Podcast appearances and mentions of tennessee promise

Meet Our GuestsRandy Boyd is the President of the University of Tennessee and a lifelong entrepreneur. He's best known for founding Radio Systems Corporation (the company behind PetSafe, Invisible Fence, and other brands), growing it into a global leader. But beyond business, Randy has dedicated much of his career to education, economic development, and community investment, serving as Tennessee's Commissioner of Economic and Community Development and playing a key role in launching Tennessee Promise, which has provided free community college to thousands of students. He's also a passionate supporter of Knoxville's arts and culture scene—and, of course, a big believer in baseball's role in placemaking. Jaleria Rivera is an artist, activist, and the founder of Spacecraft Knoxville—a creative incubator that describes itself as a constellation of artists, misfits, and dreamers, focused on joy activism and community care. She's helping build a grassroots arts economy that creates real opportunities for artists to live, work, and thrive in Knoxville. Jaleria moved here during the pandemic, and like so many creative people, she had to figure out how to find her people, build connections, and create opportunities where they didn't exist before. Spacecraft is the result of that work, and it's just getting started.What's This Conversation About?This episode is about how people like Randy and Jaleria shape places - and how the places they build shape the people and communities from the ground up. We dig into:How communities attract and retain talent—and why the arts are just as important as jobs and infrastructure.What makes a city feel real—how Knoxville can avoid the pitfalls of becoming “just another mid-sized city” and instead double down on what makes it special.The role of failure in success—Randy shares some of his early entrepreneurial failures and why he believes in “failing early and often.”The power of grassroots collaboration—how Jaleria and her peers are building an arts economy from the ground up, creating spaces where creativity and economic opportunity go hand in hand.Big moves on the horizon—from the UT system's billion-dollar investments to a stadium that aims to host 700 events a year, including concerts, markets, and more.A huge thank you to Dr. Marianne Wanamaker of the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs for kicking off this conversation with such a great question: How do entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders get involved in civic life and make a real impact on their communities? That question sets the stage for everything we're about to discuss.Why Should You Listen?If you care about YOUR city, if you care about making your community better, whether you're an entrepreneur, an artist, a civic leader, or just someone who believes in the power of big ideas, this conversation is for you.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Listen to all episodes of the Big Ideas Welcome podcast, available now on your favorite streaming platforms, YouTube, and at bigideaswelcome.com. This Big Ideas Welcome podcast is brought to you by Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, hosted and curated by KEC Chief Experience Officer Chris McAdoo, and produced and edited by Palm Tree Pod Co. A special thanks to K BREW for making this episode possible. Original theme music “Thinking of You” courtesy of and copyright Kelsi Walker.

Dr. Flora W. Tydings, Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents, shares her inspiring journey from K-12 to higher ed leadership with host Jay Lemons. With a commitment to workforce development and a values-driven approach, she highlights the innovative programs, like Tennessee Promise, that boost enrollment and open doors for students across Tennessee. Chancellor Tydings reflects on the importance of building diverse teams and the state's transformative investment in educational infrastructure, inspiring the next generation to lead with purpose and create lasting impact. Interview recorded October 2024. Read the full episode transcript. 

You've probably heard it said that “anything worth doing is worth doing well.”Today, we'll find out why working hard at something can pay big dividends—spiritually and financially.The Secret to Success: Discipline in Every Area of LifeWhat does it take to succeed? If you ask any successful person, they'll likely tell you that success doesn't happen by accident—it requires hard work, preparation, and the ability to learn from failure. As former U.S. Secretary of State General Colin Powell once said, “There is no secret to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”Success demands more than wishful thinking, whether in finances, job, school, or relationships. It requires action and, most importantly, discipline.The Importance of DisciplineAthletes understand this concept well: the more reps you do in the gym or the more miles you run, the better you perform on competition day. The principle of “no pain, no gain” is universally recognized. Similarly, students who study consistently, take good notes, and complete their homework are better prepared to ace their exams.The same is true for your finances. Practicing discipline in saving, spending, and giving significantly increases your chances of achieving your financial goals. On the flip side, neglecting discipline now often leads to the pain of regret later. Hebrews 12:11 puts it this way:“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”Financial Disciplines and Their BenefitsThe Bible emphasizes the importance of discipline in the life of a Christian, both spiritually and practically. Growing as a disciple of Christ requires more than passive observation; it requires active engagement and discipline. While discipline may be challenging, it can also be a source of great joy. Let's explore a few examples of financial discipline and its benefits.Consistent Saving: Perhaps you've committed to saving a portion of your paycheck every week. This discipline requires effort, but the benefit is the reduced stress about future financial needs. Regular saving builds a financial cushion, giving you peace of mind.Faithful Giving: Giving faithfully to the Lord requires discipline, but it comes with the joy of participating in God's Kingdom work and the satisfaction of helping others. Generosity enriches your life in ways that money cannot.Paying Down Debt: It takes discipline to chip away at your debts, but the benefit is progress toward financial freedom. Imagine the joy and relief you'll feel when you're finally debt-free!Sticking to a Financial Plan: Adhering to a financial plan demands discipline, but it rewards you with peace and confidence. Knowing where each dollar comes from and where it's going is essential for financial stability and success. If you're not currently practicing the discipline of a spending plan, we can help. Download the FaithFi app or visit us online at FaithFi.com to create your personalized spending plan.The Joy of DisciplineBeing a good steward of the resources God has entrusted to you requires discipline. While the disciplines of saving, giving, paying off debt, and sticking to a plan may be challenging, they serve a higher purpose.As we read earlier in Hebrews, discipline can be painful, but it also brings joy. Here's why:Positive Results: Discipline yields positive outcomes. In the realm of finances, you can rejoice when your savings grow, when you make progress in paying off debt, and when you see the fruits of your planning and generosity. These successes make the hard work worthwhile.Peace in Financial Stewardship: Following God's principles of stewardship and integrity in money matters brings peace to your financial life. There's a deep sense of satisfaction in knowing you're managing your resources wisely.The Joy of Order: When you compare the chaos of financial mismanagement with the peace