community colleges, and began his education career in K12. He earned a doctorate in education from UCLA, and is a proud community college student who transferred to Cornell University.

[Access the transcript]

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