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In this special presentation, Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind '91, USAFA's 22nd superintendent, shares an inside look into cadet development and answers graduate questions. Hosted by Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz '99, this episode dives into the Academy's mission and how it is preparing our nation's future warfighters.   FULL TRANSCRIPT SPEAKERS Guest:  Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind '91  |  Host:  Lt. Col. (Ret.)Navire Walkewicz '99   Naviere Walkewicz This special edition of the Air Force Gradcast is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network, presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation. I'm your host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99. We're honored to feature the superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy, Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, Class of '91. In this presentation, Gen. Bauernfeind will share important updates on current initiatives and developments at our Air Force Academy. Following his remarks, he and I will sit down for a conversation, during which he'll respond to questions submitted by graduates in our alumni community. So now, without further ado, Gen. Bauernfeind. Thank you for being here, sir.   Gen. Bauernfeind Well, Naviere, thank you so much for allowing us to come and share our story of our wonderful Air Force Academy. And thank you as well to the Association of Graduates and the Foundation for all of the incredible support that we receive to develop our future leaders into the warrior leaders that we need on Day 1 in our Air Force and Space Force.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir, we are grateful you're here, and we can't wait to hear what you're able to share with us today, sir, so we can jump ahead if you're ready.   Gen. Bauernfeind Wonderful. So I would like to share with you an updated mission brief of where we are going at the United States Air Force Academy. And during this time, I'd like to share not only our leadership team that's taking on the transformation that has been mandated, but also to update our alumni on our mission, our vision, our priorities and our mission sets, as well as talk about how we are creating warfighters, leaders of character and quality, and critical thinkers, and provide an update of how we are transforming this amazing institution to develop those warrior leaders that we need to keep our adversaries at bay. So as always, I'd like to start all briefings with a little video that highlights what our cadets are doing and our incredible public affairs team and video team put together the following video that shows what our cadets have been doing over the last six months... ...So you can see that our cadets have been absolutely busy over the last few months, and I can attest that this summer is they brought the problems up even more and are bringing even more energy to their training, their education, their development. But let me first talk about the amazing team at the senior leadership levels at the United States Air Force Academy, because we cannot do what we're doing without this incredible team. So first, we're welcoming reader Gen. Nicholas Evans as our new vice superintendent, coming out as the 18th Wing commander at Kadena Air Base, bringing a wonderful operational experience to bear, as well as academic bona fides to be our vice superintendent. Our command chief remains Command Chief John Alsvig and our commandant remains to be Brig. Gen. Marks and Col. Steve Hasstedt is our acting dean as we work to bring a new dean into bear. Ms. Gail Colvin is our stalwart chief of staff, with her wisdom from the Class of '80 that keeps us moving forward. Ms. Jen Block is our executive athletic director. Mr. Nate Pine is our director of athletics, and our brand new wing commander, the 10th Air Base Wing, Col. Ahave Brown. And we all know that nothing happens at USAFA without the 10th Air Base wing providing the foundational support. But also Col. Taylor from the 306 Flying Training Wing, and Col. Silva is our space detachment commander, and it's important that we have all those leaders that are helping us transform USAFA. And to that transformation, we talk about our updated mission statement that was approved last fall. And that updated mission statement is that “USAFA's mission is to forge leaders of character motivated to a lifetime of service and developed to lead our Air Force and Space Force as we fight and win our nation's wars.” And for the alumni, as we went through this mission statement development, we realized that there are many activities we take on at the United States Air Force Academy. There's education, there's training, there's motivation, inspiration, development. And we realized that we are taking the most amazing women and men from all four corners of this United States, and we're bringing them here as raw materials, and we are taking them through high-stress military, academic and athletic programs to forge them into something stronger than what they were when they showed up. And those are the leaders of character. We also wanted to make sure that we highlighted that it's about delivering a lifetime of service to our nation. It doesn't mean that every graduate needs to do 34-plus years in active duty like I'm currently doing, but continue to give back, whether that's in active duty, the Guard the Reserve, to your community in the defense industry, as an elected official or as a key supporter in our alumni networks — keep serving our nation. And then finally, an acknowledgement that we, alongside our teammates at West Point and Annapolis, have a very special mandate that we are developing those warrior leaders that will fight and win our nation's wars. While we hope that we will achieve peace through strength and deter our adversaries, we must always be ready when the nation calls and we will go forward and deliver victory for our nation. So it's important in our mission, but a mission will only take us so far. And the next step is acknowledging that we must have a vision. What is our North Star? And our North Star is we will remain and continue to be the nation's premier service academy. That we're bringing in rigorous, adversary-focused military training, military training that achieves a standard, that achieves a requirement, and not just training for training sake. But also maintain our level as a nationally recognized academic program with highly competitive athletics, and acknowledging that for us to deliver on those four, we must continue to sustain a world-class installation. But more importantly, continue to bring in professional and dedicated permanent party into our faculty. Our coaches, our headquarters, our installation support requires our outstanding permanent party. And so our vision moves us forward. And from our mission and our vision, we have established three key priorities, and those priorities will guide our decision making. But let me take your attention to the bottom first. The bottom is our foundational aspect, that we build all of our aspects upon our service core values of our Air Force and our Space Force of integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we do, courage, character, connection and commitment. And those we build upon further foundationally to acknowledge that we are in the military and all aspects of military operations activities require a strict adherence to standard. What is the task that we are executing? What are the conditions on which we will execute those tasks? And what standards do we expect, especially in high end warfare, where our standards are so tight. We also acknowledge that what is special about us is our Honor Code. It is foundational to our character, and we'll talk more about that as we build upon this. But realizing that the Class of '59 that established our Honor Code. It has been foundational to the development of our leaders of character and quality as a board, and then adding into the fact that leaders who built lethal warfighting teams — they do it from a position of respect and teamwork, that they take their team and they support them, they hold them accountable, but they push them to rise above what they could think they could personally achieve. And how do we build those future leaders that are going to take teammates from all four corners of this United States and make sure every single teammate is seen, heard and valued and can give everything possible to the mission at hand? And that leads us to our priorities. That our priorities are we are here to forge warfighters to win, to inspire leaders of character and quality, and finally, to motivate critical thinkers to adapt, because all three are important. And that takes us to our mission sets, because those three priorities span across everything we do in a cadet's journey at the United States Air Force Academy. And the first is acknowledging the military training aspect. That military training goes beyond just learning how to put a uniform on, just how to march correctly, but also understanding how to operate inside of Air Force and Space Force norms and take on those military training activities that our Air Force and Space Force are taking on right now with Ready Airmen Training and the ability to execute agile combat deployment. And that's activities like being able to shoot, move, communicate, medicate and automate, but also acknowledging that we also must have that world-class academic program that challenges our future leaders not what to think, but how to think, and to do that from a warfighting-focused curriculum that is very STEM focused, but also leans in hard to how we can leverage the incredible intellect that these cadets are bringing in today and unleash them on some of the hardest Air Force and Space Force problems through our research programs as we lean into it. And then finally, as we talk about our competitive athletics, that athletics is a key aspect of the cadet's journey, whether it be through our 30 incredible intercollegiate sports teams, our intramural programs, our physical education programs, or finally our physical fitness tests that demonstrate the warrior ethos that is being expected of a military service academy, and it's important that we look across those. But let me talk about a little further of our priorities from those three lenses. The first is the aspect of warfighters win, of how we're bringing in training such as shoot, move, communicate, medicate and automate. And I've heard some teammates are going, “Why are we doing this ground focused training?” And at the end of the day, it's not ground focused training, it's joint force training. This is where our Air Force is going. That we still need to be able to succeed in the air, space, cyber domains, but we must also deliver excellence in these domains. With shoot, I requested that all of our cadets now become qualified in their long gun, the M4, and their sidearm, the M18, every single year. So now they'll have the confidence of their weapons when they have to go forward into harm's way. The same with move and communicate. Can they understand the aspects of mission command, especially in future fights where we may not have the best connectivity with our highest headquarters? Will they understand commander's intent and still be able to generate the combat power we need to keep our adversaries on their heels? Finally, to medicate. Over the last few decades, we have benefited from the golden hour, where we had such dominance that when we had a teammate isolated or injured, we would have medical care a rescue capability to them inside the hour. Future battlefields will likely not give us that luxury. So we must teach our future leaders those advanced medical capabilities to take care of their injured teammates while they're continuing to generate combat power. And finally, as we have seen from the Iranian wars and the Ukrainian wars, automation is here and part of modern warfare. And so how are we going to bring automation capabilities to our future leaders so they can develop the new TTPs that we are working through. And again, thank you to the Association of Graduates and Foundation, because you all provided the seed funding for our first automation efforts this summer. So thank you so much. And let me dig in a little further on why warfighters win. And from our president and our secretary of defense, it has been very clear that they want us to establish peace through strength, that we must develop our ways in three areas: to restore the warrior ethos, to rebuild our military and to reestablish deterrence. And we have gotten that guidance very clear from our leadership, and we will prepare our future leaders in that mind. And we have added that over the last year by bringing in year round warfighting training. So not only during the summer periods, but also through the academic year, are we asking our future warrior leaders to take on the military mission, the academic mission and the athletic mission as we move forward. And as discussed, it is directly aligned to our Air Force with Ready Airman Training and our agile combat employment. And over the last year, we took our baby steps. We're not where we need to be, but I can tell you I'm proud of how far we've come, because we moved forward with energy and violence through the fall and spring culminating exercises. I'm proud of how far we've come, but now for this year, we're gonna enter into the walk phase, because we have more to go. And with that in mind, there's been conversations of recognition and promotion, and that is tied not only to our leadership development, but also to our warfighting training. And it's an acknowledgement that for every year you at the Air Force Academy, we are purposely developing you and increasing your capabilities. And so we are going to provide the expectations for your year, whether you're four-degree, three-degree, two-degree or first-degree — a firstie — and you must meet those training standards, and if you do not meet the training standards, then we are not going to recognize you for your past work, but if you meet our standards, then we are going to recognize you for the good work and promote you to the next grade. But the ultimate promotion being a Second Lieutenant in our Air Force and Space Force as it goes forward. Over the last year, there are teeth of this. We did have 153 cadets that were not recognized due to not meeting the standards, but we are now providing them the options over the summer and this fall to now meet the standards as we move forward. Also this year, focusing on warfighting, is acknowledging that we must arm the cadets to be the instructors. Last year, we did it very quickly. Now we're going to take advantage of our incredible cadets, just like our cadets do exceptional things — teaching each other how to fly, teaching other each other how to jump during our freefall program — but now we are working through the cadet warfighter instructor course, a beta course, where we will teach cadets to be those instructors inside of our squadrons in the academic year, to take on how to teach, how to shoot, to move, to communicate, automate and medicate. And we are one more week left in our inaugural cadet warfighter instructor course. I know we will learn much from this beta iteration, but I'm excited to see what we learned from this as we go into the academic year and unleash these cadets and train ourselves. We're also very appreciative from the Foundation for the establishment of the Institute for Future Conflict. And the Institute for Future Conflict has been around for a couple of years and has already forced us to focus and think differently. And I would offer to you the reason behind that is because they are focused on our adversaries. So I like to call them our adversary focused disruptors. They are going to bring ideas to bear that force us to change the way we develop our cadets for the future, because they're looking at what our adversaries are doing. And as such, we made the decision to elevate them into Headquarters USAFA, so they can have a wider impact, not only within the dean of faculty, but also within the Cadet Wing and the Athletic Department, so we can ensure that we are bringing those disruptive thoughts and putting them into in place so we prepare our leaders for a very uncertain world, to include bringing realism into the training that our cadets are taking on. We're also acknowledging academically, there's more that we have to do with our intellect. And over the last year, we have added three additional warfighting minors, one on quantum, one on aerospace materials, and we're in the final stages of establishing a warfighting minor on future conflict. Hopefully that we will be able to start providing that to our cadets over the next year, as we went into that so very excited to the growth in our academic options. And then finally, athletically, we're updating our PT standards, and we're adding additional PE courses for our future leaders. Our future leaders — we will increase water survival, especially when we look to the future and the regions where we expect to potentially have conflict, increased water survival is important — as well as increased combatives, and we're still in the final stages of planning of how we can bring a team focused final warfighting capstone physical education course that brings all of that physical education together for a team-focused event for our firsties, but still in the planning stages of that. And as discussed, updating our PT standards to align with our Air Force and our Space Force, with an acknowledgement that simply what we were doing is adding minimums to each of the caveats to ensure that you must pass each individual event while also meeting a score-based event as we move forward. Again, aligning with our Air Force and Space Force. Now, as we transform, it's not just about warfighters to win. It's also about leaders of character and quality. As I like to say, it's developing leaders who do the right thing the right way, even if it's unpopular, because we must have leaders that are willing to stand up and do the right thing for the formation. And we focused on that. We have focused on reinforcing standards and accountability. While initially it was permanent party coming in fairly strong to establish the standards and accountability, what we quickly saw from our amazing future generation was cadets going, “We've got this. We will establish it. We will uphold our standards. We will uphold our accountability.” And to me, that's very important to see that our next generation is taking ownership of that key leadership aspect, to even include honor. As many know, we had a pretty significant honor violation last year. The bad news is that occurred. The good news is it was the cadets themselves who came forward and said, “This happened, and this is our way forward.” As in all situations, though, anytime you point a finger at somebody, three fingers pointing back at yourself, we realized that institutionally, we had probably lowered the standards too far. We didn't expect enough, and we had parsed the Honor Code. And we made the decision to return to our roots and say, “No, the Honor Code is holistic. It will not be parsed.” But we do acknowledge that these amazing men and women that come from all four corners are coming to us in different stages of their character development, and so the sanctions that come from an honor violation for somebody with us for a few weeks or a couple months may be far different than the sanctions of somebody that are weeks or months out from commissioning and graduation. So ensuring that we have a tiered sanction system to deal with our honor violations. I'm very proud of the ownership that our cadets took with our honor system, and we are reinforcing their efforts as we move forward. We've also pivoted strongly to a four-class system. My observation was is through time at the Air Force Academy, we've ebbed and flowed from a four-class leadership development system to a fourth-class leadership development system. I would offer that we had gone to the point where the majority of training and focus was on the four-degrees, when we are blessed to have these our future leaders for 47 months, and we should be developing them the entire 47 months. And so we have developed the fourth-class leadership system, where for their four-degree year, we will focus them on being good teammates and followers. For the three-degree year, we will focus on them being good frontline engaged supervisors, two-degrees as team leaders and firsties as unit leaders, representing those roles in our Air Force from cadet squadron commander to DO, to executive officer, to A1 through A6 staff positions and flight commander and taking on those responsibilities. And again, just like we talked about work by training, there's assessment mechanisms for each of these that they must meet leadership assessments that will go into whether or not they are recognized and promoted to the next grade, as it moves forward. We executed the first year. Last year, I would offer that it was successful, but we've learned much from the process, and as we go into the second year, I think we're going to be able to go even further with our four-class leadership and development. We've also doubled down on discipline, that standards and accountability are important, and if you fail to meet our standards, then you must be held accountable, not only with punitive aspects, but also with rehabilitative aspects. It's a two-edged pincer movement as we went forward, and from my time at the Academy, I will offer to you, while I may not have enjoyed it at the time, I benefited greatly from both, because it forced me to reflect upon what got me in that situation and how I can take ownership of my own development as we move forward. So that is one of the aspects we return to. And then finally, for our National Character and Leadership Symposium: Let's focus on those character elements that we find through warfighting. And so last fall's was focused on, how are we going to develop warfighters to win? And then for next year, we're going to focus on the courage required to overcome adversity in a warfighting environment. And so I'm very excited as we get the speakers identified for both the fall, a shorter fall iteration, and the normal spring iteration, sharing those speakers with the wider alumni environment. And then finally, talking about those critical thinkers to adapt. I jokingly tell our cadets that, since I was in the '90s, we got to solve all the easy problems, and all that is left are all the wicked hard problems, but we need those critical thinkers to adapt, because they are going to bring the ingenuity, they're going to bring the innovation, and what I've challenged them is they also have to bring the courage to challenge the status quo. Too many times in our military, when we ask why we do something, if the answer is, “We've always done it that way,” then maybe we need to rethink and understand, are there better ways to do it? And I can tell you, our cadets bring that to bear. And so for this year, we're really focused on cadet empowerment and responsibility. Last year with the mandate, we moved very quickly, and we were more directive in nature. And what we heard loud and clear is that cadets hurdled over our expectations. What we heard loud and clear from them was, “We want to control the way forward.” And so how do we empower them more? And how do we make it clear that they are responsible not only for their mission, but their people? And adding to that of spending more time with them with these changes of why are we doing this change, and making sure that they understand the rest of the story. You may not always like the why, but if you have an appreciation of the why, its foundation will be able to execute mission command, because you now understand commander's intent, and you now can go, “I know the why. We can keep moving forward, because we can move forward with that.” We're also focusing on operationalizing all of the United States Air Force Academy, bringing that operational mindset to bear, from whether it would be establishing an A2 directorate in the headquarters and the cadet wing and in all cadet squadrons, and the DA2 director being our intelligence directorate, so that we can start to bring in classified intelligence briefings and give them not only to a permanent party, but to our future leaders. And we started that last January to great success, so that our future leaders can start to understand not only our and our allies capabilities, but our adversary capabilities and how we will conduct our joint warfighting aspects as we move forward. And it's important that we continue to bring in those operational matters so we prepare the cadets of today for the second lieutenants of tomorrow that can seamlessly nest in to how our Air Force and our Space Force operates. And that's a nicer way of saying is some of the USAFA unique things we've done— we probably need to think about how we're doing that in our Air Force and Space Force. We're also doubling down that cadet squadrons are the unit of action, just like it is in our Air Force, that the squadron is the unit of action. And it's tough at USAFA where you may prioritize your IC team, or your major, or your club, but at the end of the day, it's going to be the squadron that succeeds together as a team. And so we are focusing on making sure that we are reinforcing what the cadet squadrons are doing. They are going to go through their military training together. They're going to go through their culminating exercises together, same as recognition and promotion. And that's important as we focus on the four-class system of those teammates, followers, frontline engaged supervisors, team leaders, unit leaders, but also acknowledging that we must empower cadet leaders to own the responsibility of their units. And I recently sat down with cadet squadron commanders and their special staffs and said, “Congratulations, you're the cadet commanders. You are responsible for two things: your mission and your people. It's not just about marching at the front of a formation. It's about executing the mission you've been given, whether that mission be military, academics or athletics, and taking care of your people.” And as such, we have established special staffs inside of each cadet squadron, every wing in the Air Force, most groups and many squadrons have special staff to both support the unit, but more importantly, advise the commander, because the commander is the one who's ultimately responsible for their people. And so we are bringing cadet special staff — which they may not be the subject matter experts in equal opportunity, integrated prevention response, spiritual matters or medical matters. They are there to support the squadron, advise the commander and have that connectivity to our subject matter experts, whether it be our chaplaincy, whether that be our amazing medical group and cadet clinic, our amazing SAPR team and all the helping agencies across USAFA to make sure that we can support all of our cadets going through a high-demand developmental program at the United States Air Force Academy. And the twist on that is again, saying, “Commanders, you are the ones who are responsible.” And now let's give you the tools to be successful as the permanent party are there to advise and oversight, empower our cadets even more. And then the final one is a return to decorum training. We conducted a beta test last year to success, and now we're looking to see how we can bring forward that decorum training for the entirety of the Cadet Wing. I am not this is not a return to the days of wine pairings, you know, but it is an acknowledgement that as an officer in our Air Force and Space Force, when you go to events, you're not only representing yourself, you're representing your team, you're representing your unit. And what are those decorum skills you need to have at events so that you can develop networks with teammates that might be outside your normal operational circle, or how do you ensure how you engage with other teammates so you can learn more about the world you're in? And so it's important that we establish that decorum focus and looking forward to how we can squeeze that in into the complicated lives of all of our cadets as we move forward. And then, just to reinforce on the critical thinking, I've already talked about the three minors we added, but I'm proud to say that we're in close coordination right now with Gen. Tullos at Air University and about to sign the memorandum of understanding where we will start a beta test for offering master's degree classes at the United States Air Force Academy, with the long-term intent of offering master's degrees at United States Air Force Academy under the Air Force Institute of Technology certification. So we have much to learn, but the doorway is open, and I can tell you from looking at so many of our cadets that come in with 20, 30, 40 college credit hours already, I think we have cadets that are ready to take on that journey, and I look forward to giving an update on that after we get through some of our initial how does this work process. So just to summarize: Our mission, our vision, our priorities are delivering what we need. And it's those warrior leaders that are ready on Day 1 in our Air Force and Space Force. And thanks to our amazing team, whether it be in the senior leader team, but more importantly, those incredible permanent party that are working long hours, whether it's in Fairchild Hall, Sijan Hall, Vandenberg Hall, in the tunnels, in the heat plant, in the Child Development Center, down at Clune Arena, out in Jacks Valley — our permanent party are crushing it, and it's important because our nation deserves the best leaders that we can give the 330,000 airmen and guardians that are standing watch for our nation. Thank you.   