of careful stewardship, it's easy to see which is more joyful. It's far better to have all your financial “ducks” in a row than to be constantly chasing them.Overcoming SetbacksEven with the best intentions, none of us make the right financial choices every time. Whether you overspend your budget or miss a loan payment, it's not the end of the world. Acknowledge your mistakes, seek help if necessary, submit your plans to the Lord, and get back on track. God has entrusted you with specific resources to manage, and when you exercise discipline with your money—and your spiritual life—you'll experience a harvest of righteousness and peace. That's true success in anyone's book!On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I recently inherited a retirement account from my deceased husband. I want to convert the money into a down payment for a house, and I would like to know if you have any advice on the least painful way to do that.I'm 46, and I have a traditional IRA that I am strongly considering converting to a Roth. What are your thoughts on that decision? My 19-year-old is attending junior college and receiving free tuition from the Tennessee Promise. However, he also wants to invest and hopes to purchase a duplex by age 21. So, we don't want to mess with his FAFSA and mess him up to the point where he would not be able to receive that free money for a Tennessee student attending junior college. So, what could we do for his benefit?I have about $100,000 in a tax-deferred account that's growing little because it's in a guaranteed term. Now that I'm retiring, I want to move it somewhere to maximize my earnings. How would you recommend going about that?Resources Mentioned:Wise Women Managing Money: Expert Advice on Debt, Wealth, Budgeting, and More by Miriam Neff and Valerie Neff Hogan, JD. Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

For this episode, we interview Dr. Brian Noland, the President of East Tennessee State University (ETSU). ETSU is a rural university serving the states of Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky. ETSU is located in a mountainous area of the country and has a strong presence in these states. ETSU has a strong education program for developing Rural Southeast United States teachers. We discussed the future of rural communities and how graduates from ETSU support these communities. Dr Noland believes that relationships are an important part of advocacy for raising awareness of the unique challenges within mountain communities. Dr. Noland believes in making a presence in these rural areas to serve this relationship focus. We discussed the importance of humility in making these relationships and meeting students and teachers where they are. We discuss some of the biggest challenges in education in the rural south. We talk about raising attainment levels. We discussed changing the perception of higher education in rural areas. For example, higher education wastes time and money indoctrinating students, and students will be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Dr. Noland discusses the challenges of this narrative in helping students make the right decision for them. With all the available student funding through programs such as Tennessee Promise, students can attend college with little to no debt. One of the biggest challenges is this false narrative about college. Higher education empowers students to have greater earning power in the marketplace. ETSU is an economic driver of innovation and job creation in the rural south. ETSU is a teaching school and a medical science school. Many local residents connect with medical and educational professionals trained at ETSU. In other words, many residents connect with ETSU in many ways. We end the episode by discussing the role of ETSU Elevates, where students build a community partnership with organizations. The goal is to build student/community engagement to solve community challenges and to give back to small towns by working with community partners and meeting needs as identified by those partners. Dr. Noland shared that he and his team want students to dream big and actualize their dreams. Dr. Noland's Bio Since 2012, Dr. Brian Noland has served as the ninth president of East Tennessee State University. Before that, he led the development and implementation of higher education policy in Tennessee and West Virginia. Dr. Noland's Socials X (formally Twitter): https://x.com/ETSUPrez Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/etsuprez/ -LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-noland-etsu/ ETSU is part of Four the Future, a statewide initiative to showcase the value of a four-year degree for Tennesseans. Learn more at fourthefuturetn.com. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FourTheFutureTN/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/four-the-future-tn/ ETSU's Socials X (formally Twitter): https://x.com/etsu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/etsu/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/east-tennessee-state-university Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/easttennesseestateuniversity/ This episode is sponsored by My Credential at https://www.mycredential.com/

Pagamos? Não pagamos?Recebemos de volta?Deveríamos pagar de outra forma?É caso para se dizer que, no que toca ao tema das propinas (que tem estado bastante ‘quente'), nem sim, nem não; e que também não se vai aqui recomendar o tão famoso ‘nim'. Provocado por Hugo van der Ding, o economista Hugo Figueiredo vai debruçar-se sobre o custo-benefício das políticas públicas. Vai olhar para a realidade do Ensino Superior português, explicar as implicações das diferentes políticas de propinas e dar exemplos mais ou menos bem-sucedidos de países como os Estados Unidos ou o Reino Unido. Pelo caminho, ficará a conhecer outros casos em que as políticas públicas se revelaram um sucesso, e compreenderá que, tal como em tudo na vida, também aqui, simplificar é uma das palavras de ordem. REFERÊNCIAS E LINKS ÚTEIS Vale a pena investir recursos públicos no ensino superior?:Deming, D. J. (2019). The economics of free college. Economics for Inclusive Prosperity Policy, Brief, 14.Nathaniel Hendren, Ben Sprung-Keyser, A Unified Welfare Analysis of Government Policies, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 135, Issue 3, August 2020, Pages 1209–1318,Os efeitos de eliminar propinas:Denny, K. (2014). The effect of abolishing university tuition costs: Evidence from Ireland. Labour Economics, 26, 26-33.Nguyen, H. (2019). Free tuition and college enrollment: Evidence from New York's Excelsior program. Education Economics, 27(6), 573-587. Nguyen, H. (2020). Free college? Assessing enrollment responses to the Tennessee Promise program. Labour Economics, 66, 101882.Uma alternativa melhor?:Sarrico, C. (2023). Propinas no Ensino Superior: estude agora, pague depois. Observador.Peralta, S. (2020). Menos 200 euros de propina não ajuda os pobres. Público. Peralta, S. (2019). Empréstimos para estudantes: Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. És a minha única esperança! Público.  A experiência de outros países:Murphy, R., Scott-Clayton, J., & Wyness, G. (2019). The end of free college in England:Implications for enrolments, equity, and quality. Economics of Education  Review, 71, 7-22.Solis, A. (2017). Credit access and college enrollment. Journal of Political Economy, 125(2), 562-622. Barreiras de Acesso ao Ensino Superior e Desenho de PolíticasBurland, E., Dynarski, S., Michelmore, K., Owen, S., & Raghuraman, S. (2023). The power of certainty: Experimental evidence on the effective design of free tuition programs. American Economic Review: Insights, 5(3), 293-310. Dynarski, S., Libassi, C. J., Michelmore, K., & Owen, S. (2018). Closing the gap: The effect of a targeted, tuition-free promise on college choices of high-achieving, low-income students (No. w25349). National Bureau of Economic Research.

