Podcasts about university commission

In this episode, we spend time with three leaders representing institutional accreditation organizations in higher education.  Our guest are David Chase, Laura Gambino, and Mac Powell.  David is Vice President of Educational Programs at the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, known as WASC, where he is part of the Senior College and University Commission.  Laura is Vice President at the New England Commission of Higher Education.  Mac is President of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, also affiliated with WASC.Links to the institutional accreditation organizations mentioned in this episode:Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges:https://accjc.org/New England Commission of Higher Education:https://www.neche.org/Western Association of Schools and Colleges—Senior College and University Commission:https://www.wscuc.org/This season of Leading Improvements in Higher Education is sponsored by the Center for Assessment and Research Studies at James Madison University; learn more at jmu.edu/assessment.Episode recorded: January 2023.  Host:  Stephen Hundley.  Producers:  Chad Beckner, Caleb Keith, and Shirley Yorger.  Original music:  Caleb Keith.  This award-winning podcast is a service of the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis; learn more at assessmentinstitute.iupui.edu.

The energy transition will only work if we engage consumers. The energy price crisis has made it clear that energy poverty is not a niche issue anymore, as more households are struggling to keep their homes at a comfortable temperature and use their electric appliances. Measures to alleviate consumers from high price hikes are featuring prominently in the political agenda of several EU member states. Monique Goyens, director-general at the European consumer organisation BEUC, says that tackling energy poverty requires systemic thinking. Social measures are needed in the short term, but a massive change in energy efficiency support and the rollout of renewables are crucial. We discuss with Monique Goyens how consumers are taking an increasingly active role in our energy systems. She has been at BEUC since 2007 and previously worked as secretary-general at the University Commission for Development. Listen and subscribe to Watt Matters wherever you get podcasts! Follow us on Twitter at @WattMattersPod or email us at show@wattmatterspodcast.com. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn. Show notes: - East Oxford low traffic neighbourhoods: https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/roads-and-transport/active-travel/east-oxford-ltns - Tinne Van der Straeten Twitter post: https://www.twitter.com/TinneVdS/status/1526977562441818112 - Netherlands to ban fossil heating from 2026, make heat pumps mandatory: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/netherlands-to-ban-fossil-heating-by-2026-make-heat-pumps-mandatory/ - Climate graphic of the week: Historic blaze in New Mexico as extreme global weather events rise: https://www.ft.com/content/86a714e7-1513-489b-8318-7f167c5e51d0 TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAY Join over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & Energy GET YOUR 30 DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.

Students and state and federal governments alike are asking increasingly hard questions about the return on their investment in postsecondary education, as tuitions and debt grow.   In this episode of The Key, which is sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, three experts with a diverse set of perspectives discuss the government role in ensuring value from academic institutions and programs:  the complexity of any attempt to formally measure postsecondary value; the importance of focusing on historically underrepresented students; and the centrality of the federal role in holding colleges accountable. Jamienne S. Studley is president and CEO of the WASC Senior College and University Commission, an accrediting agency. Kim Hunter Reed is a former senior Education Department official who is now commissioner of higher education in Louisiana. Barbara Mistick is a former private college president who leads the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, which has historically bristled at federal attempts to regulate higher education too closely. Hosted by Inside Higher Ed Founder and Editor Doug Lederman

The EdUp Experience is America's Leading Higher Education Podcast. In this amazing episode, we welcome the President and CEO of NC-SARA, Dr. Lori Williams. The focus of NC-SARA is communication and education programming - Lori speaks to the evolution of online learning where nearly every state has committed to making access to online education easier. Lori helps us answer a burning question: Why is California not a member state of SARA? Later in the episode, Lori talks about a key mission of access being at the center of NC-SARA operations. This episode is a Masterclass for anyone in higher education attempting to understand regulatory bodies and their interconnectedness. It's a must-listen for professional development. Lori Williams is president and CEO of NC-SARA and has over 25 years of experience in education. Prior to this role, she served as vice president at the WASC Senior College and University Commission. Previous positions include provost, vice provost, vice president, executive director, and other academic administrative roles. Lori has spoken at national and international conferences about adult and online learning and served as professor, thesis advisor, and mentor. 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!