Naviere Walkewicz Thank you for sharing the mission brief. I think many of us as graduates think we know what happens at the Academy, but you actually sharing what you accomplished in just a year is a bit mind blowing, sir.   Gen. Bauernfeind Thank you. And I, at times, am concerned at how fast we are moving, but I also know that we must move this fast. The adversaries are watching us, and they are choosing when is the right time to test our nation. And so in order to achieve peace through strength, we must display that deterrence, that warfighting ethos, that warfighting capability. So we keep our adversaries waking up every single morning going, “Today is not today to test the United States.”   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir, that is right on point. Yes, sir. Well, I would like to thank you in advance for taking on additional questions from our alumni and our graduate community. So if we might start, general, with some of the information across various channels that cuts about to our academics and the Department of Faculty, what would you be willing to share about the civilian workforce reductions and any next to the Academy's academic faculty?   Gen. Bauernfeind First and foremost, the reduction of civilians is not just civilian faculty. It's through all civilians at the United States Air Force Academy, and as we're tracking, throughout the entire Department of Defense. What makes it a little more challenging at the United States Air Force Academy is we have so many different civilian teammates, from firefighters to childcare workers to coaches to headquarters staff, personnel and faculty. And as we lean into the aspect, the conversations about all of our civilian teammates. The first challenge that we faced is historically, the United States Air Force Academy has been over our civilian paid budget, and we've received great support from the Department of Air Force to address our over execution. This year is a little different, and so that has to be a baseline consideration as we understand that— that we have to hire and maintain civilian teammates within the budget that the American public has given us as a lean forward. And to that point, thank you to the Association of Graduates and the Foundation, as well as other Academy-focused foundations that have provided volunteer and funded volunteer support to give us that additional margin of excellence that helps us mitigate this matter. With respect to fiscal year '25, our Air Force is going through a reduction of civilian personnel to the tune of 5,000 billets. Of those 5,000 billets, the portion of the United States Air Force Academy was a part of was a 140 billets. And as we have moved through that reduction of 140 billets, we identified 104 billets as we went through our prioritization that were unencumbered or empty, but lower priority. Unfortunately, there are 36 billets that were encumbered, so someone inside of that billet as we move forward. And the goal with that is to continually work over the coming months of how we can move teammates laterally into open billets, either at the United States Air Force Academy or other locations. So we keep their expertise inside of the greater Air Force, Space Force enterprise, and our A1 team continues to work that aspect. But it's also making sure that we're being very clear with our teammates that when those billets become unfunded, at some point without funding, we're having to pay for that billet via other means. And so it's important for us to have frank conversations with our teammates, to say, “Update your resume. Start looking. At some point this will move forward.” With respect to our faculty members, 16 took advantage of the government's deferred resignation program, which was a well-funded early retirement program which allowed them to leave in the spring under and basically on admin leave and retain their pay to later in the fall/winter timeframe as that moves forward. We also had three that already had planned retirements, so they were moving forward. Unfortunately, we see a hiring freeze so no backfill. But also three whose terms are many of our senior faculty, our term employees, at the end of their term came. And so we have backfilled them with active-duty and Reserve military faculty to keep our academic progress going forward. And thanks to our dean and their team, they are, you know, quickly adjusting, but they are making the changes they need to ensure that we continue to offer the majors that we promised through the Class of '26 and continue to offer the courses as we move forward. For the fall semester, in addition to the three minors we've added, we've also added four additional classes, and there are 10 classes of the 753 in our course of instruction, there are 10 that we will not offer in the fall semester, but we will continue to still move forward.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir, thank you for that. You talked about backfills. Can you talk about some of the most important competencies for those instructors, as they were backfilling these positions right?   Gen. Bauernfeind As I testified to the Senate earlier this spring, the two most important things to me inside of our classroom is: One is subject matter expertise, and we value the subject matter expertise brought to us by our professors, associate professors, our assistant professors, our permanent professors, our senior military faculty, and the depth they provide, initially with a master's degree, but more importantly, those Ph.D.s that were an extreme depth of that subject matter expertise. But also as a military service academy— that operationally relevant experience, how do they apply what they're learning in the classroom into their futures in the Air Force and Space Force, whether that be in labs on operational units and future battlefields, and how they can connect that to the future. And we have many of our civilian faculty are also veterans, who are able to bring that strong connection to bear as it moves forward.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir. Well, you mentioned you were adding a couple a few minors. Have there been any majors that have been removed from the program, and has this affected our accreditation in any way?   Gen. Bauernfeind No, ma'am, no majors have been impacted during this time. Every single year, we go through a curriculum review, and we have a curriculum review committee where we will adjust as we move forward based upon guidance we receive from the Air Force and Space Force, but also what demand signals we're seeing from our cadets. You know what they're signing up for. But that is just an annual aspect to make sure that we have the right instructor core to support the curriculum we need to develop and educate our future leaders what the Air Force and Space Force is expecting. But zero majors have been eliminated from the United States Air Force Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz Thank you, sir for clearing that up.   Gen. Bauernfeind Oh, and accreditation. We're in a good spot with accreditation. We maintain continual conversation with our accrediting bodies, whether it be the Higher Learning Commission or several of the engineering- or STEM-focused accrediting bodies such as ABET, we're still in a good spot. In fact, this year, we just approved our quality initiative, which is a key aspect to sustaining not only our accreditation, but showing that we're continuing to improve ourselves, and that quality initiative will focus strongly on data science, throughout all of our curriculum.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir. I think that's wonderful. I know a lot of graduates were, you know, maybe didn't have all the information, so I think that's wonderful that you just shared that. Something interesting you talked about your brief was some master's, a beta testing for a master's program, working with AFIT. Can you expand a bit more about that? And then do you see the Academy becoming a five-year institution, or we will stay four years, 47 months?   Gen. Bauernfeind Right now, I believe that we will still stay a 47-month program because our academic program is 47 months; our athletic program is 47 months, and most importantly, our leadership development and military program is 47 months. For the AFIT program, the vision is — these amazing young Americans come in with so much academic credit. Many of them now are part of the Martinson Scholar Program. And thanks to Mr. Martinson's great support, we have a program that can focus on them going even further. What we can offer them now, the majority are taking multiple majors and multiple minors. What if, in the future, you didn't want to do multiple majors or minors, but you want to go and start on your master's degree, which many other institutes of higher learning are offering in a parallel aspect? And so in conversation with Gen. Tullos, how can we start allowing cadets as early as their junior year start taking master's programs and achieve what would be required? Initial assessment is we will have some that can probably achieve it in 47 months, but probably the greater group will need to stay the Academy for maybe six or 12 more months as a second lieutenant to finish up their AFIT courseware. So they would stop their 47-month USAFA program, but continue with their master's program in the classroom in Fairchild and finish out their master's here. Is the vision— and we're working through this. I want to be very clear that this is beta. We have a lot to learn in this. And from my perspective, as I work with the Air Force to get greater support for this, this is going to be a strong cost saver for the Air Force. When our Air Force officers go to get master's degree, as a general rule, they are out of their operational career field for two years as they go to execute their 18-month AFIT program, plus two associated PCSs. Now we show not only a time saving, but a cost savings. And now these second lieutenants are entering, a portion of them, are entering their air force or Space Force with a master's degree. And it is not uncommon for many of our second lieutenants right now to even start their initial training, depending on what training is available until the spring of the next year after they graduate. So I see a strong promise, but we've got a lot of work to do to make it a reality.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir. Well, that's creative and innovative thinking right there. I think that we're very excited to hear more about that, especially as the beta testing moves forward. Sir, maybe we can move into the warfighting realm. Graduates have been very interested in the renewed focus on warfighting that you've taken over the past year. What recent programs or military training taking place at USAFA right now are really supporting this development of the warfighter. Ready to lead on Day 1?   Gen. Bauernfeind So I believe we've always had a strong foundation of warfighting training, whether it be our airmanship programs, our powered flight programs, our jump programs, our special warfare programs and basic cadet training and cadet survival. But we're building upon that, and we're adding to those as great examples. As discussed earlier, if we can fight for the ammunition, we will have every single cadet qualify on both weapons every single year. The Class of '29 for the M18, the pistol, they qualified at a rate at about 65%. For the M4, the long gun, at a rate of 93%. I'm very proud of those numbers, because many of those young men and women— that was the first time they touched a weapon in their lives. And now, if they do it three more times before they graduate, those qualification rates are going to skyrocket, and they're going to have the confidence, when they deploy into harm's way, of their weapons. Additionally, thanks to the great work by the Cadet Wing, we have received 4,000 sets of chemical gear. And so not only in basic training, are they learning how to establish a forward operating base, defend it, but we're going past the days of where we walked into a tent, took our mask off and then dealt with the wonderful fluids that came out of our bodies. But now, going forward, to how are you going to conduct ATSO operations, or the ability to survive and operate in deployed locations with chemical gear on? And we're very proud to partake in some of that training with the basic cadets, and they are really taking to understanding what is required. And then the final aspect is, as discussed, the cadet warfighter instructor course, is acknowledging that to be really good at those items, we need some subject matter expertise. But the subject matter expertise required to lead, train and certify 4,000 cadets every year, we have to rely on cadet leaders, and as discussed, they're in the field as we speak in the inaugural cadet warfighter instructor course. And I look forward to seeing the feedback of how they will come back and do the squadrons. And tying that back to the cadets wanting more ownership of their training — the intent is 12 cadets inside of each cadet squadron that will now take on the responsibility through the academic year of that warfighter training that we will assess in the fall CULEX, and the ultimate assessment in the spring CULEX.   Naviere Walkewicz Sir, it really shows how you're building that expertise within the squadron to support the squadron commander so they really are taking care of their people. I think that's outstanding.   Gen. Bauernfeind And very excited about it.  And I just want to say thank you again, because it was due to the generosity of the Foundation that got us the seed to start the automation, with 29 Group 2, the smaller UAVs, as we see automation and all monitor warfighting, unleashing the cadets on how they're going to use those UAVs to defend their forward operating bases, to understand what's across the ridgeline as they move forward. And very excited to see where the cadets will take us in this, because I'm sure they're gonna be far more innovative than my generation.   Naviere Walkewicz Our generation, sir, yes, sir. Well, you talked about the four-class system and I think that was really relevant for our graduates to hear. How are cadets feeling motivated through this process? And have you seen them evolve over the past year since you started implementing that?   Gen. Bauernfeind I think the first aspect was— it took them time to truly understand what we were laying out as it went forward. And every year we do this, we will get a little more advanced at the end of the day. I think our four-degrees understood it. That was good. It was that they understood what it meant to be a teammate. What it meant to be a teammate, follower, and that was an easier aspect to develop them through. The team leaders at the senior NCO level for the two-degrees and the firsties as unit leaders, they started understanding that. The biggest challenge we saw was with the three-degrees. What does it mean to be a frontline, engaged supervisor? And we have to troop lead them through, “This is what it means to be a frontline, engaged supervisor.” That they are your subordinate. But to take best care of your people, you should know where they're from. You should know about their parents. You should know their dog's name. You should know where their birthday is. You should know when their next chemistry test is, when their next PT test is. And while you may not be able to tutor them on chemistry, you can gather and motivate them for, “Hey, if the PT test is three weeks out, let's go run together. Let's go get on the pull up bar together. Let's, you know, be engaged.” And the more you know your teammates, what I offer to you, whether it be in morning formation, noon meal formation, at the tables at Mitchell Hall, in the halls of your squadron, inside of 30 seconds you're gonna see your teammates, your subordinate, and you're gonna know if they're gonna have a good day or bad day, because you're close enough to know, just quickly, OK, they're gonna have a great day or something's going on. “Let's go take a walk. Let's figure out what's driving you down. And how can I, as a frontline engaged supervisor, start taking barriers out of your way?”   Naviere Walkewicz I mean, I can only imagine that giving them more pride, even now that they understand, “This is how I can be a frontline supervisor,” when you give us very specific examples. Well, if we might shift gears a little bit to admissions and graduation. Since we just had a class join us, and we had a class recently graduate, maybe you can tell us how the Class of '29 how they're faring so far.   Gen. Bauernfeind The Class of '29 are doing great. I am impressed by their professionalism. I'm impressed by their energy. And as you saw, as we just did the recent march back, they were loud and proud. That was really good as it went forward. And for the Class of '29, I'm proud to report that they are faring very well. Just so everybody knows, we had over 9,000 completed applications. We offered 1,411 offers of admission, and 1,112 took the oath on I-Day as it moved forward. We had cadets from every single state and territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, as well as 12 international cadets that joined us. Of those, 117 from Prep School came up the Hill. And then 76 are, you know, part of a prior Long Blue Line as it's coming forward as it goes. Of the Class of '29, 55% were in the top 10% of their class, and 96 were all invited on varsity sports. Right now we are, as coming out of basic training, of 1,095 and during that time, they're still going strong. We did have some teammates that didn't have a full appreciation of what military life was, or may not have been as impassioned about the Academy as their parents, and so we've parted ways with a few small numbers. But during basic training, I can proudly say— we talked about the qualifications on the weapons, but also say they took their very first PFT test, and looking back over the last five years, they, on average, scored 15 points higher than the last five years. And that's a testament to two teams, I would offer to you, well, not only the cadets themselves, who had to do it, but all of our admissions team that's out there saying, “Hey, congratulations, you've been admitted. Start preparing now.” But also our athletic director, athletic department team that was out there giving them good, focused training to prepare them for those physical fitness tests. And they just took PFT No. 2 a couple days ago, and we're accessing the data but all indications are it's trending up.   Naviere Walkewicz No, yes, sir. Those are outstanding numbers. As a country, we're seeing admission rates and the challenge of getting the best of the best into the door, the fact that we had such wonderful numbers coming in, and we're attriting very low, I think it's something we should be proud of.   Gen. Bauernfeind I'm very proud of it, but acknowledge it's a tough— it's a knife fight to get the best of the brightest, and so thanks to Air Education and Training Command and Accessions Command, we are going to try a new marketing contract this year to further make sure that the amazing young Americans throughout all four corners truly understand the opportunity in front of them with the Air Force Academy, and make sure they're aware of it. So I'm excited to see how that marketing campaign goes to even up our numbers, even a little bit more.   Naviere Walkewicz Awesome. Yes, sir. Well, sir, in the realm of athletics, last year, you shared an emphasis for cadet support and participation at more of our athletic events. What have you seen come from that? And what can you share about athletics, intramurals most currently?   Gen. Bauernfeind It's one of our three mission sets: athletics. And it's not just for our IC athletes. I jokingly tell some of the teammates to say, “Tell me about a cadets life.” It's like, well, they have three full time jobs, a military job, an academic job and an athletic job, and they really get a bachelor of science in time management. And that's as we go forward. But I've asked the athletic department, you know, during COVID, our intramural program atrophied, and now we have to see, how can we really enhance our intramurals as it goes forward. But I'm especially also proud of our intercollegiate athletes, 30 intercollegiate programs. When we talk about the blood, sweat, tears, the hard work that our IC athletes representing 25% of the Cadet Wing — they are really jumping in hard. And my expectations as the superintendent is all 30 of those programs earn home field advantage. And so we've recently published an operation order to the team as we look into the fall sports. And the basic synthesis of it is, protect this house. We will come strong to all home events, and we're working through that aspect. And so as a whole, not only will we figure out how to be strong at all of our home events, whether it be, you know, this fall with women's soccer, men's soccer, cross country, water polo, volleyball and, importantly, football. And proud to report here at our AOG that the entire Cadet Wing will be marching onto the football field and protecting this house and our amazing stadium at home games.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir, thank you for that. That's fantastic. Sir, you know, you can't come out of this Air Force Academy, this 18,000 acres of amazing Academy, without seeing some of the changes, whether it's facilities or capabilities. You know, of course, there are two questions we hear often about the chapel in the box. When will the chapel be done? And then also, you know, what about the visitor center? When can we actually get into it?   Gen. Bauernfeind No, those are two great questions, Naviere. First of all, I think that the box has become so routine there that we received a formal request from cadet. So how can we have a — no kidding — drive in movie theater screen? And the request came in at $300,000 so we thought the prudent action was, let's get the chapel done so we can take the box down instead of putting up a new theater. But right now, for our chapel, again, it is an amazing piece of architecture, and to maintain the historical relevance and the hard work that went behind it, it's going to take time. Right now, we're on schedule for 2028 and we are focused on making sure all the involved teams take every single day out and we can find out as soon as possible when we have any sort of deviation, so we can swarm it. And so as such, we hold monthly meetings with IMSC — the Installation Management Sustainment Command — Air Force Civil Engineering Command, the Corps of Engineers, to go through all of our military construction projects so that if something comes up, we are aware of it within days of the issue, and we swarm it together instead of letting issues boil for a long period of time. And so excited to get the chapel back open as such a spiritual icon of the United States Air Force Academy. And spirituality is so important to the holistic leader's readiness— not just physical, mental, social, family, but also spiritual. And I think it will be important for that development. And then to the visitor center. We're on track to open up in May of '26 before the graduation, and excited to finally open that visitor center and share with a much wider audience what all of our alumni and we know of the amazing story behind the Air Force Academy, all the amazing exemplars who have come from our Academy. And I will share with you, I'm excited to get a whole ton of young Americans inside the visitor center so they can start getting excited about being part of the Class of 2032, 2038 and beyond.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir. Well, they say things are worth the wait, good things are worth the wait, and I think the interactive displays that are gonna come with this are really gonna help people understand truly what our cadets go through.     Gen. Bauernfeind Absolutely. And thank you again to the AOG and Foundation. As money got tight, the Foundation came forward and we now have that beautiful glider, you know, in position that shows what all of our cadets are working through.   Naviere Walkewicz Yes, sir. Well, our sole existence is to support the Academy, serve our grads and prserve the heritage. Well, sir, I'm cognizant of your time. We're so grateful you're here today. Mind if I ask you one final question?   Gen. Bauernfeind Please do.   Naviere Walkewicz What's on your mind that you want to leave with our graduates to be thinking about when you think about our Academy and your vision and mission. What can you leave us with?   Gen. Bauernfeind I just want to thank the Long Blue Line. We are 55,000-plus strong. There have been so many of our alumni, every single one of us that have gone through this journey. And we're proud of this institution. And I just say, continue to support this amazing institution. Spread the good word of what our Air Force Academy is, because we want amazing young women, amazing young men that are in your communities, in your churches, at your work centers, to say, “Hey, have you heard about the Air Force Academy? That's the place for you, because our nation deserves the best.” And just a final thanks to the alumni, and as a superintendent, I'm proud to be in this position with my amazing teammates. And any alumni that wants to ask me, “What's the rest of the story?” I am always available. Please hit me up in the hallways, on the Terrazzo, on the field, and I look forward to your conversations.   Naviere Walkewicz This has been a special edition of the Air Force Gradcast. On behalf of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network and the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation, thank you for joining us. It's been a privilege to hear directly from Lt. Gen. Bauernfeind and to share updates and perspectives relevant to graduates across our Academy community. Thank you for your continued connection, commitment and support of our United States Air Force Academy. I'm Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz, Class of '99. Until next time.       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association & Foundation  