President Boyd's BioRandy Boyd serves as President of the University of Tennessee System, which includes campuses in Chattanooga, Pulaski, and Martin; the Health Science Center in Memphis; and the Institute of Public Service. Additionally, it includes the flagship campus in Knoxville, which is also comprised of the Space Institute in Tullahoma and the statewide Institute of Agriculture. The UT System also manages Oak Ridge National Laboratory through its UT-Battelle partnership, where Boyd serves as co-chairman.In 2007, Boyd began a journey transitioning from entrepreneur and businessman to full-time public servant. Boyd is a founder and chairman of tnAchieves, a nonprofit that has helped send more than 133,000 students to community college free of tuition and fees. This success led then-Governor Bill Haslam to invite him to serve as Special Advisor on Higher Education in 2013. During his tenure, he is credited with being the architect of the Drive to 55 and the Tennessee Promise. In 2015, Gov. Haslam recruited him back to serve as Commissioner of Economic and Community Development. During his tenure, his team recruited 52,000 new jobs and $9 billion in new investment for the state. He also founded and co-chaired the governor's Rural Task Force and chaired the Governor's Workforce Sub-Cabinet.Boyd is a first-generation college graduate, earning a bachelor's degree in business with an emphasis on industrial management from UT Knoxville. He also earned a master's degree in liberal studies with a focus on foreign policy from the University of Oklahoma.

You will fail. You will have difficult times. When hard times come your way, what will you do? Today on Conflict Managed, Randy Boyd, University of Tennessee President, encourages us to persevere in the face of hardship. He tells us the four things he has discovered successful businesses do, settling disputes with win/win/win in mind (you'll have to listen to find out what the extra win is!), and a great program, The Birthday Lunch and Listen, where people from across the organization are celebrated and listened to as well as creating an opportunity for employees to network with each other. Randy Boyd was appointed as the 26th president of the University of Tennessee System by the UT Board of Trustees March 27, 2020, following a 16-month period as interim president. Boyd founded Knoxville-based Radio Systems Corporation, a company that produces over 4,000 pet related products under the brand names PetSafe, Invisible Fence, ScoopFree and SportDOG. The company employs more than 1,400 people with offices in six countries around the world. Boyd Sports, LLC, owned by Randy and Jenny Boyd, owns the Greeneville Flyboys and Tennessee Smokies.  The company also owns the Johnson City Doughboys, Elizabethton River Riders and operates the Kingsport Axmen. Boyd also served the state of Tennessee in numerous roles, including serving as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and as the governor's special advisor on higher education where he was the architect for Tennessee Promise and Drive to 55. He is also the founder and chairman of the non-profit Tennessee Achieves. Randy and Jenny Boyd have dedicated their lives to giving back. In 2018, the couple formed the Boyd Foundation to further promote youth education, mental health, the arts and animal welfare. Among the Foundation's many philanthropic commitments is the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research and the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation's Boyd Venture Challenge seed grant program for student entrepreneurs, both through the Haslam College of Business at UT Knoxville. Boyd is the first in his family to graduate from college. He earned a bachelor's degree in business with an emphasis on industrial management from UT Knoxville. He also earned a master's degree in liberal studies with a focus on foreign policy from the University of Oklahoma. The Boyds live in Knoxville and have two children and two grandchildren. You can find Randy Boyd online at utpresident@tennessee.edu. Conflict Managed is hosted by Merry Brown and produced by Third Party Workplace Conflict Restoration Services. Contact us at 3PConflictRestoration@gmail.com. Our music is courtesy of Dove Pilot.