Richard Osborn, PhD, talks about his missionary upbringing, early connection to Spectrum, and how he got his start leading educational institutions. Dick, who recently retired as the Vice President of the WASC Senior College and University Commission and was the former president of Pacific Union College shares some lessons about what’s worked and what hasn’t in schools and Adventist life. Dr. Osborn is Board Advisor/Member: Loma Linda University Health, Los Angeles Pacific University, Pacifica Graduate Institute, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, United States University, University of Silicon Andhra, Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), Charles Weniger Foundation, NAD Higher Ed Task Force

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges provided a letter of formal notification of action summarizing WASC Senior College and University Commission's (WSCUC) Special Visit to Cal Lutheran on Dec. 2-4 2020, and its subsequent meeting on Feb. 19. The letter outlined six issues or action items that the commission is asking the university to address. Our reporter Shendel Friedman comes on the show to discuss her reporting on WASC's visit, letter and what the university is doing to address WASC's asks.Note: the term "accreditation visit" is used interchangeably with "special visit" in the podcast. Concise details regarding the visit and subsequent action are available here. 

163. Chili Piper | Nicolas Vandenberghe is the Co-Founder and CEO of Chili Piper. Nicolas began his career selling newspapers in the streets of Paris in high school, studied Maths at Ecole Polytechnique and then received his MBA from Stanford GSB. He started and sold 3 tech companies with up to 65 employees and $11M in revenues, and also ran sales for a $2B telecom firm negotiating billion-dollar deals with companies like Google. Most recently in 2016, he co-founded his 4th startup and presently is the CEO of Chili Piper – a pioneer in Buyer Enablement.This Episode is Sponsored By:Capterra is the leading, free online resource to help you find the best software solution for your business. With over 850,000 reviews of products from real users, discover everything you need to make an informed decision! To help support the show, go visit them at: millionaire-interviews.com/capterraAshford University offers online Master's Degree Program that allows you to learn at your own pace. Ashford University is fully accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission. Enroll now by going to: millionaire-interviews.com/ashfordFreshbooks invoicing and accounting software is designed specifically for small business owners. Freshbooks grows alongside your business, so you’ll always have the tools you need when you need them without ever having to learn the ins and outs of accounting. Try it FREE for thirty days, no catch and no credit card required, just go to: millionaire-interviews.com/freshbooksOrgain is a brand that makes clean and nutritional products. Orgain will choose 3 deserving startups and grant them $50,000 each to take their businesses to the next level. If you think you’re a good fit for this grant, please visit: millionaire-interviews.com/orgain Want to Support the Show? Well we'd love for you to join our Patreon Group!  What's in it for you?  Well you'll instantly get a scheduled call from Austin, where he'll help you with your current or future business... Sign-Up Now at millionaire-interviews.com/patreon.

159. Hubble Contacts | Jesse Horwitz is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Hubble Contacts, the e-commerce contact lens company. As a serial entrepreneur, Jesse co-founded Hubble in 2016, which has raised over $75 million from groups including Wildcat Capital, FirstMark, Greycroft, Founders Fund, and Colgate-Palmolive, and serves hundreds of thousands of consumers around the world.This Episode is Sponsored By:Ashford University offers online Masters Degree Program that allows you to learn at your own pace. Ashford University is fully accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission. Enroll now by going to: millionaire-interviews.com/ashfordFreshbooks invoicing and accounting software is designed specifically for small business owners. Freshbooks grows alongside your business, so you’ll always have the tools you need when you need them without ever having to learn the ins and outs of accounting. Try it FREE for thirty days, no catch and no credit card required, just go to: millionaire-interviews.com/freshbooksCapterra is the leading, free online resource to help you find the best software solution for your business. With over 850,000 reviews of products from real users, discover everything you need to make an informed decision! To help support the show, go visit them at: millionaire-interviews.com/capterra Want to Support the Show? Well we'd love for you to join our Patreon Group!  What's in it for you?  Well you'll instantly get a scheduled call from Austin, where he'll help you with your current or future business... Sign-Up Now at millionaire-interviews.com/patreon.