Learn more about President Danley by visiting: PDF Learn more about the UIA by visiting: Website LinkedIn Twitter YouTube Facebook This week's episode is sponsored by Mainstay, a student retention and engagement tool where you can increase student and staff engagement with the only platform consistently proven to boost engagement, retention, and wellbeing. To learn more about Mainstay, click here.

In this episode, guest host Landon DePasquale is joined by Jon Davenport, CIO at Higher Learning Commission (HLC). They break down how agile methodologies transform organizations. Get insights on practical steps for implementation, real-world insights from HLC, and strategies for embracing the agile methodology to drive continuous improvement and organizational success. This podcast is brought to you by Americaneagle.com Studios. Follow this podcast wherever you listen to them! Connect with: Lessons for Tomorrow: Website // Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // YouTube Tim Ahlenius: LinkedIn // Twitter Landon DePasquale: LinkedIn Jon Davenport: LinkedIn Resources: Higher Learning Commission | HLC Project at Americaneagle.com

Originally uploaded April 2nd, reedited, reloaded April 10th. For Media Business Episode 70: Tony Conley welcomes Alan Drimmer, PhD, was named the 12th President of Cleary University on July 1, 2021. Dr. Drimmer has an extensive background in higher education, from the classroom to administration, and is thrilled to bring his expertise to Cleary. It's his goal to advance Cleary's distinctive mission based on being flexible, affordable, and career-focused for traditional and non-traditional students alike. He is most excited to raise awareness with students and employers for the Cleary Mind™ initiative, which threads critical workplace competencies in the classroom and across the entire student experience. In previous roles, Dr. Drimmer served as Provost at National Defense University, Chief Academic Officer and Senior Vice President at the University of Maryland Global Campus and the University of Phoenix, and President at Western International University and American InterContinental University. Over the years, he has been active with institutional accreditors including the Higher Learning Commission, the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools and the Middle States Commission for Higher Education. Dr. Drimmer has also been a Senior Advisor in the Boston Consulting Group's education practice, and early in his career served as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company. He has experience in corporate training and workforce development, having led the Learning and Development Roundtable at the Corporate Executive Board, a consortium of Chief Learning Officers at Fortune 500 companies. With BA, MA and PhD degrees in political science from the University of Chicago, Dr. Drimmer also earned an MBA from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania where he was a Gruss Scholar. He was a National Security Fellow at Harvard University's Center for International Affairs and won a prestigious Derek Bok Undergraduate Teaching Award at Harvard College. Dr. Drimmer has two adult children – one who is a physicist in Zurich, Switzerland, and another who is a textbook editor in New York City. He is an avid traveler, cyclist, wine enthusiast, and baseball fan. In addition, he speaks French and is pursuing scholarly research on Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America. In this conversation Tony and Dr. Drimmer cover several topics highlighted by these: Please tell us about the growth of Cleary University? What majors does Cleary focus on? How can the media be better at covering higher education and Cleary? » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Watch MBN's YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/ Thank you to Benjamin Robinson and Motor City Skyline's music