This one's just for those of us who hail from the state that gave us Goo Goo Clusters, hot chicken sandwiches, and more than a few musical icons, including Aretha Franklin and Dolly Parton. Tennessee residents have two great opportunities to make college more affordable—the HOPE scholarship and the Tennessee Promise. Listen to find out more! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram--@class101franklintn

Mike Krause is the former Tennessee Higher Education Commission Executive Director and now a senior advisor for government affairs and economic development at the Bradley Arant Boult Cummings law firm. Krause served as the coordinator for all statewide higher education efforts relative to COVID-19, acting as the chief liaison between campuses and the Tennessee Department of Health and the Governor’s Unified Command Group. He is most known for his work as the founding Director of the Tennessee Promise, coordinating the launch of the nation’s first tuition-free college scholarship program and working closely with the legislature on an array of education and workforce issues. In this episode, we discuss many of the challenges of rural education, including access to a college education. Krause provides methods for making higher education more accessible. These include strategies for communicating how to complete FAFSA applications, enrollment goals, and creating programs that empower potential college applicants to explore various career trajectories. These programs include skill-based training, specialized training, or gaining acceptance to higher education for first-generation and low-income college students. In this episode, Krause discusses branding of education, services, product-based messaging, and clear expectations for students and secondary institutions seeking to send graduates on to college-level learning. Mike Krause’s Twitter https://twitter.com/mikekrauseTN Win Learning sponsors the Rural Education Education Association Podcast. Please visit their website at https://www.winlearning.com/nrea

Tennessee provides each high school senior the opportunity to earn a post-secondary credential tuition and mandatory-fee free through a first-of-its-kind Promise scholarship. Communities, cities, colleges and even other states have looked to Tennessee for guidance in launching their own Promise programs. Hear from Dr. Michelle Miller-Adams from the Upjohn Institute and Dr. Celeste Carruthers from the University of Tennessee's Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research, as they discuss the growth and impact of Promise programs nationally and the success of Tennessee Promise.

This is a special episode of the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Podcast! For this week, host John Haggard speaks with Dr. Jerry Faulkner, the president of Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, TN. Throughout the half-hour, they tackle on vital topics such as: Dr. Faulkner’s Personal Background His Life Pre Vol State Life in the 60s Compared to Today Dr. Faulkner’s Hobbies How and When Dr. Faulkner Started at Vol State The Difference Between State Colleges and Universities Vol State Campuses From College Dropout to College President Programs Offered at Vol State The Future of Academia Vol State’s Scholarship Programs How You Can Contact Dr. Faulkner Transcript John Haggard 0:02 Welcome to the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Special Edition podcast where we also interview community presidents and leaders on topics that are of interest to the Gallatin area as a whole. And today, we’re honored to have Dr. Jerry Faulkner on the podcast. Jerry is the president of Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin known by some folks as Vol State. Hey, Jerry, welcome to the podcast. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 0:26 Thank you. Thank you. My pleasure to be with you. John Haggard 0:28 Great to have you before we dive in it’s always interesting to know about the person behind the job, the person behind the scenes. Tell us a little bit about your background. Did you grow up in Gallatin or in this area? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 0:42 I did not. I grew up near Knoxville and live there a significant part of my life in a little community called Corryton, kind of Northeast of Knoxville. So only came to Middle Tennessee when I when I came to Vol State. John Haggard 0:58 All right, so you are a Tennessee Native? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 1:01 Yes, never lived outside the state. John Haggard 1:03 Right, okay. So in your area just north of Knoxville, where did you go to high school? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 1:08 Yeah, I went to high school at Carter High School, the Green Hornets, in Strawberry Plains Tennessee. Again little east of Knoxville and outside of Knoxville proper. John Haggard 1:21 Now did you play sports or anything special in high school that you did when you were there? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 1:26 Yeah, I did not play sports. Probably the special thing I did was I was on the yearbook staff my senior year of high school and that was a great experience. John Haggard 1:38 Yeah, the yearbook. So you collect all the pictures, do the articles. And I always remember about a yearbook, the seniors always have those, you know, parting words that they write into the yearbook. So I guess you would see a lot of that as well. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 1:52 Yeah. We had you know, we had a whole staff of students plus our faculty advisor and and yeah, all the pictures and all the candid pictures of events. It was a very enjoyable experience. John Haggard 2:05 Now you came to Vol State when? What year? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 2:08 I came in May of 2012. John Haggard 2:10 Okay, May of 2012. And so do you have family here in this area as well? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 2:15 I do not. All of my family is in East Tennessee mostly clustered somewhere around Knoxville. John Haggard 2:22 Well, you know the great thing about family even if they’re not right next door, you have Skype and all these online ways, FaceTime. It seems like the world’s very small these days because we can see them live video. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 2:34 Oh, absolutely. It’s remarkable to be able to connect in the ways that we do you know I… Folks my age, remember the Dick Tracy wrist radio… John Haggard 2:46 Yes! Dr. Jerry Faulkner 2:49 How far out that seemed in that day, but it’s what you know, with the Apple Watch. It’s totally possible today. John Haggard 2:56 It is and I actually take calls on the Apple Watch and it’s really Really cool to think that it really happened. You remember the James Bond movies when he had a what a phone in the car and that was so cool. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 3:07 Yeah, yeah. John Haggard 3:08 And today it’s everything. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 3:10 Yeah, it’s everywhere and everything. Yes. John Haggard 3:13 When you are not working at Vol State during the week of course you have time off maybe weekends. What do you like to do on your time off? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 3:20 Well, my wife and I like to travel and we’ve been fortunate in recent years to be able to travel quite a bit. And then I’d like to bicycle as well for exercise and for for the enjoyment of it. John Haggard 3:34 Would that be your favorite hobby? Bicycling? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 3:37 Well, hobby-wise, I guess I would have to say my hobby is photography. My wife and I recently visited Africa and she’s quite a shutterbug as well. So between the two of us we took about 2500 pictures. John Haggard 3:51 Oh, wow. Now, are you one of those that has that big, what, $1500, $2000, $3,000 camera that shoots all that? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 3:59 No, I, you know, I’ve got a digital camera, a pretty nice digital camera, but no it’s not one of the more expensive ones. John Haggard 4:07 Now you say photography as your hobby. Back in the old days, maybe in high school or college, did you go into dark rooms and develop pictures? I used to do that. It was kind of fun. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 4:17 Yeah, I actually did do some of that. During during my Master’s Degree program, I actually took a course in Biological Illustration. And part of that was photography. And I actually did a little bit of developing of slides, even at home, during my teaching career, because getting slides developed was a lengthy process. And so I was able to actually to do that at home. John Haggard 4:44 The one thing I remember about slides, I think it was called ektachrome or something like that back. then. It had to be, yeah, the temperature had to be something like exactly 71 or 72 degrees or something like that? Am I remembering right? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 4:57 Yeah, you had you had to be very careful with the temperature or you had to adjust the time and the solution? John Haggard 5:03 Right, right. Wow, those are the old days, Jerry. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 5:08 I don’t know if you can even buy ektachrome film anymore, but… John Haggard 5:12 I don’t think you can, I don’t think you can. So, tell us what got you to Nashville or in the Gallatin area, 2012 I think you said, to Volunteer State Community College. How did that come about? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 5:22 Yeah. Well, I joined the Tennessee Board of Regents Community College System in 1993 as a faculty member teaching Biology and Environmental Science at Chattanooga State Community College. And I was there for several years and stayed there as I became department chair for the biology department. And then in 2008, was selected as the Academic Vice President for Cleveland State Community College just up the road from Chattanooga and was there four years. And then I saw the opportunity for the President’s position here at Volunteer State Community College and applied and was selected for that position. John Haggard 6:09 All right, now what is the difference actually between a you hear Community College and then you hear University or is there a difference? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 6:17 Yeah, there are some differences. We are a two year college and so the highest degree that we offer is an associate’s degree. We have associates of arts, associates of science, associates of applied science, which are career programs and then shorter term certifications that lead to careers or skills for careers, whereas the universities are offering bachelor’s degrees and even master’s degrees and doctorates. Also, most of the universities have a selective admissions process at a community college like Vol State. We’re open admission. I jokingly sometimes say that the only number you have to have to get into Vol State is 98.6. John Haggard 7:08 Yeah, that’s pretty good. Yeah, that’s good. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 7:10 Yeah. Because we take we take students wherever they are and help them get to where they want to be. And then of course, we’re non residential. We’re strictly a commuter college. John Haggard 7:22 Gotcha. Okay, and then to understand the history of Vol State, when did it begin and how did it begin? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 7:31 Yeah, well, in Tennessee in the 60s, particularly the last half of the 60s, there was kind of a state-wide movement to have community colleges or sometimes they were called junior colleges, across the state of Tennessee. And so, in the late 60s, a group of citizens here in Gallatin began to organize and to work with the General Assembly in the Governor’s Office to have a community college here in Sumner County. And so we’re actually closing in on our 50th anniversary. Little bit of a debate about when to celebrate our 50th anniversary because the defining legislation and the approval of the Higher Education Commission actually came across in 1969. Groundbreaking at this location was in November of 1970. And then the first students were actually admitted in the fall of 71 although they did not attend classes here on this campus. The offices for the college we’re on Main Street, Gallatin in the Cordell Hull building, and pretty much every church on Main Street had Vol State College classes in it. John Haggard 8:47 Wow. So 50 years, 50 years, half a century Wow, time flies when you’re when you’re having fun, dunnit? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 8:54 Sure does. John Haggard 8:54 Now, are there multiple campuses of Vol State or just in Gallatin? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 9:00 No Actually there are multiple campuses. We have a campus in Springfield and Robertson County. We refer to that as the Highland Crest campus. We have a campus and Cookeville at the Cookeville Higher Education campus, and then campus in Livingston in Overton County as well. And then we’re working very hard to have a campus in Wilson County. We hope within the next 30 days by certainly before the end of 2019 that will close on the purchase of 10 acres of property in Wilson County and begin the work of having a site in Wilson County. John Haggard 9:41 Oh. Okay, so you’re pretty much in the final stages. Now. It’s the purchase agreement is in place, and it’s just going through the actual closing? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 9:48 Yes, that’s correct. Of course, the big task is still to get a state appropriation to build the building. So we have submitted a request or a state appropriation and we’re waiting and see how that will work out. John Haggard 10:02 Right. So how much is that going to be? What are you asking for? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 10:05 Yeah, we’ve submitted request for $15 million for about a 28,000 square foot building over in Wilson. John Haggard 10:13 Yeah, yeah. So did you have another career, Jerry before you went into education? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 10:19 Well, it’s a long and sorted story. I’m actually a college dropout or at least I was a college dropout. I dropped out of college in my first attempt and spent 10 years in the business world. I was employed by one of those small loan companies, signature loan companies. I was the guy that called you if you missed your payment. And then went from there and was a credit manager with a building supply company, a regional building supply company. And after several years at that just decided that I was tired of working for a paycheck and an ulcer because that seemed to be what I was getting out of life and decided the way to remedy that was to go back and finish my bachelor’s degree. John Haggard 11:16 Gotcha, all right. Well, how do you see, there a lot of trends today in all businesses, I mean, everything is under review. Everything’s changing. What do you see in the next I guess, if you could, maybe a crystal ball or just looking out in the next three to five years, as it relates to education? What is going to change either in terms of how it’s delivered or just, I mean, what do you see out there? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 11:40 Well, I think there’s going to be a continued growth in the online offerings. Vol State has 140 different courses that can be taken online asynchronously. So you know the cliche about take college in your pajamas is certainly positive. John Haggard 11:58 Actually true. Yeah. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 12:01 And so I think we’re going to continue to see the use of technology in new ways in terms of artificial intelligence. There’s actually a professor at Georgia Tech who has created an artificial intelligence student assistant that chats with students as they have problems and answers their questions about the course. And interestingly, at the end of the semester, he asked students to vote on which of his assistants they think is the artificial one and less than 50% of the students can track which one is the artificial intelligence. John Haggard 12:42 Wow. Wow. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 12:44 We’ll see some more of that. I think we’re going to see more use of virtual reality and simulation here at Vol State and our nursing program and our emergency medical technology and paramedic programs. We have AI fidelity simulation mannequins that that can do pretty much anything a living – can simulate I’ll say it that way – can simulate pretty much at thing a living person can. Blood pressure, temperature, blinking the eyes, breathing, responding to medication. And so it gives a powerful experience in terms of things that you’re able to do because in that simulation situation you can let students continue down a wrong path. Wait till they kill the patient. John Haggard 13:34 Right, wow! Yeah! Dr. Jerry Faulkner 13:36 And obviously you can’t do that in a real hospital so… John Haggard 13:40 Gosh! So yes, because back in the old days, it was a kind of a plastic hard rubber mannequin. So this is an actual you know, except being human and… Wow. That’s, that’s… those things must be expensive? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 13:52 They are. Of course, there are different ones of them there. Adult males, adult females, children, infants. There’s even one that delivers a baby that goes through the whole labor process. John Haggard 14:04 Oh my gosh, that’s amazing! That really is, I mean gosh, if there’s anybody out there parent or someone listening that says “Hey, you know, I want to get into into the nursing career.” To be able to do something like that, that’s amazing. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 14:19 Yeah, that really provides a unique experience for our students. One that they don’t forget. John Haggard 14:28 So at Vol State is there, I guess there’s a lot of coursewear but there’s there, are their primary things like, we’ve been talking about here in healthcare, that Vol State’s best known? Or can you pretty much take any type of course you want to? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 14:42 Well, we’re a comprehensive community college. We offer almost 100 different programs of study. About half of our students, actually little more than half of our students, come to us with the express desire to transfer on to a university and acquire a bachelor degree,. The other half of our students are pursuing one of those Applied Science degrees or certificates that will lead them to a career. We’re probably best known for our health science programs. We have have 14 different health science programs plus nursing. And but we’re working really hard on our Business and Technology Division as well. Tremendous opportunity for job growth in the Computer Information Technology field. And so we’re working really hard to ramp up our offerings in that area as well. John Haggard 15:35 What do you see out there, Jerry, the degrees today, in the current environment, as we look out, you know, two to four or five years, people are always concerned also about well, where can I go and get a high paying job? What do you see? What do you see in that arena? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 15:50 Yeah, well, things are changing so fast. I mean, I think there are careers in the future that that haven’t even been invented yet. Yeah, who would You know, who would have thought 510 years ago that you could make a living as a web designer, for example? John Haggard 16:05 Well, good example. Yeah. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 16:06 So, but I think there will always be the need for folks in the healthcare industry in the health sciences, particularly as us baby boomers are aging and increasing our needs for healthcare. I think given the direction of technology, there’s always going to be a need for folks that have technology knowledge and skills, and even things like accounting. Accounting is one of the high demand jobs, believe it or not, these days, so we don’t turn out enough accountant. John Haggard 16:43 Yeah, I mean, it is amazing how fast things are moving like that and with busy schedules that people have these days. And I think when I’m hearing you say, you’re going to probably say well, no, not completely john, but is it possible involves day to go to college completely online, or can you go you know, 95% and then 5% brick and mortar so to speak? How does that work? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 17:04 Yeah, well, we have a couple of programs that are online, fully online. For example, the Applied Science Degree in Fire Technology. Theoretically, you could earn that degree and never set foot on our campuses. For example, Sleep Diagnostics, the instructional part of that program is completely online. You do still have to come to campus to participate in clinical portions of it. But a huge portion of our students, something like 60% take one or more online classes. John Haggard 17:44 Got you. Is there any, you know, people are always trying to assess should I do this? Should I do that? Is there a number one complaint that you hear about education as a whole or people saying, “Gosh, I wish this…” Or anything like that or no? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 18:01 Yeah. I think if you look at the national scene there is this debate going on about the cost benefit ratio of higher education. How does getting a college education pay off when you end up spending tremendous amounts of money to acquire that degree? And that’s kind of emphasized by the growing student loan debt across America. Right now, the the total student loan debt of American citizens exceeds the total credit card debt for the nation if you can believe that. John Haggard 18:42 That’s so hard to believe, ain’t it? Wow. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 18:44 Yeah. So there is that debate about the value of higher education. John Haggard 18:52 Yeah, I mean… yeah go ahead. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 18:55 Yeah, I was gonna say that all the statistics point to those persons who have a credential from higher education will have lifetime earnings that are a million dollars or more over those that just have a high school diploma and so we can we can point to some solid statistics that yes, it’s it’s worth your time and your effort and your money to get a get a post secondary credential. John Haggard 19:24 Got you. Well, let me ask you this Jerry. As someone is earning or once someone earns a degree, can Vol State connect somebody with internship programs to every businesses that you know might lead to a potential job offer? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 19:37 Absolutely. We have, over the last year or so, began to emphasize work-based learning. This is the idea that students get into a cooperative opportunity or a shadowing opportunity or even an internship while they’re still in college, with the profession or the career where they want to practice. And so they get some very real world hands on experience. And for the employers, it turns out to be an on the job interview because they really get to see the the person in action at the location before they offer them a job. And so we’ve had some really good success with that, again, students that participate in an internship and then, immediately upon graduation, they get job offers. Sometimes even before they graduate. John Haggard 20:29 You know, I’ve always believed in “if you can try it before you buy it” so to speak. I’ve heard people in healthcare – people who’ve gone through, say, a nursing program. And once they get to the hospital, and they’ve been there three or four weeks, they say, “Gosh, I never thought it was going to be like this. I really don’t want to do this.” And they’ve invested all that time. So what you’re talking about really could almost be like an insurance policy to be sure. Like hey, this is really something not only I thought I want to do, but I really want to do. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 20:30 Absolutely. We want students to pick a pathway and to stay on that pathway and accomplish their goal. John Haggard 21:04 What are some of the biggest annual events that occur each year at Vol State? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 21:10 Well, of course graduation is for me the highlight of the year. I should say graduations. We’ve grown to the point that, about three years ago, we had to add a graduation ceremony in December. And so we have commencement exercises in December and May and, frankly, the May one is growing back to the point that sometime in the next couple years, we’ll probably have to consider having two graduations in May in order to accommodate folks. So graduation is a huge event. We have a full calendar every year of performing arts events on campus. Probably the biggest one of those, the one that the community most enjoys is our Christmas performance, which comes up in late November, early December. And then we have a series of visual arts displays as well. We have an art gallery in our Steinhauer-Rogan-Black Humanities Building and have periodic art exhibits there from professional artists across the state. John Haggard 22:14 So how many people as we talk about Vol State with all the campuses are enrolled or how many people in average year I guess, would you have? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 22:22 This fall, this semester we just started, we have 9146 folks enrolled across our four campuses, online. And then of course, that includes students that are dual enrollment. They’re still in high school, but they’re taking college classes while they’re still in high school. John Haggard 22:40 Gotcha, gotcha. Is there one thing, Jerry, about you that most people would be really surprised to know ,if they knew it, about you? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 22:50 Well, I think I may have revealed it already in the conversation and that I was actually college dropout. You know I started college right straight out of high school and did okay for the first year. And then discovered there were other things to do on a college campus other than go to class. And didn’t realize there’s a direct correlation between going to class and getting good grades. And so my last semester during that – last quarter, we were on a quarter system at that time – my last quarter I recently had reason to look back at my transcript and so I had an incomplete, W four withdraw and two Fs. So it’s likely that had I not decided to drop out the next semester they would have academically suspended me so… John Haggard 23:50 Put you out anyway. I got ya, I got ya. It’s interesting, though, isn’t it, how that can really happen. You can run away from something you never want to do and then wind up where you are. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 23:59 Yeah. And I think it’s a it’s a powerful lesson to folks that I share with non-traditional students that are thinking about coming back to college is that, you’re a different person than you were 5, 10, 15 years ago when you finished high school or when you were not successful in college and you can succeed in college these days. John Haggard 24:22 You know, this reminds me of that phrase I heard a pastor say one time that your past does not predict your future. Is that’s what you’re saying there? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 24:29 Absolutely. Absolutely. Education is is a powerful changer of lives. It’s a powerful agent for changing future trajectory. John Haggard 24:39 Is there anything else that you do in the community in terms of advisory roles or other things that you do in addition to Vol State? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 24:47 I’m a member of the local Rotary Club and participate in their projects. I’m on some local boards I’m on a local hospital board and have served on some other civic organizations. I get called on frequently when one or the other of the communities is in a planning process, like Gallatin is now I get called on to participate in those planning processes. And then, as our economic community development folks are recruiting new business and industry to our area, I frequently have an opportunity to share the benefit that Vol State can bring in terms of preparing their workforce if they decide to move to Gallatin. John Haggard 25:32 Yes. And you know, when you go anywhere near Gallatin, all the rooftops, all the construction, it really seems without exaggeration at least once a month there’s something new this sprung up somewhere. Dr. Jerry Faulkner 25:44 Yeah, it’s fortunate that here in Sumner County that we’re in a growing area. A lot of colleges around the nation and even some colleges in Tennessee are in areas where the population is stable at best are declining at worst and so we’re fortunate to have a growing population here in Sumner County and our other counties that we serve across Middle Tennessee. John Haggard 26:10 Anything Jerry that I did not ask you that you would want folks to know? Either about Vol State or you or how to get, you know, how to connect with you? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 26:20 Well, I thought you might want to ask me about the Tennessee Promise and the Tennessee Reconnect. Those are the last dollar tuition scholarship programs. Tennessee Promise for recent high school graduates and Tennessee Reconnect for adults that don’t already have a college degree that they can attend Vol State tuition free. And that’s had a tremendous impact on the college. This fall we have almost 2500 students that are Tennessee Promise eligible and over 1500 students that are Tennessee Reconnect eligible that are here on our campus, taking classes tuition free. John Haggard 26:59 Wow, Jerry, how does that work? How does someone qualify to do that? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 27:03 Well, it starts by going to the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation website. And there’s a brief application that you do there. And then you follow up with the filing of your federal application for a student aid. Any of our folks here at the college in our financial aid office or admissions office could help folks with those processes and get them on the road to being a Vol State student and on the way to having a college credential and a career. John Haggard 27:34 So did I get that right, you said 2500 people, students are enrolled this way? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 27:40 Yeah. 2500 students are enrolled and taking advantage of the eligibility for the Tennessee Promise, which again is for recent high school graduates. And then over 1500 adult students that don’t already have a college degree are enrolled under the Tennessee Reconnect program. John Haggard 28:00 Got it. Got it. Wow, this has been an interesting opportunity to talk. We’ve got Dr. Jerry Faulkner, he’s the president of Vol State. And we’ve been listening to him and learning about what’s going on there and what he does, and I just appreciate the opportunity to to talk with you and just to learn. So if people do want to get in contact with you personally, what’s the best way, Jerry? Dr. Jerry Faulkner 28:21 You can call my office. Of course, the area code is (615) 230 3500. That’s the direct line to my office. And if you’d like to drop me an email, it’s jerry.faulkner@volstate.edu. John Haggard 28:37 All right, folks, Dr. Jerry Faulkner right there. He is our special edition guest today on the Miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram podcast. Join us again right here for another special edition of the podcast in addition to our regular topics we discuss each month including the best ways to purchase, lease, service and maintain, also accessorize, and sell your vehicle for the highest resale value possible when you’re ready to do it, and don’t forget the transcript of each podcast, it’s right here you can look down and see just what we spoke about in case you wanted to refer to something. Right here on the website. You can easily refer for information at your fingertips. I’m your host, John Haggard, and we’ll see you next time.

