Podcast appearances and mentions of Tracy D Hall

Host Jeremy C. Park talks with Dr. Tracy D. Hall, President of Southwest Tennessee Community College, who highlights the second annual Southwest Workforce Solutions Center Open House and Career Fair taking place April 18, 2024 at the Macon Cove Campus. The event is free to attend and open to the public with the program starting at 9 AM and tours lasting until 2 PM. Southwest Tennessee Community College is a comprehensive, multicultural, public, open-access college with two main campuses in Memphis and five sites in Shelby and Fayette counties. Southwest awards associate degrees and certifications in more than 140 programs of study to raise educational levels, enhance economic development and enrich quality of life for students and the community at large.During the interview, Dr. Hall discusses some of the ways Southwest Tennessee Community College is innovating and reimagining the college's operations and student experience to benefit students with stackable, workforce ready certificates and credentials to create seamless career pathways. Dr. Hall elaborates on how they are making it easy to transition between credit and non-credit or workforce credential attainment, how they are providing students with exposure opportunities to different career paths, and how they are developing training opportunities and bootcamps with companies, Memphis-Shelby County Schools and other schools to expose adults and youth to new careers and opportunities for advancement. She also notes how 96% of Southwest graduates remain in the Memphis area helping to fuel the local economy.Dr. Hall then elaborates on and invites the public to attend their upcoming Southwest Workforce Solutions Center Open House and Career Fair taking place on April 18 on the Macon Cove Campus between 9 AM to 2 PM (Check in time is 8:30 AM). The event will offer a tour of their campus and facilities, a tour of their Southwest Express – career exploration labs (outfitted with simulation labs and virtual reality), a panel discussion with industry leaders, a Community Career Fair and much more.Visit http://www.southwest.tn.edu or call 901-333-5000 to learn more.

My guest this week is Dr. Tracy D. Hall. Tracy is the President of Southwest Tennessee Community College out of Memphis, TN. Regardless of whether you live in Memphis or not, this is an important conversation that applies all across the country.    We talk about education, changing the narrative, the importance of stem education, why community colleges matter, and more. When DR. Hall took over Southwest TN Community College, Southwest had a graduation rate of 5%. Under her leadership, Southwest TN was awarded the prestigious national bellwether award in the category with Redesign, Reinvent, and Reset.   I wanted to have a conversation with Tracy because when I heard her speech when she was named the new President, she was very straightforward. She was honest about the reality but also hopeful about what her new community college could be. Additionally, we discuss: -          Why she hates the term at-risk students -          How she is living out the dreams of those before her -          How to do more than talk and get stuff done -          The future of community college education and how they are adapting to the marketplace -          And more!   Please enjoy my conversation with Dr. Tracy Hall!     RECAP 1:52 First generation college student 2:28 My mother told me the difficulty of navigating college 3:45 Homecoming Queen 4:35 Growing up in a home with a single parent teen mother 5:30 A lot of my life she has lived vicariously through me 6:14 Living out the dreams of others before me 6:48 Grit and Grind that’s my mother 7:09 How hard she worked 7:19 Defying the odds and stereotypes  7:35 We’ve never lived our lives off of someone else’s standard 10:05 My mentor and the path of teaching 11:18 Moving up through the ranks 11:33 Other people that shaped me 12:35 They didn’t have fancy backgrounds but they were College Presidents 13:16 Start preparing yourself 14:55 Everything in my past prepared me for today 16:14 Now I understand, I didn’t see it 19:04 That’s what drives me when you count me out 20:09 I don’t desire the limelight 20:30 I’m used to being ignored 21:43 Driven to find students marginalized 22:21 Labeling people and their potential 22:46 They don’t have to be A students 23:23 People will limit you based on your zipcode 28:14 They don’t realize their potential 30:47 During those years, we’re supposed to tell them they do matter 36:44 Owning our role in the problem 38:38 What small tweaks can do 41:26 Getting things done 42:02 Politics play a role, we move slow 43:19 When people are in need they don’t need help 6 months from now 49:35 Systems thinking 50:20 Taking a risk on something that may not work 52:16 Strategic risks 59:07 Battling covid 1:01:23 Positioning southwest for the future 1:03:23 We’re not going back to the way the world was before 1:06:05 We can’t let you stay in your comfort zone 1:06:51 High Skill, High Wage, Family sustaining     RESOURCES AB Jets Southwest Wins Prestigious National Bellwether Award

Tonyaa sits down with Dr. Tracy D. Hall, President of the Southwest Tennessee Community College and Michael Boyd, Chief Information Officer, Southwest Tennessee Community College. We look back at COVID's impact on Southwest Tennessee Community College and the work that has been done and will continue to be done to get students back on campus. This is an important episode you don't want to miss so make sure to tune in on Kudzukian.com or by downloading the Kudzukian App.

When reflecting on the leadership qualities that landed her the presidency at STCC, Dr. Tracy D. Hall describes herself as results-oriented, a “people person,” and someone passionate about urban communities. “I want to get things done,” she emphasizes. “And making sure people have a voice at the table. They may not be able to physically be there, but they need a representative. When making decisions that impact people, you have to consider those people. If you haven’t walked in their shoes, how can you make those decisions?” “There’s a spirit of collaboration I’ve felt in Memphis,” she says. “People are looking to get things done in an environment where people want things to happen. That’s critical. I’ve been places where there’s a need, but not that sense of urgency among other leaders. There may be a sense of denial. Memphis seems to get it. There are a lot of great things going on, but we can be better.” Learn more about Southwest Tennessee Community College here: http://www.tn.edu/

#EducationReformSeries | The Funky Politics, with our friends from Chalkbeat TN is peeling back the layers on “Education Reform” with some of the brightest and most committed minds in the Education arena.   Guest for this show:  Dr. Tracy Hall, President, Southwest TN Community College (Memphis, TN) Community colleges are very dynamic and are worth checking out Teaching is our Focus On this show, we dig into Dr. Griffin's school turnaround work and the needs of urban youth.  Ths series is about tackling the issues of Education Reform.  Enjoy!

#EducationReformSeries | The Funky Politics, with our friends from Chalkbeat TN is peeling back the layers on “Education Reform” with some of the brightest and most committed minds in the Education arena.   Guest for this show:  Dr. Tracy D. Hall, President, Southwest TN Community College Workforce Development: Creating a career-ready workforce at community colleges Closing the middle skills gap and the role of community colleges On this show, we cover a lot of territory.  Ths series is about tackling the issues of Education Reform.  Enjoy!