To influence for good, character paired with strong leadership skills is paramount. Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dana Born '83 brings the two together in Ep. 8 of Long Blue Leadership. ----more---- SUMMARY Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dana Born discusses the importance of character and leadership in the Air Force Academy's mission. She shares her background and career, including her time as the Dean of Faculty at the Academy. The General reflects on her class reunion experience and the impact of her family's military background. She explores the concept of leaders being born vs. made and highlights the value of curiosity and courage in leadership. Gen. Born emphasizes the importance of seeking help and mentorship and shares recommended readings for developing leadership skills.   OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "Character and leadership are paramount for Air Force Academy graduates to influence for good." "I think that if I were to say there's two really important takeaways, those for me have been, be curious, be more curious. And that is just really asking a lot of questions." "I think leading with your heart and leading with, like the recognition that things that are hard, make your heart rate go up. Courage, you know, our heart rate goes up when we're in danger physically, morally, psychologically. And I think leaning into that to where our heart rate goes up a little bit is how we learn and grow." "I think there's that keeping the both and in the integration of that is what helped me in some of those tough decisions. I mean, I remember having to take a security clearance away from a lieutenant colonel, for all the right reasons, but trying, you know, that person then was going to lose their position in the Air Force, because it required a security clearance. And, and it wasn't a situation that I put that person in, right, they put themselves in that position, but what I didn't want to do was deliver the news in a way that then the individual would feel like they have nothing left right to or would ultimately, you know, take their life, right, that always was present to say, uh, don't want this person to go away with anything other than, you know, your life is not over." "I think courage, you know, the root word of courage is heart. And I think leading with your heart and leading with, like the recognition that things that are hard, make your heart rate go up. Courage, you know, our heart rate goes up when we're in danger physically, morally, psychologically. And I think leaning into that to where our heart rate goes up a little bit is how we learn and grow."  - Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dana Born '83   SHARE THIS EPISODE FACEBOOK  |  LINKEDIN  |  TWITTER  |  EMAIL     CHAPTERS 00:00  Introduction: Character and Leadership 01:22  General Bourne's Background and Career 05:36  Early Life and Decision to Attend the Air Force Academy 08:19  Becoming the Dean of Faculty at the Air Force Academy 11:49  Challenges and Lessons as Dean 22:59  Discovering Leadership Abilities 24:24  Lessons from Friction Moments 26:19  Pivoting and Overcoming Challenges 27:49  Best Attributes of Leaders 29:46  Seeking Help and Mentorship 32:06  Balancing Compassion and Difficult Decisions 34:26  Family's Influence on Leadership 38:12  Developing Leadership Skills: Curiosity and Courage 40:04  Purpose and Passion 41:53  Recommended Readings 44:42  Conclusion     GEN. BORN'S BIO Dana H. Born (Co-Director, Center for Public Leadership (CPL); Faculty Chair, Senior Executive Fellows (SEF) Program; Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School of Government) is a retired Brigadier General with 30 years of service in the United States Air Force. Prior to coming to Harvard, from 2004-2013, she served two terms as the Dean of the Faculty at the United States Air Force Academy where she was also the Professor and Head of the Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department. Previously, Dana served as an Exchange Officer with the Royal Australian Air Force, Assistant Director for Recruiting Research and Analysis for the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Force Management Policy), Deputy Chief of the Personnel Issues Team for the Department of the Air Force (DC/Staff Personnel), Aide and Speech Writer to the Secretary of the Air Force, Squadron Commander for 11th Mission Support Squadron at Bolling AFB, DC and in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. A graduate with distinction of the United States Air Force Academy, Professor Born received her B.S. in Behavioral Sciences (1983), M.S. in Experimental Psychology from Trinity University, TX (1985), M.A. in Research Psychology from University of Melbourne (1991) and Doctorate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Penn State University (1994). She received Penn State University's Alumni Fellow Award (2012) and Distinguished Alumni Award (2018) and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Simmons College in Humane Administration (2007). Born is the recipient of the Secretary of the Air Force's Eugene M. Zuckert Award for Outstanding Management Achievement, Air Force Association's Hoyt S. Vandenberg Award for outstanding contributions to Aerospace education, Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Defense Meritorious Service Medal. She has been honored with the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Annual Teaching Awards as well as the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Innovation in Teaching Award in 2017. Dr. Born is a Trustee on the United States Air Force Academy's Falcon Foundation – serving on the Strategy, Governance and Scholarship Committees; Supporting Director on the USAFA Endowment Board, Past President of the Massachusetts Women's Forum; Senior Consultant for the Core Leadership Institute; Peer Evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission; Member of the Women Corporate Directors, International Women's Forum and Council on Foreign Relations; Council Member on Boston Mayor's Pay Equity Workforce; Advisory Board Member for “With Honor;” and “A Child's Guide to War” documentary, “Blue Star Families,” Senior Officer for Mission: Readiness; Past-President of the American Psychological Association (Society for Military Psychology) and previous Independent Director on Board of the Apollo Education Group having served on Compensation, Audit and Special Litigation Committees.  - Copy and image credit:  Harvard University         Gen. Born is a member of the HOW Conversations video (and podcast) series hosting team, bringing together a varied group of experts and leaders to discuss timely issues of our reshaped world through the lenses of moral leadership, principled decision-making, and values-based behavior. VIEW THE VIDEO SERIES  |  LISTEN TO THE PODCAST  - Copy and image credit:  Harvard University     ABOUT LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP Long Blue Leadership is a production of the Long Blue Line Podcast Network, drops every two weeks on Tuesdays, and is available on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn + Alexa, Spotify and all your favorite podcast platforms. Search @AirForceGrads on your favorite social channels for Long Blue Leadership news and updates!          FULL TRANSCRIPT   SPEAKERS Our guest, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dana Born '83  |  Our host, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Naviere Walkewicz   Gen. Dana Born  00:06 Through mentorship and wise counsel, in early days actually and magnified through the time at the Air Force Academy, that character is paramount. It's also not enough, because you want to be a person of strong character that also has leadership, qualities that help influence for good. We can have leadership where people are able to influence but maybe not for good. And we can have character but have people of great character that aren't able to mobilize the influence. And so, I have just been, I guess, embracing that character and leadership aspect of our mission.   Naviere Walkewicz  01:19 My guest today is retired Brigadier General Dana Born, a 1983, graduate of the Air Force Academy. I'm excited to host this conversation with General Born, a recognized and widely respected expert in moral leadership, serving as a lecturer in public policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. We're going to explore the trajectory of General Born's own development as a leader. Our conversation will begin with her days as a cadet at the Air Force Academy, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Science and Leadership. General Born began building her body of work then, first as a student, then analyst and researcher, now writer, teacher and speaker on public policy and society in the field of moral leadership as a How Institute for Society Distinguished Fellow through her distinguished 30 year military career, and since her retirement from the Air Force in 2013, she has been formally recognized more than 20 times for her exemplary service and academic excellence. In 2004, she became the first female Academy graduate to return to her alma mater as the Dean of Faculty, a role she held for two terms. Her work has been published more than 40 times and she has delivered nearly 200 presentations. General Born has endorsed more than a dozen books on leadership and public policy, and has contributed to five others. In addition to her work at Harvard, she hosts a video podcast series called HOW Conversations during which she discusses the tenets of moral leadership. Her guests include nationally and internationally recognized leaders from the private, military and public sectors. General Born. Welcome, and thank you for being here today.   Gen. Dana Born  02:54 Thank you so much for the wonderful introduction. And it's great to be in the Long Blue Line conversation with you and all our other members of our tremendous extended family in our Air Force. So glad to be here.   Naviere Walkewicz  03:07 Thank you so much, ma'am. And you know, you recently were just here for a reunion. How was that experience?   Gen. Dana Born  03:13 It was spectacular. The only way I can describe it is like going to see family members that you haven't seen for a while. And even after 44 years, since our induction day, it was like just picking up where, you know, we left off in terms of the connection, the common bond, it was probably better than I anticipated. And I can't actually explain why. But it was just so special. It was poignant as well, because certainly during those times, we spend time reflecting on those that are no longer with us. And it was very powerful in terms of the way that our class decided to do that with. We don't call it a yellow cap, right, because there's nothing yellow in the military, but with our gold caps. And classmate who remembered our fallen friend, and lit a candle on behalf of them. And it was too many hats. It was too many candles, it was too many people that we have lost. But it was something that was spectacular in another way because we had such great stories to share that sort of brought back you know, the legacy and the person of our classmates. And so I think we left with a little bit more spring in our step in terms of let's make our lives and the lives of those we love count each day. So it was really inspiring and quite an amazing time.   Naviere Walkewicz  04:41 I love hearing that. I get to come back for my 25th next year and even though I'm, you know, here working in this capacity, there is something so special that's timeless. With graduates, when they come together, we really do just kind of pick up where we left off and so I'm looking forward to that as well.   Gen. Dana Born  04:57 We got together with our what we call "dooley squadron," but you know, with our classes that we were with for the first two years, and then also with the last two years, because we transitioned after our three-degree year, and there was one individual that was in my, like, all four years together. And so that was kind of fun as well, yes.   Naviere Walkewicz  05:18 What our listeners love to do is kind of get to know our speakers as well. So if we could travel back to maybe your childhood and early days before the Academy. We'd really like to get to know what Gen. Born was like back then, you know, where did you grow up? What were you like? What were you into? Maybe you can take us back.   Gen. Dana Born  05:36 That's going back aways because I entered the Air Force Academy in 1979. So it really is going back decades here. But I grew up in a small town in upstate New York called Penn Yan. And, you know, we maybe had two or three thousand people. It was a very small town. If you think of Norman Rockwell, that is kind of, you know, the the old world, maybe even American Graffiti. That is my hometown. Everybody knows everybody pretty much still to this day. And I graduated from high school, the same day that I flew out to start basic training the next day. I literally didn't get to stay for my whole high school graduation. Because on the East Coast, graduations tend to be late June and of course, that's when basic Cadet training begins. So I hopped on a commercial airplane for the very first time, the day I graduated from high school. I flew airplanes before I drove a car. But I flew with my flight instructor actually to the nearest airport and then flew commercially, for the first time in my life, to go start basic training. I'd never been west of Ohio, and of course, people think about Ohio as the Midwest. So it was really going into a brave new world for me, certainly.   Naviere Walkewicz  06:58 So, were you always someone very courageous looking at new things. I mean, you said you were flying before you got into a car. So that's a bit telling there. What are their characteristics? Would you say you had as a young girl?   Gen. Dana Born  07:11 Yeah. I think that's, I wouldn't have characterized it actually as courageous. But I was certainly enjoyed adventure and the outdoors. I mean, some of my favorite activities. My dad was the vice president of a local college. And we grew up on a lake. So you know, waterskiing sailing, you know, boating, I loved to run, I love to fly, I love to ski. So there was that adventurous spirit. And certainly, I think that was part of the selection to go to the service academy. But it was also my dad, being a college professional and administrator, he took me to a college fair at the University of Vermont, I still remember this. And my dad had been enlisted in the Coast Guard, and right after World War Two, but he taught me how to salute. And I was always just kind of enamored with that part of his life. And I saw a Coast Guard Academy booth at this fair. And I got really excited. I went back to my father who was at his booth for his college and I said, "Dad, I know where I want to go, I want to go to the United States Coast Guard Academy." And then, when I applied, they said, "Oh, you missed the application date for this year, you'll have to come next year." And I was not wanting to wait to go to college. Right? I was ready. And so they said, well, there's these other academies. And I went back and talk to my track and cross country coach, and he did some exploration for me. And he said, "What about the Air Force Academy?" And I said, "Where is that?" And they said, "Colorado," and I thought, okay, skiing, mountains, you know, running. And that really was, it was his kind of helping me search through, okay, if this isn't an option, you know, what are your other options? And it turned out to be serendipity, just a very good fit and very grateful to this day, you know, for his mentorship.   Naviere Walkewicz  09:07 Well, I was going to ask how the Air Force Academy came into the picture. And it was by chance from the US Coast Guard Academy timing being off.   Gen. Dana Born  09:16 It was meant to be, I think, and, you know, I've had fun, you know, with over the years certainly while I was the dean working closely with the leadership at the Coast Guard Academy, you know, just kind of puns you know, they've changed their application date, I think to be more aligned now, but it was it was funny in talking with them about that, but it worked out really for the better. Well, you're also aware I have a mixed family in terms of you know, having Marine Corps and Air Force and Navy and Coast Guard. So we're all really in the same profession.   Naviere Walkewicz  09:56 We went kind of back in the early childhood days, but you just about your family kind of having mixed roles in different services. What does that all look like?   Gen. Dana Born  10:05 Yeah, I actually just recalled, as you were asking that question, I thank you for digging deeper there, because I forgot to mention Army as well and certainly my brother in law was a West Point graduate.   Naviere Walkewicz  10:16 We did that for him.   Gen. Dana Born  10:19 So appreciate that. You know, it's interesting, because I did not other than my dad's Coast Guard service really did not have a lot of military in my family. And but when I met my now husband, who is a Naval Academy graduate, when we were assigned to the Pentagon, it opened up a whole like military side of the family, because he does have a brother that went to VMI, one that went to West Point, he went to the Naval Academy, his father was a WWII aviator, who retired from the Navy. And so I and my family was primarily all educators, right? So I must say that it was providence, right, to get to the dean of the faculty position where I think it was keeping both sides of the family happy the educators as well as blended military service. And then of course, we have two daughters who are serving now, and one of them is 2020, graduate from the Air Force Academy, whose IP instructor pilot in helicopters and our youngest, who's a Naval Academy graduate who is in the Marine Corps now and just heading over to serve in Okinawa for three years as a comm. strat. officer in the Marine Expeditionary Forces. So we are certainly in a family business of of military service.   Naviere Walkewicz  11:41 Ma'am, you just shared a little bit about your time at the Academy as dean, first female graduate to become dean and then you serve two terms. What was that like?   Gen. Dana Born  11:50 It's interesting, that you asked that question and, of your, I know your own background in working a lot of issues, particularly women in leadership issues in diversity, equity inclusion, I find it actually paradoxical to think of myself as kind of the, you know, the first female dean because it is a fact, I'm just really grateful that we have a currently serving dean who's also a female. And it's interesting, because we just want to fit in, right, and just be the dean. And yet, if we don't say female dean, then we're invisible. And so it really is paradoxical. Anytime you're a minority of having a an adjective that caveats or clarifies, you know, that your your role. So I recognize that, but I'm really just so thrilled that I had the opportunity, and again, through a lot of mentors, encouraging and supporting through that journey, because I think I like many others, particularly women, take ourselves out of the running, because we haven't seen somebody go into that kind of an authority position before that look like us or are like us. So it was really people telling me, you know, don't you think it's your duty, you know, to offer to serve in that capacity, you know, why take yourself out of the running, if the Air Force thinks you're the right person at the right time, and you're willing to, then it's your duty to put your name in. And, and that was really the thinking that drew me to apply. And I'm really glad to have had that opportunity, not just for one term, but for to, and to see that, you know, there's more behind me that are more, you know, diverse, that is really good for our Academy.   Naviere Walkewicz  13:36 I'm glad you brought that up, because I actually struggled in asking that question for the similar reasons of saying first female to do something and at the same time, having been walking in those paths, understanding that sometimes people need to see people who have walked in those shoes that look like them, etc. So I'm glad that you kind of talked about the importance of recognizing those things, even though at the same time we see ourselves as I'm the qualified person to be doing this. So I appreciate you showing that.   Gen. Dana Born  14:01 It's hard to do though, too, because, you know, if you think about the generation of the first several classes to go through the academy, it was really a token time. I mean, I think we had 8.4% women that came in in our class. And so we didn't want to be seen as anything other than fitting in. And so it is hard for us also. And I remember when General Desjardins and I were serving together as the comm and the dean, right the first time you had two females in those two roles. And we had to kind of get over that. We had many conversations to say, hey, if the current population is wanting to have conversations, you know about women in the military, we need to have those conversations. Those are, you know, part of what we bring and it was and we had to listen a lot, right, because there was so much we didn't know about how the experience is similar and we're different for the now cadet, right, while we were in those positions.   Naviere Walkewicz  15:03 And that was actually one of the questions I had, from your experiences as a cadet, the highs and lows. And then what did that look like for you in the role then if dean, how did that change your perspective? Or, you know, looking at how you improved things, or made a difference?   Gen. Dana Born  15:17 I'm gonna go back to the highs and low question because the high was clearly meeting some of the most amazing, talented, diverse people that I had been exposed to, if you think about coming out of this small town, to the cadet wing that was twice the size, much more diverse representing countries around the world. I was, I was so in awe of look at who I'm here with, I was also very scared because we all got that, you know, warning that look left look, right, one, one or two of you aren't going to be there, right, at graduation. So it was a little, a little bit of a fire, right to say I better stay giving it my best, but I really think that's a high. And to this day, that's and even as the dean, it was always a wow moment to look around and see the incredible people that we got to be in the kind of common cause with and gave me great hope always for the future, both while I was a cadet and as the dean and now serving, you know, with the Air Force Academy Foundation, it's really inspiring and elevating, and provides hope during times that, you know, can be very daunting. The low, I would just want to get that out of the way, right? The low is always hard to talk about. But I think one of my low points, but it didn't last long. Because I I really had a love of flying, and a love of the air, I lost my pilot qualification probably because I was not studying properly. And, you know, my flashlight under my covers trying to pass that "EE" test or something. And so I did not have the opportunity to fly upon graduation. And that was hard. Because one the culture, you know, we're so oriented towards, "What you're, you're not going to fly?" And I couldn't, it was just not an option for me. And so I really just had to pivot in terms of what are the other needs and ways that I might be able to serve. But that that was a hard time to do that. And it was actually right before commitment. And so people were asking, you know, are you still gonna stay? And I thought, "Well, why wouldn't I am sure the Air Force has other, you know, ways to serve." So, but that was that was kind of a low. And I think another I don't know is if it's a low, but it might be one that I look back on. I was intercollegiate for 12 seasons. And so I had a whole lot of depth of really athletics, and really close friendships because of that, and a lot of travel to places I've never traveled to. But I also then think I didn't get as much breadth of experience of because time was so precious and trying to keep up academically. You know, and I think as I look back, you know, I had participated in theater when I was in high school, but I didn't have time for you know, Blue Bards or anything outside of really athletics and some of the military work that we got to do and keep up with academics and, you know, try to do well there and in my major.   Naviere Walkewicz  18:50 So ma'am you mentioned something about the pivot you had to make and you know, some of the disappointment that came with that. How did you kind of get to that positive headspace when your plan changed so dramatically.   Gen. Dana Born  19:02 It's hard for me to go back and put myself in what did it there. But I can think of examples like right now what comes to mind for me is the iRobot or the I don't know what how you refer to it, but those, you know, round circular vacuums that if yes, if they get up against a wall, they know that they're there to clean the floor, and they just find a redirect and they keep going. And that's sort of what I think it's been for me, you know, when you kind of stay oriented on your purpose and what you are passionate about. It's easy to not give up but to find another way. And that happened to me when I was fortunate enough to be in a PhD program sponsored by the Air Force Academy in the Air Force to go to Penn State University and right after my second year, the Air Force was downsizing and trying to provide opportunity for people to not have a commitment to school and to be able to basically give up that commitment and not come into the Air Force. And I got that letter that said, "Hey, you can you know, we're sorry. But right now we have an option if you'd like to, you know, get out of the Air Force, you can." And I remember thinking like, you've invested in me to be here for this PhD program. And, you know, I'm hopeful that there's something with this I can do for my Air Force. And so no, I don't want to get out. And so it was kind of like that same iRobot response of I'm here to do this. And so I'm going to figure out a pivot to be able to stay and contribute in a way that might be valuable.   Naviere Walkewicz  20:44 That is a great analogy, ma'am. That's fantastic. Well, I know this is not new to you, ma'am. Because with you're hosting other podcasts on leadership, there's questions that you know, our listeners love to learn about, that you're very familiar with. So I'd like to start with one that you ask often about leaders being born versus made. And I know your thoughts on this, that they are both born and made. But I'm hoping you might be able to share a little bit more about what led you to that perspective.   Gen. Dana Born  21:12 I think it's through mentorship and wise counsel, in early days, actually, and magnified through the time at the Air Force Academy, that that character is paramount in terms of us being effective humans. And it's also not enough, because you want to be a person of strong character that also has leadership, qualities that help influence for good. And I remember, during my time, even as the dean when we were developing the character and leadership center, and talking about do we call it the in because it used to be the Center for Character Development? Or do we call it the Center for Leadership Development? And are they the same, and I was fascinated with those conversations, because we really got to a point where it is both and and we need to call out character and leadership. Because we can have great, or I won't say great, but we can have leadership where people are able to influence but maybe not for good. And we can have character, but have people of great character that aren't able to mobilize the influence. And so I have just been, I guess, embracing that character and leadership aspect of our mission, primarily, from the time at the Air Force Academy to present day research and investment in teaching and working with executives, graduate students, undergraduates and boards.   Naviere Walkewicz  22:50 Was it would you say at the Air Force Academy is when you knew yourself to be a leader? Or, when did you have the desire to lead?   Gen. Dana Born  22:59 Interestingly enough, I think about that back at my small town of Penn Yan, New York, and some of that, I have to attribute to the fact that we didn't have many people. I mean, my school had 1,000 people but bused in from 20, or 30 miles in every different direction. And so the because the town wasn't that big, so we had a chance. Matter of fact, I was like, I was Miss Flying Club, you know, for the parade. I was, you know, the head of women's athletics for my school, I got to be on Student Council and be a treasure for my class, and, you know, captain of the cross country team and the track team, it really did stretch me into places that I might not have sought out myself. But people kind of put me in those positions, and then helped me to learn through those positions. But I must say, most of my learning was when things didn't go so well, you know, how come you know, people aren't buying into this, you know, motto. And, you know, what is the dynamic that's happening? You know, we're, we're fractured as a team, you know, how can we fix this? And so it was really through some of those friction moments that I probably learned the most and really loved the opportunity have an input and an influence?   Naviere Walkewicz  24:19 Can you share some of those because I think some of our listeners are certainly in parts of their leadership journeys, where they're, they may be facing some of those, you know, friction moments or their early parts of their leadership lessons. You know, what were some of the early lessons that you took on that you might share with them if they experience something like that?   Gen. Dana Born  24:38 I think what came to mind for me, more recent examples, clearly, because they're still pretty fresh. But what came to me when you were talking about maybe early years, was I think we're I may be let myself downs nd we're I didn't feel as though I did well enough to be considered a leader. Right? You have to, you know, it's the hero's journey. And I think that I've learned over the years that you don't need to be perfect as a leader. Quite the contrary, right people can relate and, and really be on their own development journey more when we are human and imperfect. And that took me a long time to really embrace because there is that pressure, right, that we feel like we have to be perfect. And we have to know so much, and do so well. And I think that that's, that's not people know that humans aren't perfect, right? So if you're coming across perfect, right? People look for the chinks in the armor. And the higher you are, the higher you fall. So I think that I had that experience at the Air Force Academy, I shared recently in a Sabre Society, talk that, you know, I had been a commander during 9/11, at Bolling, Air Force Base. And it really, I was so proud of how my unit did, and the people that were recognized for just excellence, and we were prepared, and we were responsive. And it was really exciting. And I chose to stay in and ended up at the Air Force Academy as a department chair. And I brought my same self and my same, you know, you know, command energy and I failed miserably in the first, you know, several months, we were going through the sexual assault and sexual harassment crisis, and I was being fairly directive, which worked well with the population I was leading in Washington, DC during 9/11 did not work as well, when you have a very small but mature, you know, mostly PhDs, professional faculty, that I needed to listen to more and not be directive, and it took not long, you know, for what we call it, the Air Force Academy, the blanket party for quite respectable people to come in and say, ma'am, this isn't working and to swallow that humility pill, and, and realize, okay, we need to, I need to adapt here, not lose myself, but adapt to this new environment and situation,   Naviere Walkewicz  27:11 Maybe you can share some of the best attributes that you've you've come across in leaders, because, you know, everyone leading from the authentic selves, brings it forward in their own ways. But what are some of the ones that you see time and true, and again, that are really spoken with you as best attributes?   Gen. Dana Born  27:27 I think what I have grown to really value is people who probably listen well, and who are curious, and, and I've, I've, I've also found people who see the individual in each person, like, what makes Naviere tick, what is it that's important to you personally, and professionally? You know, what are the ways that you are at your best, and that I think is, is really helpful. I also, I don't know why it just came to me, but I'm kind of led to share it is, I heard some great advice. When I was a younger officer, and for where people were not performing to expectations, instead of blaming the individual or feeling as though you know, they're no good, we need to their poor performer label and move them on. It's really better when we asked three questions, when somebody's not meeting, a standard, you know, have I been as a person, you know, leading? Have I been clear in the expectations? And if I have, then the next question is, have I prepared them? Or given them the right training? Or, you know, opportunity to be good at what I'm asking them to do? And then the third is, if the answer to the first two is I have, I did, then what else is happening in their lives that for whatever reason, they're not meeting, you know, the expectations or standards. And if there's nothing there, then you start the performance plan. But, that was, I think, when people are like giving you space to learn and grow and taking kind of a co collaborative ownership of performance. I've, I've, I've thrived in those situations more than and I hope people in my leadership have thrived in those situations more as well, because it is more of a approach that is a shared approach to getting the mission accomplished and taking care of people.   Naviere Walkewicz  29:38 That's an amazing nugget that you shared. I mean, I'm just I can think back throughout my career and times when I probably should have leveraged something like that, and I might have been more effective. Thinking about what pieces have I not maybe done as well or have I done those things, as you said, kind of do a reflective piece from a leadership perspective, to be able then to collaborate in a you know, a better way forward. That's awesome, ma'am. Thank you.   Gen. Dana Born  30:02 Yeah, I had a couple of terrible times of moral discernment, I would say, in decision making when those situations came up, particularly when, you know, you're having to make a decision where somebody's going to be incarcerated. And, you know, I, I had one of those situations where, you know, I was actually eight months pregnant, and the individual was a failure to show up for he was an honor guardsman failure to show for several funerals. And his, his wife was eight months pregnant. And here I was sitting, as you know, the summary court official having to decide if I'm going to throw, you know, him in a situation where he's absent from his family, and, you know, and what kind of financial, leeway will I have in order to help the family but still hold him accountable. And that was very, very difficult because of my own, you know, situation and empathy. But at the same time, it hit me during that decision that there are a lot of airmen who are not there for the birth of their kids or for special events and are deployed in harm's way. And they're doing the mission, not A.W.O.L.. And so I ultimately decided to, you know, incarcerate him for his failure to go and being A.W.O.L. and also try to protect with some leniency, his family situation.   Naviere Walkewicz  31:39 Leading with compassion, but always being accountable, ma'am, that's, it's tough. And I think, you know, we have many listeners that find themselves in those situations. And I've often been asked, you know, I'm a mom, how can I advance my career professionally, I have to do all these other things as well. And so maybe a question that I might tie to that a little bit. You know, how do you how did you balance, that compassion side of leadership and still be able to make some those difficult decisions in the moment? And you know, what would you share with others and how they might do that and think through things when it maybe feels a little bit too hard or too daunting?   Gen. Dana Born  32:15 It is very hard and is daunting. And you use the term balance, and I, I love the word balance. You know, I'm a middle child, and I'm a Libran. You know, I like balanced, but I have found balance to be very difficult. There's a term called. "balance is bunk." And I like that because it's anytime I feel like I've had anything in balance, it's about ready to go on tilt. And so I try to change out the word balance with the word integrate, that works better for me or Harmonize How do I bring together those things and the Airforce in the time that I was working at the in the Chief of Staff's personnel office came up with a motto, "People First in Mission Always," and it can be, "Mission First." And people always, but it's sort of like the chicken and the egg, they both actually go together. And they're very important. And so I think there's that keeping the both and in the integration of that is what helped me in some of those tough decisions. I mean, I remember having to take a security clearance away from a lieutenant colonel, for all the right reasons, but trying, you know, that person then was going to lose their position in the Air Force, because it required a security clearance. And, and it wasn't a situation that I put that person in, right, they put themselves in that position, but what I didn't want to do was deliver the news in a way that then the individual would feel like they have nothing left right to or would ultimately, you know, take their life, right, that always was present to say, uh, don't want this person to go away with anything other than, you know, your life is not over. But you know, this is a very serious trajectory that you have to decide how you're going to go forward from this point. And that was hard, very hard, but it's both people and mission that I think we have to embrace in the way that we carry on what we're responsible for, for our nation.   Naviere Walkewicz  34:25 Well, I think about you know, some of those stories that you shared and some of the experiences you had, I mean, you probably had to go home and, and your your network at home, your family was there with you through all of the journey. How has your family influenced you as a leader and maybe what role do they play in that?   Gen. Dana Born  34:40 I talked a lot with my family, like the time around the dinner table was really sort of transparency. And that bothered my children because I started to hear things back that I thought they shouldn't have to be hearing some of this, and so I also kind of drew inward and decided that that I, "Who can I talk with," right, because I don't want to bring work home, so to speak, that weighs down the family. I want to focus on them. And so I went through a period where I suffered in silence. And I think many leaders and many people, as particularly when you have, you know, security issues that you can't talk about certain things with others. I think we need to find a way and I ultimately did find someone that I could go to and say, I need some advice. And that was monumental, because it helped me understand that I had not been doing that with with great mentors. And I thought about it. And it shocked me that I was not asking for advice. And I thought, How do I feel like if Naviere or someone comes to me and ask for advice, I feel like, wow, if they think I have, yeah, exactly. They're including me, I have something to offer. They care about what I have to say. And so I really had an epiphany that said, I need to do that more. And I started to reach out. And in one case, I reached out to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, you know, having talked with the superintendent first. And it was phenomenal. Because I had such a different perspective on something I was ruminating over. And I thought Why did I wait so long?   Naviere Walkewicz  36:26 What advice would you give to some that are suffering in silence, and maybe can't see that next step? And to doing that what actually helped you to go seek help and ask for help or ask for guidance and mentorship?   Gen. Dana Born  36:39 I think recognizing, well, in some cases, vulnerability is a strength. And, you know, Brene Brown, who I really do love her work. And her, her, her YouTube or, you know, Netflix, a lot of great science and also practice, but she said, What makes you vulnerable, makes you beautiful. And I think that that is part of it is to recognize that, you know, we're all vulnerable, or we're all broken in maybe different places, right to quote some history. And so I think it connects us and builds trust when we are willing to be vulnerable. And I think it takes courage as well, to let ourselves be seen for all, you know, we have a saying that's warts and all. And, you know, to let ourselves be really fully seen,   Naviere Walkewicz  37:33 That resonates with so many people. I think a lot of times people when they're listening to podcasts, and they're, they're just trying to learn and get better in their professional career in their personal lives. Just a can take one little thing that someone really resonates with. And I think you sharing that bit about being reflective and not necessarily suffering in silence, but but looking for helping others I think is going to be really powerful for some. So thank you for sharing some of that.   Gen. Dana Born  37:56 I think the key takeaway is, is just building on what we just talked about, like if I had a foot-stomper, right from our Air Force Academy days, that's like, if you're starting to fall asleep, right? I use that at Harvard. And I'm like, "Does anybody know what foot stamper actually means?" It means, you know, this, is it pay attention. And I'm, I'm really motivated by the John F. Kennedy quote, "Leadership, well, learning and leadership are indispensable from each other." I think that if I were to say there's two really important takeaways, those for me have been, be curious, be more curious. And that is just really asking a lot of questions. Leaning into not judgment, but leaning into really digging into and trying to understand. And that gets us, I think, in a whole different place. That is a good place. And so I haven't always done that. Well, curiosity is like a growth mindset. And I think that is something that I really would recommend to our listeners, be more curious. And I think that's being helped by Chat GPT and Generative AI because it's all about the questions you ask. And, and then it kind of gets at what answers you get. And I think that's maybe training us to be, you know, more curious and careful in how we're asking and being curious. The other is courage. And you brought this up earlier, but I think courage, you know, the root word of courage is heart. And I think leading with your heart and leading with, like the recognition that things that are hard, make your heart rate go up. Courage, you know, our heart rate goes up when we're in danger physically, morally, psychologically. And I think leaning into that to where our heart rate goes up a little bit is how we learn and grow and how we basically can make positive change. So, those two things together, curiosity and courage, under the umbrella of learning and leading go, you know, they're indispensable to each other is the takeaway. I thought you might ask me like, you talked about purpose earlier. What is your purpose? What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning? And what is it that keeps you going through the tough times? And what is it at the end of your, you know, last breath that will have been your dash in your life, your purpose, your why, and mine actually is a simple phrase to myself. I use the term, "kick chocks", and "kick chocks" is, you know, the bricks in front of the wheel of the airplane, and when you're ready to go, you gotta get, gotta get rid of them, or you can't take off. But sometimes you have to kind of have the chocks there, to pause and to, you know, refuel and to do things. So kick chocks, to me has sort of been a way that I am channeled. Some call it your true north, or your Polaris, your compass, and it speaks to me because I can, I can go, go, go, go and never put chocks in front. I also can keep chocks in front of myself and, and limit myself and, and I'm passionate about what is it that somebody needs to have a break? You know? And when is it when somebody has got something in the way or team or organization that's holding them back? And how do I help identify that and kick chocks with them so we can take off. So, it speaks to me. But yeah, the purpose I think, purpose and passion and the individualization of that, so because everybody is so different comes from our life stories, and I love learning about people's purpose.   Naviere Walkewicz  41:51 General born, might you share with us, you know, maybe what you're reading, watching or listening to that's helped you develop your leadership skills.   Gen. Dana Born  41:59 I love to listen to everything. I mean, I am a listener, you know, we all know how we we learn best, I'm really auditory. So podcasts I pick up, I really do a lot with the Council on Foreign Relations. I do listen also to a lot of leadership podcasts, because I just find the whole topic of leadership fascinating for so many different approaches to what we think we're all talking about the same, it just really is expansive of my understanding. And I also now there are so many ways that you can have, you know, auditory books, and or listen to even academic journal articles. So usually, it's a treadmill thing to listen. And I just, I think that is my approach. I also I do like to read, and I think my favorite leadership book is going to shock you. But it's it's sort of got a nautical theme, I think, not an Air Force theme, but its endurance about Shackleton and Antarctica. And there's so many leadership lessons in that book, endurance is one of my favorites. And another one of my favorites is and they're both kind of historical, is Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, written in 1946. I've read that so many times, and he wrote it in nine days, but it's because he wrote it while he was a prisoner in the Nazi prison camp. And then he rewrote it after it was burned. And he was liberated. And it's just an amazing, timeless evergreen read about life and about leadership, about purpose about meaning. And then most recently, for a current one is True North, and that is emerging leaders by Bill George and Zack Clayton. And I just think that that is a great pedagogy of thinking about ourselves. Put our own oxygen mask on first so that we can better care for the mission and the people that are entrusted to us and the change we want to see in the world. So, that's a current reader TrueNorth for emerging leaders.   Naviere Walkewicz  44:24 It's been amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time, ma'am. It's been a pleasure and an honor.   Gen. Dana Born  44:28 It's a pleasure and an honor. And I thank all our listeners for listening in and we wish you well.   KEYWORDS Air Force Academy, leadership, people, Air Force, talk, family, dean, work, leader, serve, flew, cadet, Academy, Coast Guard Academy, recognized, years, terms, leading, long, podcasts       The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation      