157. Extract Labs | Craig Henderson is the CEO of Extract Labs, a Boulder, Colorado-based full-service hemp extraction laboratory offering a proprietary line of boutique CBD-infused products. Craig started the company in his garage in 2016.This Episode is Sponsored By:Ashford University offers online Masters Degree Program that allows you to learn at your own pace. Ashford University is fully accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission. Enroll now by going to: millionaire-interviews.com/ashfordCastbox is the best podcast app out there. If you’re tired of using those outdated podcast apps that are missing modern day functions, join the 28 million users worldwide that use Castbox to listen to awesome podcast every day. Download Castbox right now by visiting: millionaire-interviews.com/castboxAircall is a call-based phone system that helps thousands of sales and support teams stop wasting their time on the phone. Aircall integrates with popular CRM, HelpDesk, eCommerce, and other business software to help your team understand and log vital customer prospect information on every single call. Try Aircall’s 7-day No-Risk Free Trial by visiting: millionaire-interviews.com/aircall Want to Support the Show? Well we'd love for you to join our Patreon Group!  What's in it for you?  Well you'll instantly get a scheduled call from Austin, where he'll help you with your current or future business... Sign-Up Now at millionaire-interviews.com/patreon.

Nicolas Vandenberghe is the Co-Founder and CEO of Chili Piper. Nicolas began his career selling newspapers in the streets of Paris in high school, studied Maths at Ecole Polytechnique and then received his MBA from Stanford GSB. He started and sold 3 tech companies with up to 65 employees and $11M in revenues, and also ran sales for a $2B telecom firm negotiating billion-dollar deals with companies like Google. Most recently in 2016, he co-founded his 4th startup and presently is the CEO of Chili Piper – a pioneer in Buyer Enablement. This Episode is Sponsored By: Capterra is the leading, free online resource to help you find the best software solution for your business. With over 850,000 reviews of products from real users, discover everything you need to make an informed decision! To help support the show, go visit them at: millionaire-interviews.com/capterra Ashford University offers online Master's Degree Program that allows you to learn at your own pace. Ashford University is fully accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission. Enroll now by going to: millionaire-interviews.com/ashford Freshbooks invoicing and accounting software is designed specifically for small business owners. Freshbooks grows alongside your business, so you’ll always have the tools you need when you need them without ever having to learn the ins and outs of accounting. Try it FREE for thirty days, no catch and no credit card required, just go to: millionaire-interviews.com/freshbooks Orgain is a brand that makes clean and nutritional products. Orgain will choose 3 deserving startups and grant them $50,000 each to take their businesses to the next level. If you think you’re a good fit for this grant, please visit: millionaire-interviews.com/orgain   Want to Support the Show? Well we'd love for you to join our Patreon Group!  What's in it for you?  Well you'll instantly get a scheduled call from Austin, where he'll help you with your current or future business... Sign-Up Now at millionaire-interviews.com/patreon.

Jesse Horwitz is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Hubble Contacts, the e-commerce contact lens company. As a serial entrepreneur, Jesse co-founded Hubble in 2016, which has raised over $75 million from groups including Wildcat Capital, FirstMark, Greycroft, Founders Fund, and Colgate-Palmolive, and serves hundreds of thousands of consumers around the world. This Episode is Sponsored By: Ashford University offers online Masters Degree Program that allows you to learn at your own pace. Ashford University is fully accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission. Enroll now by going to: millionaire-interviews.com/ashford Freshbooks invoicing and accounting software is designed specifically for small business owners. Freshbooks grows alongside your business, so you’ll always have the tools you need when you need them without ever having to learn the ins and outs of accounting. Try it FREE for thirty days, no catch and no credit card required, just go to: millionaire-interviews.com/freshbooks Capterra is the leading, free online resource to help you find the best software solution for your business. With over 850,000 reviews of products from real users, discover everything you need to make an informed decision! To help support the show, go visit them at: millionaire-interviews.com/capterra   Want to Support the Show? Well we'd love for you to join our Patreon Group!  What's in it for you?  Well you'll instantly get a scheduled call from Austin, where he'll help you with your current or future business... Sign-Up Now at millionaire-interviews.com/patreon.