In Tennessee, the education system made headlines a few years back when the state announced the “Tennessee Promise”—an initiative granting thousands of high school students the opportunity to attend two years of free community college. After Governor Bill Haslam announced the scholarship program amongst a flurry of news, students immediately began applying to receive funds to put towards tuition at one of the state’s 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology, or other eligible institutions offering an associate’s degree program. (And now, adults can get in on the action, too.) But in order for the program to succeed, it wasn’t just about the community and technical colleges agreeing to be a part of the plan. School districts across the state began to see themselves as an integral piece of the equation. And one district in particular, the Putnam County School System in Cookeville, decided to push student ownership over higher education learning even further—with an extensive, dual enrollment college credit program for high schoolers. Sam Brooks, Personal Learning Coordinator for the district, sat down with EdSurge this week to discuss the program, how his team has translated it into even lower levels (think middle school), and what he recommends other schools and districts can do to make their students more college and career-ready.

Ken Steele's 10th annual higher ed "year in review" looks back at 2016 and sums up the major news and trends shaping the postsecondary landscape in just 6 words. In part 1, he reviews the many tragedies of 2016, from the loss of famous celebrities and great thinkers to Zika and Brangelina. 2016 was a year that left many feeling adrift, and the surge towards populism gave us Brexit, Trump, and Boaty McBoatface. Plenty of trends we identified in previous years continued in 2016, from gender equity and sexual assault protocols to political correctness, indigenous content and "peak campus". But in this episode, we look at a major disaster and an emerging trend that defined the year that was: 1) FIRE! The biggest news story in Canada was unquestionably the Fort MacMurray wildfire, which swept through 1.5 million acres in northern Alberta. It caused the emergency evacuation of all 88,000 residents in town, destroyed 2,400 homes, and caused about $9 billion in damage. Keyano College was fortunate, in that its campuses escaped structural damage, but smoke remediation still cost about $15 million. Canada is still feeling the economic and labour market impacts of the disaster. 2) FREE! Momentum towards free tuition programs has been building across North America for several years. In 2014, the "Tennessee Promise" offered students 2 years of community college for zero tuition. In 2015, President Obama proposed a $60 billion "American College Promise" program, and Minnesota and Oregon approved plans of their own. In 2016, Kentucky followed suit, and Bernie Sanders pushed for free university tuition as well. Obama - https://youtu.be/nFWhzdQcwnk Sanders - https://youtu.be/c4I2dbTxpqU In Canada, Quebec CÉGEPs have been offering free tuition for 50 years now, but in 2016 Ontario and New Brunswick launched new programs. The Canadian Federation of Students published a report calling for "education justice," and calculating that it would cost the federal government $10.2 billion. CFS staged a day of protest in early November. Charlatan - https://youtu.be/5PUQ3L8zBQI Next time, in part 2, we'll look at the global shift towards populism, protectionism, and a post-truth distrust of intellectuals. The trends pose major challenges, and some opportunities, to higher education. Stay tuned until after the closing credits for some bloopers!

Ken Steele's 10th annual higher ed "year in review" looks back at 2016 and sums up the major news and trends shaping the postsecondary landscape in just 6 words. In part 1, he reviews the many tragedies of 2016, from the loss of famous celebrities and great thinkers to Zika and Brangelina. 2016 was a year that left many feeling adrift, and the surge towards populism gave us Brexit, Trump, and Boaty McBoatface. Plenty of trends we identified in previous years continued in 2016, from gender equity and sexual assault protocols to political correctness, indigenous content and "peak campus". But in this episode, we look at a major disaster and an emerging trend that defined the year that was: 1) FIRE! The biggest news story in Canada was unquestionably the Fort MacMurray wildfire, which swept through 1.5 million acres in northern Alberta. It caused the emergency evacuation of all 88,000 residents in town, destroyed 2,400 homes, and caused about $9 billion in damage. Keyano College was fortunate, in that its campuses escaped structural damage, but smoke remediation still cost about $15 million. Canada is still feeling the economic and labour market impacts of the disaster. 2) FREE! Momentum towards free tuition programs has been building across North America for several years. In 2014, the "Tennessee Promise" offered students 2 years of community college for zero tuition. In 2015, President Obama proposed a $60 billion "American College Promise" program, and Minnesota and Oregon approved plans of their own. In 2016, Kentucky followed suit, and Bernie Sanders pushed for free university tuition as well. Obama - https://youtu.be/nFWhzdQcwnk Sanders - https://youtu.be/c4I2dbTxpqU In Canada, Quebec CÉGEPs have been offering free tuition for 50 years now, but in 2016 Ontario and New Brunswick launched new programs. The Canadian Federation of Students published a report calling for "education justice," and calculating that it would cost the federal government $10.2 billion. CFS staged a day of protest in early November. Charlatan - https://youtu.be/5PUQ3L8zBQI Next time, in part 2, we'll look at the global shift towards populism, protectionism, and a post-truth distrust of intellectuals. The trends pose major challenges, and some opportunities, to higher education. Stay tuned until after the closing credits for some bloopers!