In this episode host Marc Goldberg interviews Clark State College nursing graduate Lemohang Mokhalinyane and then a follow up conversation with both Clark State College President Dr. Jo Blondin and Higher Learning Commission (HLC) President Dr. Barbara Gellman-Danley.Lemoh describes her experience as a student in the nursing pathway at Clark State - first in the Licensed Practical Nursing program leading to employment and then the Registered Nursing program. She highlights the incredible support and guidance she received from college faculty and staff as a student and the culture of meeting students where they're at. Lemoh also describes  the benefit of enrolling in and completing a non-degree credential of value in her educational journey at Clark State.Dr. Blondin and Dr. Gellman-Danley, both transformative, student-centered leaders with expertise advocating and shifting systems at the local, state and national level, share their reflections from the interview with Lemoh and elaborate on the topic of quality non-degree credentials. Dr. Blondin describes how Clark State has established meaningful on-ramp and off-ramp credential programs to support student goals. Dr. Gellman-Danley offers expertise and insights from the lens of an accrediting board and how HLC has prioritized non-degree credential programs in their work with member institutions. Both Dr. Blondin and Dr. Gellman-Danley emphasize the importance of centering students and student intent when considering policies and practice at the institutional and national level. The All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast is a part of Oregon's participation in the National Skills Coalition SkillSPAN network and supported by the Lumina Foundation.

Welcome to the daily304 – your window into Wonderful, Almost Heaven, West Virginia.   Today is Wednesday, Feb. 21   #1 – From INNOVATORS & ENTREPRENEURS – For approximately four decades, the West Virginia Hardwoods Center at West Virginia University has focused on one of the state's abundant natural resources.  Dr. Joe McNeel, director of the Appalachian Hardwood Center and professor of Wood Science and Technology, shares how he leverages his experience and dedication to the state's hardwoods to help create and promote new products. Out of these efforts has grown a sustainable, innovative wood product as strong as steel and concrete and uses technology to advance this growing industry.  “... We are growing twice as much wood as we're currently harvesting. So we have a resource that is not only sustainable but is available to harvest in great quantities without really affecting the sustainability of that forest,” he says. Watch the full interview on  “Innovators and Entrepreneurs,” a bi-weekly segment of the daily304 that features discussions and wisdom from West Virginians who have built their companies and launched new ideas here in the Mountain State. Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41kxU7tZh8o   #2 – From WV ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT –  The wood industry of West Virginia generates $3.2 billion annually for the state's economy and provides more than 30,000 jobs within the state. West Virginia is the second-leading hardwood state in the U.S. and each of its 55 counties has some segment of the wood industry as an employer. Learn more about wood products manufacturing in #YesWV and view an interactive map of the state. Learn more: https://westvirginia.gov/industries/forestproducts/   #3 – From STATE JOURNAL – The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine is expanding its degree portfolio to offer a new Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree program. The graduate program will place an emphasis on lifestyle and chronic disease prevention — an issue of value to the state of West Virginia, which has some of the highest rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease in the nation — by teaching the science behind those issues. The new degree, which received accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission on Jan. 12, is a two-semester, nine-month program. The health sciences thread prepares students to address public health issues through a set of courses that focus on food science, nutrition and exercise physiology, according to Timothy Garrow, associate dean for graduate programs at the School of Osteopathic Medicine. Read more: https://www.statejournal.com/west-virginia-school-of-osteopathic-medicine-in-lewisburg-will-begin-a-new-masters-program-this/article_9b1f8be7-9a58-5bcb-b9ee-90b38fc20f6b.html   Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304. The daily304 curated news and information is brought to you by the West Virginia Department of Commerce: Sharing the wealth, beauty and opportunity in West Virginia with the world. Follow the daily304 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @daily304. Or find us online at wv.gov and just click the daily304 logo.  That's all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.  

It's YOUR time to #EdUp In this episode, President Series #248 YOUR guests are Dr. Jo Blondin, President, Clark State College & Chair, Higher Learning Commission⁠, & Dr. Barbara Gellman-Danley, President, Higher Learning Commission (HLC) YOUR host is ⁠⁠⁠⁠Dr. Joe Sallustio YOUR guest co-host is Manoj Patil, President, Little Priest Tribal College YOUR sponsors is Ellucian Live 2024 & InsightsEDU  How can accreditors like HLC enable innovation while ensuring quality? What tools can help colleges & universities achieve financial sustainability? What do Jo & Barbara see as the future of Higher Education? Listen in to #EdUp! Thank YOU so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for YOUR time to EdUp! Connect with YOUR EdUp Team - ⁠⁠⁠Elvin Freytes⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠Dr. Joe Sallustio⁠⁠⁠ ● Join YOUR EdUp community at ⁠⁠⁠The EdUp Experience⁠⁠⁠! We make education YOUR business! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/edup/message

Dr. Davis and Jonathan take a few minutes to talk about some things they're thankful for including a wonderful season of guests and the recent Higher Learning Commission visit at Maranatha. Jonathan shares some Thanksgiving traditions in his family and Dr. Davis talks about the top 10 Thanksgiving traditions. Dr. Davis shares that a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT is coming next week. Follow @maranathaedu on all platforms so you don't miss it!-----Follow @maranathaedu on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.Subscribe to Maranatha On Mission on YouTube. Learn more about Maranatha mbu.edu.For more episodes, visit mbu.edu/podcast.

Colleges and universities must be accredited by an outside body for their students to qualify for governmental financial aid — and for students and their families to know that schools produce the higher education they need to succeed in life and career. This week, Jennifer Miller, dean of continuing, graduate and online education at Simpson, talks about her leadership of Simpson's reaccreditation process with the Higher Learning Commission.

Ep 68 - Dr Bill Pink, President of Ferris State University, Finding Common Ground: Empathy, Communication, and Self-DiscoveryOftentimes you've felt a disconnection between yourself and others. Maybe you've found that other people have an easier time bridging that gap than you do yourself. Dr. Bill Pink is one of those people and he's here to share what he's picked up along the way.Dr. Bill Pink became the 19th president of Ferris State University in July 2022 and is the first African-American appointed to the position since the University's founding in 1884.Dr. Pink was appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation executive committee, and he is a member of the Higher Learning Commission board of trustees as well as being involved in many other areas. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: How did Dr. Pink end up at Ferris State University?What Dr. Pink learned from teaching Public SpeakingHow much benefit does a phone call contain over a textHow to keep in mind you have no idea what other people are going through and find and maintain empathyTips for how to come back after inadvertently offending someoneHow grace and compassion can help you navigate the worldTips for having difficult conversationsWhy starting on common ground and not focusing on differences can be effectiveHow you can work towards understanding each other without having to agreeHow to truly determine what you are good atHow to decide which relationships to pursueFAVORITE QUOTE: “Find the person who is more focused on their relationship with God, than they are on their relationship with you. Did you find that one? Grab and hold on tight because that's the person you want.” Dr. Bill Pink  HOW TO GET INVOLVED: All About the Benefits is a podcast that uncovers the transformative power of unearthing your inner superpowers.  We're here to explore the incredible benefits that come from digging deep within ourselves.  Uncover hidden strengths and untapped abilities that lie within each and every one of us.  Whether you're seeking personal growth or looking to make a lasting impact on the world, this podcast is your guide to unleashing your inner superhero.  Be sure to catch this and other profound episodes of All About the Benefits in Apple Podcasts.

This episode of The Score features Dr. Roy Swift, the Executive Director of Workcred, an affiliate of the American National Standards Institute. He also served as executive director of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. This appointment followed a 28-year career in the U.S. Army Medical Department, where in his last position, he was chief of the Army Medical Specialist Corps in the Army Surgeon General's Office with policy responsibility for Army occupational therapists, physical therapists, dieticians, and physician assistants throughout the world. Kathryn Baron (7:22): I'm wondering then if that disconnect is perhaps part of what leads to academic integrity problems in college and the frustration that you mentioned students often have? Dr. Roy Swift (07:34): I do think K-12 is the foundational component to success in post-secondary education, in academia and Higher Ed. I believe it is crucial to individuals being able to make the right choices. There are several issues in regards to the system and preparing success in the post-secondary system. One is helping people understand how to learn to be able to identify resources, to build self-confidence in people. There is our need to move to more of a competency-based approach in Higher Ed, that's transparent and can signal to the work world or the government or whoever that what the person not only knows, but what the person can do. The current transcript is not helpful in this regard. And the reluctance of faculty to move to competency outcomes versus general course descriptions is problematic. I feel the issue is that the competency approach does put more pressure on the faculty to produce what they say they are producing because it is more transparent, and the assessment tools have to be more precise. The other disconnect is the lack of employability skills. The college is not teaching the behaviors that are expected in the workplace. Something as simple as coming to class on time, participating in class and being an active learner and working in teams often are forgotten. Kathryn Baron (10:36): You mentioned a paper in an earlier conversation we had that you co-led on the integration of credentials, and I'm wondering if you can just tell us what were the primary takeaways from that and were you at all surprised by anything that you found when you were doing that work? Dr. Roy Swift (10:54): Yes. Recently, I participated with the Higher Learning Commission, which is one of the national accreditors of universities and colleges. And because they are very interested in looking at the whole issue of credentials and how credentials may be integrated into a higher education system, industry credentials in this regard. The title of the paper was Institutional Accreditation at the Crossroads Drivers for Change, and it had four main themes. One was at the landscape and pressures on Higher Ed, employers and accrediting bodies are going to be increasingly to produce a product that is able to function at higher levels probably because of all the technology that is going on today will have to produce a very different kind of individual. Most people think technology will run people out of jobs, but it really looks like that what is going to happen is that it's going to force and put pressure on producing people with higher level of knowledge in the ideas of robotics and artificial intelligence. Dr. Roy Swift (13:36): ….there are over 8,000 industry certifications right now. And every week they develop more and more industry certifications, and it is one in which they can be complimentary. But unless we understand, like I said at the beginning, the credentialing system and how they may interface and complement one another, we are going to develop competing systems. Which may not be the best way of thinking about these various because each credential tends to have a lot of strengths. And so, we should use the strengths of each credential to be able to see how they can be integrated. Our particular group, Workcred, is looking about the embedding of certifications into degree pathways. We think the two can complement one another because certification is about competency assessment. Dr. Roy Swift (17:14): So, people who are trying to design Higher Education need to take a more systems thinking about what is the work world telling them? What is the government telling them? What do students desire? What's the environment that we should be doing? And so, we take it from the, let's just say the national system to the state systems, to the academic systems, to the subsystems of provost, deans, faculty, students, and understanding how those layers exist. Unfortunately, too often the K-12 system, which we talked about as being the foundation, is not producing individuals that have the psychological ego strength to face many of the issues that students are facing. And that threat, I think, does cause students to do things that may be unethical, such as cheating. Dr. Roy Swift (26:12): Well, I think the first step is building more precise learning outcomes, competencies, whatever word that people feel comfortable in using, because I think that many times, I hear students talk about the unknown, oh, I don't know what he's going to ask. I don't know what the expectations are. Competency gives more structure to the student as to what the expectations are in this regard. Competency-based assessment is really a more straightforward method of evaluating whether a skill has been achieved. And the students feel more secure when they know what it is that is expected of them, expected in the course, and expected on the assessment. Kathryn Baron (30:50): ….what are your thoughts on what can be done in the training and workforce development industry to minimize cheating or even to, I don't know, curb the impetus to cheat itself? Dr. Roy Swift (31:04): Well, I do think it's important to go back to transparency, relevance, and competency. I would say those are three main elements that has to be looked at. I would go back to my thoughts about competency-based education. When it's about competency, and you can repeat the assessment until you've achieved the level of competency. There's less reason to cheat. Let's say, okay, I failed. I'll go back and relearn. That's a skill that's taught in the military. I used to teach at the Academy of Health Sciences. It's called something different now in the army. But one of the things that always happens in the military is that teach, test, reteach, retest. And generally, students are given several times to be able to achieve it because the military believes it's about competency. It might take them two or three times that one person can do it on the first time, but it doesn't mean that the person who took three times isn't just as good with that competency. So, I think we have to take that sort of an attitude in Higher Ed, instead of this, wow, we're going to fail you, and that's it. There's no other chance in this ring. And it sets up a more feeling of freedom to fail. And don't we tell people we learn by our failures?

Happy Election DayThis is Stephen Schmidt from the Gazette digital news desk and I'm here with your update for Tuesday, November 8.Your Election Day weather will be sunny and breezy. According to the National Weather Service it will be sunny with a high near 57 degrees in the Cedar Rapids area on Tuesday. On Tuesday night it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of around 50 degrees. A wind of 10 to 15 mph could gust as high as 20 mph.Polls are open 7:00 am – 8:00 pm in Iowa on Tuesday so remember to vote if you have not already. Then check back into thegazette.com later on for election results and coverage.Four years after taking over the sprawling Kirkwood Community College system in 2018 as its fifth president --- and its first female top leader — Lori Sundberg, 64, announced plans Monday to retire next fall.The Cedar Rapids-based Kirkwood board of trustees will launch a nationwide search for her successor “in the coming months,” according to an announcement of Sundberg's departure. The goal, Sundberg told The Gazette, is to name a new president by summer.Sundberg plans to stay on through Kirkwood's next Higher Learning Commission accreditation visit in October 2023, giving her time to help onboard a new president and avoid an interim leader.A University of Iowa inspection of the sixth-floor Mayflower Residence Hall window a freshman fell from early last Thursday has confirmed “no problems with the window and that it operates normally,” officials told The Gazette.The first-year male student who fell, according to initial reports, was playing catch with other students in a residence hall room just before 4:30 a.m. Thursday when he “leaned back and fell through the screen of an open window.”He landed on the north roof of Mayflower Residence Hall — meaning he fell about five stories, according to UI officials. The student was able to speak with first responders, who took him to the UI Hospitals and Clinics for treatment. The university hasn't publicly shared more details on his condition.A preliminary assessment found no foul play, but the incident does remain under investigation.Two separate groups of co-workers from Hiawatha businesses split $50,000 lottery winnings late last week.The Iowa Lottery announced that a group of 21 co-workers from the Hiawatha engineering firm Hall & Hall Engineers Inc. split $50,000 from Wednesday's Powerball drawing. The group's ticket was just one number from winning the $1.2 billion jackpot.A separate group of 10 co-workers from the Hiawatha manufacturer RUD Chain also split $50,000 from Wednesday's Powerball drawing, according to the Iowa lottery.With no jackpot winners, the Powerball has climbed to $1.9 billion.all has climbed to $1.9 billion.

"We had this code - and if he would get out of line I would say, I need you buy you some tacos, and that code for we need to go to lunch, and I am going to give you a hard truth."Dr. Michael Boyd was named KCC's seventh president in 2019. Firmly committed to community service, Boyd is engaged with numerous efforts including the United Way, the Kankakee Area Regional Vocational Education System and the Kankakee Grundy Livingston Workforce Board. Boyd has served as a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission, chairperson of the Manteno Chamber of Commerce, president of the Illinois Council of Chief Academic Officers, and president of the Illinois Council of Community College Administrators. Dr. Boyd joined KCC's staff in 2014 as vice president for instructional and student success, the college's chief academic officer. Before KCC, he worked at Illinois Central College, most recently as associate dean of English, humanities, and language studies. He has three degrees from Illinois State University: a bachelor's degree in English education, a master's degree in English studies and a doctorate in English studies.Sponsor:Pathfinder: A full-service creative & marketing agency with a mission to provide strategic storytelling to our clients. There is no greater impact in this world than a story. Storytelling is how we learn, remember, and feel. The world has used storytelling since the beginning of time to entertain, teach, inspire, and innovate.Pathfinder's mission is to provide strategic storytelling for our clients. How? Through inventive business services and pioneering campaigns that help organizations find their own path and carry out their vision.-----------------------------Check out what Jeff can do for you at Converge! Converge provides professional & leadership development, executive coaching, and consulting services. Service offerings include individual executive coaching, team and small group coaching, creation and delivery of professional development programs and curriculum for managers and front-line staff.

Dr. DeWayne Frazier currently serves as the University Provost where he is the Chief Academic and Student Development Officer for Iowa Wesleyan University. Dr. Frazier is known as an academic entrepreneur and his career is marked by enrollment growth through creative academic programming. Dr. Frazier's portfolio includes the Adult and Graduate Programs, library services, academic support, international education, Registrar Office, Office of Student Development, career services, community service office, campus ministries and the university academic divisions (Business, Education, Humanities, Nursing, and Sciences). Dr. Frazier serves on the President's Cabinet and is also a full professor in the Division of Business. Under Dr. Frazier's leadership, Iowa Wesleyan has seen over 100% increase in overall student enrollment in less than two years. Under Frazier's leadership, Wesleyan has increased international student enrollment by over 600% (18 to 120 students). Frazier has designed and incorporated a step-by-step plan for designing new academic programs and has implemented in the university wide strategic plan metrics to develop a minimum two new programs for review each academic year. Under his leadership the university has launched its first two graduate programs as well as an aggressive micro-credential program. Frazier is a national presenter on academic entrepreneurship. Prior to serving at Iowa Wesleyan, Dr. Frazier was the associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of the Graduate School at Campbellsville University in Kentucky. At Campbellsville University, Dr. Frazier oversaw 17 different graduate programs across various disciplines including business, counseling, education, music, social work, social science, and teaching English to speakers of other languages. Frazier was responsible for implementing recruitment strategies, overseeing curriculum development and monitoring program resources. Under his leadership, the Graduate Programs grew steadily from a Full-Time Equivalency (FTE) of 453 in the Fall 2010 to 535 FTE in the Fall 2012. Two of the programs have recently (2014) been ranked by U.S. News and World Report in the top online programs in the United States. Dr. Frazier came to Campbellsville University after serving three years as the Senior Vice President for International Programs (SVP for IP) at Upper Iowa University (UIU) in Fayette, Iowa. Dr. Frazier was responsible for overseeing UIU's academic extension centers located in foreign locations. Upper Iowa University currently has centers in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. Under Dr. Frazier's leadership, full-time student numbers at the international academic extension locations have increased from 399 to 831 over the past three years. The enrollment growth reflects a 108 percent increase in total students.  As the Sr. VP for IP, Dr. Frazier oversaw all academic requests, including final grade appeals, internship extensions, appeals from suspension, approval of faculty, and final review of course substitutions. Frazier served on the university wide curriculum committee and graduate curriculum committee as an ex-officio member. He also worked closely with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association on Accreditation to assure that all programs operate within the given principles and parameters of the commission.  Dr. Frazier has presented at various conferences on topics ranging from job satisfaction to immigration regulations. He has presented at the World Conference of the International Association for the Promotion of Christian Higher Education and the NAFSA national conference. Dr. Frazier has presented on “F-1 Students for Admissions Offices” and “International Student Recruitment 101” at the Southern Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers as well as presentations on globalization. He has published numerous articles on topics such as internationalization of the campus and international recruitment. Dr. Frazier's earned his Bachelor's degree from Campbellsville University in Political Science/ Mathematics. He completed his M.A. in international politics at the Patterson School for Diplomacy and International Commerce on the campus of the University of Kentucky and finished an additional M.A. at the University of Louisville in higher education administration. Dr. Frazier completed his Ph.D. in leadership at the University of Louisville. The topic of his dissertation was the “Job Satisfaction of International Educators in the Post-September 11th Era”.

Dr. Josie Welsh, a leader in assessment and accreditation, joins the show today to share her perspective and insight on innovation in assessment, similarities and differences across accreditors, and helpful guidance for peer reviewers. Josie has a long list of impressive titles from President of Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education to a Team Chair for the Peer Corps of the Higher Learning Commission, and even a social psychologist.In these roles, her main goal is to share her wealth of knowledge to affect real change in the accreditation and assessment space, whether that's having an understanding of what is happening across different accreditors or thinking about what's practical and replicable on different campuses.Dr. Welsh's main suggestion on how to accomplish change is quite simple; we must all decide we want to work together through assessment and accreditation to accomplish the mission of each institution.Join us as we discuss:The future of assessment in accreditation and higher educationHow to really get the most out of assessment for your studentsBeing a peer evaluator and what the role really entailsNACIQI's role in accreditation and relationship with accreditorsThe upcoming AALHE conferenceSee Josie's full bio below!Keep connected with us by subscribing to Accreditation Conversations on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player. Check out our website here.Josie Welsh is a social psychologist who has worked in faculty and administration teaching research methodology and design and overseeing areas of assessment, institutional effectiveness, faculty development, curriculum management, and data analytics at small private, large public, and specialized institutions. She is president of the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education(AALHE) and serves as a team chair for the Peer Corps of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Josie also has served as a lead evaluator in the SACSCOC region and as an accreditation liaison officer within WSCUC. Josie frequently speaks and writes about trends in the field, the future of assessment, and the reaffirmation process. She advocates for mission-focused, broad approaches to assurance of learning and student success. Josie can be reached at jwelsh@aalhe.org.

Dr. James Dale (J.D.) Rottweiler became the 11th president of Cochise College on July 1, 2009. A first-generation college graduate himself, J.D. understands the importance of education in enhancing one's quality of life. J.D. earned a bachelor of arts in sociology with a Japanese minor in 1990, and a master of arts in sociology in 1992 from the University of Wyoming. In 2005, he earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy from the University of Utah. His dissertation, “Presidential Profiles: University Presidents by Institutional Type, Control, and Reputation,” established mobility patterns for American university presidents. J.D.'s area of expertise is in cultural studies and social mobility. He has spent a significant amount of time in Japan and produced the documentary film “A 20th Century Matsuri: The Secularization of the Japanese Religious Festival.” A teacher at heart, J.D. enjoys any opportunity to teach others the subtle meanings and influences of culture and social structure. J.D. has over 25 years of higher education experience, ranging from small, rural colleges to large, multi-campus, urban institutions. Prior to becoming president of Cochise College, he was executive vice president for academic services and professor of sociology at Central Wyoming College. He has served as associate dean of instruction at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City, Iowa, and on the faculty at Ricks College, now Brigham Young University – Idaho, and was associate professor/chair of the Department of Sociology at Salt Lake Community College. He also is a consultant/evaluator with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. J.D. is a graduate of the Community College Leadership Initiative Consortium, the Salt Lake Leadership Academy, and Leadership Fremont County in Wyoming. In 2006, he was recognized as one of Wyoming's “40 under 40,” individuals under the age of 40 making a difference in Wyoming. J.D.'s wife, Melanie, is also an educator; the couple has three children, and two grandsons.

Welcome back to America's leading higher education podcast, The EdUp Experience! In this episode, President Series Episode #97! your guest is Dr. Jason Morrison, Chancellor at Southern Arkansas University Tech, & your sponsor is Glacier! Jason comes on EdUp to discuss the role of Southern Arkansas University Tech in its (rural) area. They are in the heart of the defense industry right around companies like Lockheed Martin & Aerotech, & he literally knows when they are testing rockets because the ground shakes. Jason also talks about how he & his family moved into the dorms to help quell some of the student concerns - above all, he wants students to take pride in themselves & their community college education. This is not an episode to miss, Jason is a PASSIONATE leader! Dr. Jason Morrison has been the Chancellor since January 3, 2017. Dr. Morrison has served on the LeFlore County Youth Service board, the LeFlore County Historical Society board, & is a member of Rotary International. Prior to his service in LeFlore County, Jason served in Leadership Columbus, Optimist International, as Altus Chamber Ambassador, & on the Committee of 100, a committee dedicated to efforts of creating a joint relationship with the Altus, Oklahoma community & Altus Air Force Base. Dr. Morrison is also a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission which is an accrediting body for higher education. Thank you so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for your time to EdUp! Connect with your hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, & Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us on your preferred listening platform! ● Join your EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thank you for listening! We make education your business!

Welcome back to America's leading higher education podcast, The EdUp Experience! In this episode your guest is Dr. Lynn Priddy, President & CEO, Claremont Lincoln University, & your sponsor is MDT Marketing! In this episode, Lynn comes back to break the news about Claremont Lincoln University's implementation of a "tuition reset" for the August 2021 term. After looking at CLUs market position, current tuition rate, consumer feedback, & long-term viability scenarios, the CLU Board & Lynn reset the tuition to better align the supply and demand balance! How do to execute a tuition reset, & how should you do it? Find out in this episode that will give you philosophical & tactical tips. Dr. Priddy counts more than 35 years of experience in higher education, holding positions of faculty, director of research and assessment, provost and chief academic officer, executive vice president of strategic planning and advancement, executive advisor to the board, and president and strategic advisor to the president. She previously spent 14 years in a variety of roles for The Higher Learning Commission, the largest US regional accreditor, including its vice president of accreditation services. While there, she co-led the development of alternative accrediting processes, redefined and directed the systems for institutional change and decision-making, and served as the creator and founding director of the Commission's Academies for Assessment of Student learning and Student Persistence and Completion. Another awesome episode with your sponsor MDT Marketing! Get your free marketing consultation today! mdtmarketing.com/edup Thank you so much for tuning in. Join us on the next episode for your time to EdUp! Connect with your hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us on your preferred listening platform! ● Join your EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thank you for listening! We make education your business!

Welcome back to America's leading higher education podcast! This is The EdUp Experience President Series Episode #78. In this episode, sponsored by MDT Marketing, we welcome Dr. Lynn Priddy, President & CEO, Claremont Lincoln University! Lynn joins us to talk about the change within higher education both from her new Presidential tenure and from her past experience of 14 years working with the nation's largest regional accreditor. She discusses some really unique and provocative ideas for alternative models in higher education for both small and large institutions. Ever heard of the team degree? Lynn breaks down the idea and leaves us thinking about what general education should look like as we move forward through coronavirus and the impacts of a globally aware society. Don't miss this one! Dr. Lynn Priddy's career of more than 30 years has focused exclusively on higher education, where she is known as a collaborative change agent and passionate speaker. She is currently the Provost and Chief Academic Officer of National American University, which serves adult students at 35 campuses. Previously, she was Vice President for Accreditation Services at The Higher Learning Commission, the largest regional accreditor in the United States. There she also served in the roles of Director of Education and Training and Peer Review as well as Assistant Director of the Peer Corps and Support Processes. Prior to that she was Director of Institutional Research and Assessment, then Vice President of Planning, Evaluation, and Improvement, for Nicolet College, where she received the Board Award for outstanding service. Another episode sponsored by our great friends at MDT Marketing! Get your free marketing consultation today! mdtmarketing.com/edup Thanks so much for tuning in. Join us again next time for another episode! Contact Us! Connect with the hosts - Elvin Freytes, Elizabeth Leiba, and Dr. Joe Sallustio ● If you want to get involved, leave us a comment or rate us! ● Join the EdUp community at The EdUp Experience! ● Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube Thanks for listening! We make education your business!

Steve began his 20-plus year career in higher education at Sauk Valley Community College where he spent 16 years serving students as a faculty member in the Department of Biology, 14 years as the advisor of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and two years as President of the Faculty Union. He spent his last eight years at Sauk Valley as a senior administrator supervising various departments. In his last role as vice president, Steve provided leadership over all for-credit and non-credit academic programs, student services, the Small Business Development Center, adult education (G.E.D./E.S.L.), and student recruitment. While at the College, Steve also served as a Higher Learning Commission peer reviewer where he participated in over ten accreditation reviews of community colleges. In 2020, Steve was hired at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College as their fifth President. He currently serves as a Board Member for the Cambria Regional Chamber of Commerce, Somerset County Chamber of Commerce, and the Southern Alleghenies Workforce Development Board. He is also a member of the Greater Johnstown Regional Partnership, the Ebensburg Rotary Club, and the Blair County Chamber of Commerce Executive Roundtable. He earned an associate degree from Southwest Virginia Community College, both a bachelor's and master's degree in biology from Virginia Tech, and a doctorate in community college leadership (Ed.D.) from Ferris State University.

Duhawk Digest Host Robert Waterbury is joined by Dr. Sara Glover, Associate Dean of Instruction & Assessment, as the two discuss Loras' reaffirmed HLC accreditation through the 2029-2030 academic year.

Arkansas Tech University has offered a Bachelor of Science degree in Emergency Management since 1997. In this program, students will explore emergency planning and preparedness, cultural considerations and natural human behavior, appropriate responses, political and legal applications within the field, and ethical foundations for emergency management professionals. The degree is available both on-campus and through distance education, which has received approval as an online degree program through the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.The program employs the comprehensive emergency management approach (four phases and all hazards) required for various careers in the private sector, non-profit, and government agencies ranging from the local to federal levels. Some of these applications include business continuity, cybersecurity, risk assessment, preparedness, and planning.Links LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/csheach Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arkansastech Twitter: https://twitter.com/arkansastech Website: https://www.atu.edu/ Email: csheach@atu.edu AdvertisersTitan HST https://www.titanhst.com/Sitch Radio https://sitchradio.com

Creating an environment at your college that will retain students and developing communications that will inspire and build their resilience are both part of the mission-critical jobs at community colleges. In this episode, Interact's CEO Dr. Pamela Cox-Otto and her good friend Dr. Susan Hatfield, who is a 30-year veteran of researching student motivations around retention and is currently a senior consultant with the Higher Learning Commission, discuss retention and where colleges need to focus now.

Join us for a brilliant episode with Dr. Sharon Silverman, the incoming Chair of the Board of Trustees of Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership. She is an educator, academic, and published author. Scroll down for a full bio.   Student Voices: We Believe in You  Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership This discussion is filled with insights and wisdom about education and teaching and learning practices. It is peppered with personal anecdotes that illustrate Sharon's points and highlight her belief that stories are a great way to learn. A few details to look out for in the discussion:  Overall approach: While students have many similarities, each one is different from the next and we need to concentrate on how they differ from each other. What is emotional awareness? What is self-efficacy? What is persistence?  Practical suggestions for teachers based on these three components of the Believe In You model.  What is "applied Jewish learning"? "When you're green, you are growing. When you're ripe, you rot!" I hope you enjoy this episode and learn a lot. The quality of the conversation more than makes up for the limited quality of the audio recording itself.  Who is Dr. Sharon Silverman? Learn about her work below. Dr. Silverman is a founding partner in the consulting firm of TRPP Associates. She is an educator and independent scholar with degrees in learning disabilities and educational psychology. She is the founder and former director of the Learning Assistance Center at Loyola University Chicago where she developed LEAP, an award winning student access and retention program and a learning center at the Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Silverman served on the Board of St. Augustine College in Chicago, the first bilingual institution of higher education in Illinois.    At Columbia College Chicago, Silverman helped develop The Learning Studio, an academic support center for students. At Harry S Truman College in Chicago, she worked with faculty and staff to develop a robust tutoring and tutor training program.  Dr. Silverman also helped The Adler School of Psychology develop a Center for Learning and Teaching. She continues to be a mentor/reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission.  She is a member of the Board of Trustees for Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago.   Internationally, Dr. Silverman was a Fulbright Scholar in South Africa and subsequently received a Fulbright Alumni Initiatives Award for a project, "Sharing Cultures" connecting students and teachers in a virtual learning community at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Columbia College Chicago.   Other awards include a Rotary University Scholar Grant to continue her work in South Africa and a Fulbright Senior Specialist Award at Suleyman Demeril University in Kazakhstan.  She was an invited keynote speaker at the International Symposium on the Contributions of Psychology to Peace Research in Cyprus and an invited scholar at Kazakhstan-British Technical University in Almaty, Kazakhstan.   Dr. Silverman along with Dr. Martha Casazza co-authored the following publications: Learning Assistance and Developmental Education (Jossey-Bass, 1996) and Learning and Development: Making Connections to Enhance Teaching (Jossey-Bass, 1999), and Partners for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (iUniverse, 2005) and Student Voices: We Believe in You (iUniverse, 2017).

In this episode you meet Arshele Stevens, CEO of Girls Inc. of Chicago. Arshele is a seasoned not-for-profit executive, a champion of and leader in urban education and a veteran expert in the traditionally male IT industry. As a girl, she was raised to challenge limitations and now as the mother of an amazingly strong, smart and bold daughter, —Stevens is deeply connected to Girls Inc.’s unparalleled commitment to empower girls to success. In her most recent role as president of Kennedy-King College, she led the organization to reaccreditation with the Higher Learning Commission and spearheaded efforts to secure over $1.2 in development funding to supplement the college’s operating budget. During her tenure, degrees awarded increased by 14% and the number of students transferring to 4-year institutions grew 11%. Prior to her appointment as president, Stevens served as the Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer at City Colleges. In that role Stevens oversaw the provision of technology for the City College of Chicago’s seven campuses and six satellite sites that together serve more than 115,000 students and approximately 5,500 faculty and staff. She previously served as the Chief Information Officer for Chicago Public Schools—leading approximately 300 staff who supported all things IT for nearly a half million users across over 700 unique locations. During her time there she managed the 21st century upgrade of CPS’ administrative systems creating a more collaborative educational environment and diminishing barriers between CPS families and access to technology resources. Stevens holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. She currently serves as a board member for Friends and Family Health Center. She is married to Craig and they have two children; Tristan and Raegan. In this episode we discuss: - The difference between how men negotiate salary and how women negotiate. - The two ways in which Black women quit when they feel they are being mistreated. - The importance of being honest at work. - What the absence of joy in your work may mean. Enjoy!

Throughout her career in higher education, Barabara Gellman-Danley has led organizations, colleges and universities through change and transformation. Her collaborative approach asks 1) what is in the best interest of the student and 2) do our current standards address the future? Today she leads the Higher Learning Commission to ensure that accreditation delivers an infrastructure for transformation and innovation. And, when this work is anchored in transparency and openness, we’re emboldened to take chances on how to better serve our students today and in the future.

Roosevelt University and Robert Morris University Illinois recently submitted an application to the Higher Learning Commission to integrate our two universities. In this episode, President Mablene Krueger of Robert Morris sits down with President Ali to offer her perspective. Mablene is a proud Robert Morris alumna and first-generation college graduate. After joining the Robert Morris faculty in 1980, she rose through the ranks to become the university’s first woman president. Mablene shares how the integration will ramp up opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the greater Chicagoland area. She also discusses the historic missions of the two universities, the importance of student support services, and the changing landscape of higher education. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We took the show on the road! Meg & Miranda (along with guest hosts Molly Just, Wendy Mohler-Seib, and Carly Redding) interviewed teens, young adults, volunteers, and youth leaders during Youth 2019.  As guests joined us in the Listening Chair, we asked them: How do you know God loves you? How do you share your love back with God? What do you love to do or make? Youth 2019 had several thousand United Methodists come together for 4 days of discipleship, worship, Bible study, service opportunities, and life-changing fun! They were able to experience inspiration, support, and challenges to grow authentically as a world-changing disciple of Jesus Christ. It was a highly engaging time for young people to explore the variety of ministries of the United Methodist Church. You'll ALSO hear us ask things like - What's your favorite thing to get from Buc-ees? Where did you get your tshirt that has Jesus riding a velociraptor? What's the opposite of fear? The Listening Chair is an outlet of the Institute for Discipleship (IFD). This episode is sponsored by the Summit Youth Academy - a week for high school juniors and seniors to explore their faith, learn Wesleyan theology, and connect with other youth. AND Amp It Up! Worship Band Camp - Where for or five life-changing days, high school students will be mentored and taught by local worship leaders and will have the opportunity to perform with other Christian bands, artists, and high school and college worship leaders. AND Southwestern College - a private liberal arts college, founded in 1885 by Methodists in south central Kansas. Today its Winfield campus is the residential hub that guides students to lives of meaning and service, with well-rounded academic and extra-curricular offerings attracting traditional-aged students from throughout the nation and world. Southwestern College Professional Studies provides options for online students in any location and has been named a top provider for persons serving in the military. The college continues to be affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission to offer bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

Dr. Sheree Utash has served as president of Wichita Area Technical College (WATC) since 2015 and has overseen the transition of the college to the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech). Prior to that she served eight years at the college as vice president of academic affairs. With 6,500 students, WSU Tech is the largest technical college in Kansas and acts as managing partner for the National Center for Aviation Training. Dr. Utash offers a unique blend of teaching, administrative and leadership experience in both higher ed and private industry. She has provided administrative oversight for the college's academic programs, with emphases in manufacturing, aviation, design, IT, specialized trades, health care and general education. Dr. Utash has overseen faculty, grants management, adult literacy, academic planning and resource management. Her role involved the formation and leadership of the lead institution for the National Aviation Consortium, a $15 million grant project with direct working relationships with two-year colleges in five states. Additionally, Utash has managed and facilitated the college’s last self-study with its major accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission, North-Central Association. Utash earned her Ed.D Community College Leadership at National American University, a Master of Arts, Liberal Studies in Communication / Education / Sociology from Wichita State University and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism / Marketing from Kansas State University.

At The One Event in Salina, KS we invited anyone and everyone to get cozy in the Listening Chair podcast (with guest hosts, Rev. Molly Just and Victoria Lybarger) and discuss questions from the Five Cups of Coffee created by Rev. Ashlee Alley Crawford. We interviewed 30 youth and adults over how they hear God, what talents they feel God gave them, and how they use these talents to serve others, and man, did we enter some holy ground! We were surprised at how quickly folks we just met got real and deep with us. Teens shared about using their talents to care for friends after a classmate took his life last year. Another holy moment was with a middle school guest who said when God speaks to him, it's like his soul or his instincts are talking back to him. He spoke with such conviction that I was taken aback and deeply touched. One young woman shared on how whenever she paints with her late grandma's favorite color scheme, she feels close to God. In this episode, we will hear from teens who...  Got cozy, Got real, And got deep. May their stories help you find comfort, courage, or clarity in your vocational journey. The Listening Chair is an outlet of the Institute for Discipleship (IFD). This episode is sponsored by the Summit Youth Academy - a week for high school juniors and seniors to explore their faith, learn Wesleyan theology, and connect with other youth. AND Amp It Up! Worship Band Camp - Where for or five life-changing days, high school students will be mentored and taught by local worship leaders and will have the opportunity to perform with other Christian bands, artists, and high school and college worship leaders. AND Southwestern College - a private liberal arts college, founded in 1885 by Methodists in south central Kansas. Today its Winfield campus is the residential hub that guides students to lives of meaning and service, with well-rounded academic and extra-curricular offerings attracting traditional-aged students from throughout the nation and world. Southwestern College Professional Studies provides options for online students in any location and has been named a top provider for persons serving in the military. The college continues to be affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission to offer bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

At The One Event in Salina, KS we invited anyone and everyone to get cozy in the Listening Chair podcast (with guest hosts, Rev. Molly Just and Victoria Lybarger) and discuss questions from the Five Cups of Coffee created by Rev. Ashlee Alley Crawford. We interviewed 30 youth and adults over how they hear God, what talents they feel God gave them, and how they use these talents to serve others, and man, did we enter some holy ground! We were surprised at how quickly folks that we just met got real and deep with us. Teens shared about using their talents to care for friends after a classmate took his life last year. Another holy moment was with a middle school guest who said when God speaks to him, it's like his soul or his instincts are talking back to him. He spoke with such conviction that I was taken aback and deeply touched. One young woman shared on how whenever she paints with her late grandma's favorite color scheme, she feels close to God. In this episode, we will hear from teens who... Got cozy, Got real, And got deep. May their stories help you find comfort, courage, or clarity in your vocational journey. Check out Episode 20, 22, and 23 for more from the One Event! The Listening Chair is an outlet of the Institute for Discipleship (IFD). This episode is sponsored by the Summit Youth Academy - a week for high school juniors and seniors to explore their faith, learn Wesleyan theology, and connect with other youth. AND Amp It Up! Worship Band Camp - Where for or five life-changing days, high school students will be mentored and taught by local worship leaders and will have the opportunity to perform with other Christian bands, artists, and high school and college worship leaders. AND Southwestern College - a private liberal arts college, founded in 1885 by Methodists in south central Kansas. Today its Winfield campus is the residential hub that guides students to lives of meaning and service, with well-rounded academic and extra-curricular offerings attracting traditional-aged students from throughout the nation and world. Southwestern College Professional Studies provides options for online students in any location and has been named a top provider for persons serving in the military. The college continues to be affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission to offer bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

At The One Event in Salina, KS we invited anyone and everyone to get cozy in the Listening Chair podcast (with guest host, Rev. Molly Just) and discuss questions from the Five Cups of Coffee created by Rev. Ashlee Alley Crawford. We interviewed 30 teens and adults over how they hear God, what talents they feel God gave them, and how they use these talents to serve others, and man, did we enter some holy ground! We were surprised at how quickly folks that we just met got real and deep with us. In this episode, you will hear from the following world-changers: Nyasha Maforo is studying to be a medical physicist at UCLA, Jayna McFarland is the Social Media and Website Specialist for the Great Plains Annual Conference, and Penny Shulz is a Pastor and magician from Nebraska. May their stories help you find comfort, courage, or clarity in your vocational journey. The Listening Chair is an outlet of the Institute for Discipleship (IFD). This episode is sponsored by the Summit Youth Academy - a week for high school juniors and seniors to explore their faith, learn Wesleyan theology, and connect with other youth. AND Amp It Up! Worship Band Camp - Where for or five life-changing days, high school students will be mentored and taught by local worship leaders and will have the opportunity to perform with other Christian bands, artists, and high school and college worship leaders. AND Southwestern College - a private liberal arts college, founded in 1885 by Methodists in south central Kansas. Today its Winfield campus is the residential hub that guides students to lives of meaning and service, with well-rounded academic and extra-curricular offerings attracting traditional-aged students from throughout the nation and world. Southwestern College Professional Studies provides options for online students in any location and has been named a top provider for persons serving in the military. The college continues to be affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission to offer bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

At The One Event in Salina, KS we invited anyone and everyone to get cozy in the Listening Chair podcast and discuss questions from the Five Cups of Coffee created by Rev. Ashlee Alley Crawford. We interviewed 30 teens and adults over how they hear God, what talents they feel God gave them, and how they use these talents to serve others, and man, did we enter some holy ground! We were surprised at how quickly folks we just met got real and deep with us. In this episode, you will hear from the following world-changers: the event's keynote, Rev. Michelle Manuel from the Woodlands Loft church in Texas, Megan Briggs who is studying to be a social worker in hospitals with kids who are clinically ill, Taylor Wood who serves in the aerospace industry and Russ Plock who is an artistic handyman. May their stories help you find comfort, courage, or clarity in your vocational journey. The Listening Chair is an outlet of the Institute for Discipleship (IFD). This episode is sponsored by the Summit Youth Academy - a week for high school juniors and seniors to explore their faith, learn Wesleyan theology, and connect with other youth. AND Amp It Up! Worship Band Camp - Where for or five life-changing days, high school students will be mentored and taught by local worship leaders and will have the opportunity to perform with other Christian bands, artists, and high school and college worship leaders. AND Southwestern College - a private liberal arts college, founded in 1885 by Methodists in south central Kansas. Today its Winfield campus is the residential hub that guides students to lives of meaning and service, with well-rounded academic and extra-curricular offerings attracting traditional-aged students from throughout the nation and world. Southwestern College Professional Studies provides options for online students in any location and has been named a top provider for persons serving in the military. The college continues to be affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission to offer bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.

Episode 17: Let’s Hear from some of our HLC Peer Corps Members   Ivy Tech is preparing for its HLC Reaffirmation of Accreditation Visit. In this episode, Kara talks with Dr. Russ Baker and Dr. Rod Brown who serve as Peer Corps members for the Higher Learning Commission and go on visits just like the one Ivy Tech will experience in April.     Call To Action Leave questions about accreditation on our voice mail or by email. That info is below. Explore the Higher Learning Commission web site at https://www.hlcommission.org/ and specifically read the HLC Criterion for Accreditation at https://www.hlcommission.org/Policies/criteria-and-core-components.html. Continue to think about how your work at Ivy Tech connects directly with implementing these criteria and core components.   Get In Touch! You can reach out to our panel: o   Russ Baker o   Rod Brown You can connect with Kara Monroe on twitter @KNMTweets You can connect with Anne Valentine on twitter @indypenny Reach out with show ideas, comments, or questions via twitter or at our email address -ourcollegeyourvoices@ivytech.edu. Leave us a voice mail at 317-572-5049. Respond to the Call for Action, ask a question, give a shout out to a colleague, or an episode suggestion. Check out show notes, listen to past episodes, and get instructions on how to access the podcast on our website athttp://www.ivytech.edu/podcast. Thanks as always to Jen Edds at The Brassy Broadcasting Company. Jen provides our theme music, recording, and post production services.

This is Part 2 of our chat with Lisa Dorsey, Chair of the ACAPT Graduate Outcomes Task Force & Assistant Professor at the Doisy College of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University, as in this part 2 she discusses issues and solutions with K-12 education, how should we best triage children into the appropriate educational path, her solution to healthcare education and more! ACAPT Website: https://www.acapt.org/  ACAPT Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/acapt2  ACAPT Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ACAPT2/?fb_dtsg_ag=AdzKVHQl4saez7N2RNx0l1RecghnHlV6i-wYBNxLwGPdJw%3AAdxJmYbRI6ruzO2vYXpMGHyaS_GnfvQ0r-BgIY2nO2bASw  ACAPT Graduate Outcomes Task Force Final Recommendations to the ACAPT Board Of Directors: https://www.acapt.org/docs/default-source/reports/acapt-task-force-on-standardized-graduate-outcomes-recommendation-final-12-12-16.pdf?sfvrsn=2&sfvrsn=2  "Entrustable Professional Activities as a Framework for Continued Professional Competence: Is Now the Time?" by Chesboro et. all https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article/98/1/3/4562622  Lisa's Page on St. Louis University Webpage: https://www.slu.edu/doisy/faculty/dorsey-lisa.php  Eloquencia Consulting Website: https://www.eloquentiaconsulting.com/  Lisa's Interview on The Healthy Wealthy & Smart Podcast on Becoming an Eloquent Leader: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/335-dr-lisa-dorsey-becoming-an-eloquent-leader/id532717264?i=1000407490232&mt=2  The PT Hustle Website: https://www.thepthustle.com/  Schedule an Appointment with Kyle Rice: www.passtheptboards.com    HET LITE Tool: www.pteducator.com/het     Biography: Dr. Lisa Dorsey currently holds the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training in the Doisy College of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University. She is the co-founder and President of Eloquentia Consulting, a holistic firm that supports professional development within organizations, specifically focused on higher education. Previously, she served as the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, Dean for the Doisy College of Health Sciences, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and Associate Dean for Graduate Education for the Doisy College of Health Sciences, and the Director of the Program in Health Sciences at Saint Louis University. She has completed a number of research and scholarship projects exploring physical therapy intervention for neurological impairment, higher education organizational structure, student success models in physical therapy, and women in leadership and the workplace. She is engaged in the profession of physical therapy at the national level as the Chair for the Task Force on Graduate Outcomes, in higher education as an accreditation reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission, and serves her local community as the Secretary for the Board of Education in the Mehlville School District. She was the recipient of the Saint Louis University Woman of the Year Award in 2016, the Student Development Collaborative Partner Award, the Faculty Commitment to Experiential Learning Leadership & Service Award, and has been a Saint Louis University- YWCA Leader in the Workplace. Dr. Dorsey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy and a Master's in Business Administration from Saint Louis University, a PhD in Educational Policy and Administration in Higher Education from the University of Minnesota and a Women and Power: Leadership in the New World certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Lisa Dorsey, Chair of the ACAPT Graduate Outcomes Task Force & Assistant Professor at the Doisy College of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University, comes onto the show to talk about how and why the task force was created, how the task force collected the data, what they learned from being on the task force, the reasoning behind the task force's recommendations to the ACAPT Board of Directors, and much more! ACAPT Website: https://www.acapt.org/  ACAPT Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/acapt2  ACAPT Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ACAPT2/?fb_dtsg_ag=AdzKVHQl4saez7N2RNx0l1RecghnHlV6i-wYBNxLwGPdJw%3AAdxJmYbRI6ruzO2vYXpMGHyaS_GnfvQ0r-BgIY2nO2bASw  ACAPT Graduate Outcomes Task Force Final Recommendations to the ACAPT Board Of Directors: https://www.acapt.org/docs/default-source/reports/acapt-task-force-on-standardized-graduate-outcomes-recommendation-final-12-12-16.pdf?sfvrsn=2&sfvrsn=2  "Entrustable Professional Activities as a Framework for Continued Professional Competence: Is Now the Time?" by Chesboro et. all https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article/98/1/3/4562622  Lisa's Page on St. Louis University Webpage: https://www.slu.edu/doisy/faculty/dorsey-lisa.php  Eloquencia Consulting Website: https://www.eloquentiaconsulting.com/  Lisa's Interview on The Healthy Wealthy & Smart Podcast on Becoming an Eloquent Leader: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/335-dr-lisa-dorsey-becoming-an-eloquent-leader/id532717264?i=1000407490232&mt=2  The PT Hustle Website: https://www.thepthustle.com/  Schedule an Appointment with Kyle Rice: www.passtheptboards.com    HET LITE Tool: www.pteducator.com/het     Biography: Dr. Lisa Dorsey currently holds the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training in the Doisy College of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University. She is the co-founder and President of Eloquentia Consulting, a holistic firm that supports professional development within organizations, specifically focused on higher education. Previously, she served as the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, Dean for the Doisy College of Health Sciences, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and Associate Dean for Graduate Education for the Doisy College of Health Sciences, and the Director of the Program in Health Sciences at Saint Louis University. She has completed a number of research and scholarship projects exploring physical therapy intervention for neurological impairment, higher education organizational structure, student success models in physical therapy, and women in leadership and the workplace. She is engaged in the profession of physical therapy at the national level as the Chair for the Task Force on Graduate Outcomes, in higher education as an accreditation reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission, and serves her local community as the Secretary for the Board of Education in the Mehlville School District. She was the recipient of the Saint Louis University Woman of the Year Award in 2016, the Student Development Collaborative Partner Award, the Faculty Commitment to Experiential Learning Leadership & Service Award, and has been a Saint Louis University- YWCA Leader in the Workplace. Dr. Dorsey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy and a Master's in Business Administration from Saint Louis University, a PhD in Educational Policy and Administration in Higher Education from the University of Minnesota and a Women and Power: Leadership in the New World certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School.

LIVE from the Combined Sections Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, Dr. Stephanie Weyrauch guest hosts and interviews Dr. Lisa Dorsey on her experiences in academia and with entrepreneurship. Dr. Lisa Dorsey is the co-founder and President of Eloquentia Consulting, a holistic firm that supports professional development within organizations, specifically focused on higher education. She currently holds the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training in the Doisy College of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University. Previously, she served as the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, Dean for the Doisy College of Health Sciences, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and Associate Dean for Graduate Education for the Doisy College of Health Sciences, and the Director of the Program in Health Sciences at Saint Louis University. In this episode, we discuss: -How to manage work life balance as a woman in the physical therapy profession -Eloquentia Consulting, LLC: mentorship for women in the workplace -How to develop leadership careers in higher education -Barriers to advancing to leadership positions -And so much more!   Lisa has a history of standing up against limiting beliefs about women’s ability to balance work and family. In one memorable exchange in a public setting she recalls feeling, “like so many doors were shut by that statement for all the women in the room.”   It is possible for you to enjoy both a great career and have meaningful relationships. From Lisa’s experience, “You can do both pieces. It’s about choices and it’s about how you integrate that life balance into your work.”   A good leader will want to collaborate with you and find solutions for your career growth. Lisa encourages, “Don’t be afraid to have that conversation.”   For more information on Lisa: Dr. Lisa Dorsey is the co-founder and President of Eloquentia Consulting, a holistic firm that supports professional development within organizations, specifically focused on higher education. She currently holds the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training in the Doisy College of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University. Previously, she served as the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, Dean for the Doisy College of Health Sciences, Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and Associate Dean for Graduate Education for the Doisy College of Health Sciences, and the Director of the Program in Health Sciences at Saint Louis University. She has completed a number of research and scholarship projects exploring physical therapy intervention for neurological impairment, higher education organizational structure, student success models in physical therapy and women in leadership and the workplace. Her current and most recent research projects include Pathways of Leader Self-efficacy for Women in Higher Education and Women Leading Women: Strategies and Support for Lifelong Career Development in Higher Education. She is engaged in the profession of physical therapy at the national level as the Chair for the Task Force on Graduate Outcomes, in higher education as an accreditation reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission, and serves her local community as the Secretary for the Board of Education in the Mehlville School District. She was the recipient of the Saint Louis University Woman of the Year Award in 2016, the Student Development Collaborative Partner Award, the Faculty Commitment to Experiential Learning Leadership & Service Award, and has been a Saint Louis University- YWCA Leader in the Workplace. Dr. Dorsey holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy and a Master’s in Business Administration from Saint Louis University, a PhD in Educational Policy and Administration in Higher Education from the University of Minnesota and a Women and Power: Leadership in the New World certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School.   For more information on Stephanie: Dr. Stephanie Weyrauch is employed as a Doctor of Physical Therapy at RehabAuthority in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. She received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy and Master of Science in Clinical Investigation from Washington University in St. Louis and her Bachelor of Science in Biology from University of Mary in Bismarck, ND. She has served on multiple national task forces for the American Physical Therapy Association and actively lobbies for healthcare policy issues at the local, state, and national levels of government. Dr. Weyrauch is a nationally sought after speaker and consultant for topics on social media use, generational issues, and organizational membership and currently manages the social media accounts for the American Physical Therapy Association Education Section and PT Day of Service. Dr. Weyrauch has performed extensive scientific research through grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation at world-renowned institutions including Stanford University and Washington University in St. Louis. Her research examining movement patterns and outcomes in people with and without low back pain has led to numerous local, regional, and national presentations and a peer-reviewed publication in a top journal in rehabilitation.   Resources discussed on this show: Eloquentia Consulting Website Stephanie Weyrauch Website Stephanie Weyrauch Twitter   Thanks for listening and subscribing to the podcast! Make sure to connect with me on twitter, instagram and facebook to stay updated on all of the latest! Show your support for the show by leaving a rating and review on iTunes!   Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart!   Xo Karen    

With over 25 years working in the higher ed environment, Martha has come to see the act of providing quality customer service as more than just a way to deal with unhappy people. She now views the delivery of great service as a sharing of our time and talents - as we teach, learn, assist, mentor, listen, and yes...serve one another. Follow her as she shows how EMU's 7 Quality Service Standards are a blueprint towards achieving daily success, with a healthy dose of universal kindness thrown in for good measure. As a supporter of Eastern Michigan University, discover how you can make a difference in the lives of the campus community. Martha is a 1987 graduate of Eastern Michigan University, and has served on staff at the Recreation and Intramurals Department for the past 16 years. In 2007, she finalized the report of the AQIP Project: Quality Service Delivery, co-presenting the results across the EMU campus and at the annual conference of the Higher Learning Commission. Inspired by her experience at the Disney Institute, Martha continues to discover new approaches to the art of delivering quality service. She's presented numerous workshops and presentations on a variety of service topics. A mother of three, a volunteer with the Relay For Life of Ypsilanti and Sigma Kappa Sorority, Martha also enjoys singing at church and working every day with some of the greatest people on earth. Her husband, Carlos, is her strongest supporter, always encouraging her to "go the distance."