Craig Henderson is the CEO of Extract Labs, a Boulder, Colorado-based full-service hemp extraction laboratory offering a proprietary line of boutique CBD-infused products. Craig started the company in his garage in 2016. This Episode is Sponsored By: Ashford University offers online Masters Degree Program that allows you to learn at your own pace. Ashford University is fully accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission. Enroll now by going to: millionaire-interviews.com/ashford Castbox is the best podcast app out there. If you’re tired of using those outdated podcast apps that are missing modern day functions, join the 28 million users worldwide that use Castbox to listen to awesome podcast every day. Download Castbox right now by visiting: millionaire-interviews.com/castbox Aircall is a call-based phone system that helps thousands of sales and support teams stop wasting their time on the phone. Aircall integrates with popular CRM, HelpDesk, eCommerce, and other business software to help your team understand and log vital customer prospect information on every single call. Try Aircall’s 7-day No-Risk Free Trial by visiting: millionaire-interviews.com/aircall   Want to Support the Show? Well we'd love for you to join our Patreon Group!  What's in it for you?  Well you'll instantly get a scheduled call from Austin, where he'll help you with your current or future business... Sign-Up Now at millionaire-interviews.com/patreon.

We kick off a new series focused on Adventist education with Richard Osborn, PhD, Vice President for WASC Senior College and University Commission. Previously, he was President of Pacific Union College and an education administrator for the North American Division. Based on his current work accrediting educational institutions around the Western United States and his work on an NAD commission, Dr. Osborn shares his unbridled concerns about the direction of Adventist higher education and offers some models for how it might change for the better.

Lilit Martirosyan misses the chance to go and sit somewhere outside to drink coffee. She hasn't been able to do that for the past seven weeks. It's too dangerous for her to even look out her own window.People can recognize her face now.She became the first transgender woman to speak to Armenia's parliament last month. A video of her speech was shared around the world and applauded by LGBTQ activists and supporters. But she's been getting death threats since then, and she's afraid to leave the house.Armenia ranks as one of the worst countries to live in Europe for LGBTQ people, according to a new assessment this month by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe). The post-Soviet republic came in near the bottom of the 49 countries listed, barely topping Azerbaijan and Turkey.At a parliamentary hearing held by the National Assembly in Yerevan on April 5, Martirosyan, the president of the Right Side nongovernmental organization, called for legal protection for transgender people in Armenia who often face harassment and violence.“I ask you to see me as a collective figure,” Martirosyan told Armenian lawmakers and activists. “I encompass in myself the tortured, raped, kidnapped, subjected to physical violence …  unemployed, poor and morally abandoned Armenian transgender's image.”Martirosyan, herself, has been attacked multiple times on the streets of Yerevan. Three months ago, her teeth were broken and her head was badly injured, she told The World.She says the police didn't do anything, and that she and her community don't feel safe.In fact, her NGO tallied 283 crimes against transgender people who were “tortured, raped, kidnapped, subjected to physical violence, burned, immolated, knifed, subjected to murder attempts, killed” in Armenia from 2016 to 2018.Right Side, which claims to be the first and only organization that works to ensure protections for transgender people and sex workers in Armenia and in the South Caucasus, saw Martirosyan's speech as a victory for themselves and the rest of the LGBTQ community in the country.But not everybody was celebrating.As soon as Martirosyan's three-minute speech ended, Naira Zohrabyan, a member of parliament from the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) who chaired the meeting, asked her to leave the hall.Zohrabyan called her speech “disrespectful,” adding that it had nothing to do with the agenda that day. The hearing was meant to cover issues of judicial reform and disability rights.A few days later, on April 8, there was backlash against Martirosyan.More than 100 supporters of nationalist and conservative groups led anti-LGBTQ protests in front of the National Assembly against Martirosyan and her speech, according to Radio Free Europe. A few parliamentarians verbally attacked her. Lilit Martirosyan Credit: Courtesy of the Right Side  One MP said Martirosyan should be burned in Republic Square, a popular center in the middle of the capital.Ever since then, Martirosyan and the Right Side have received dozens of death threats. The NGO closed down for a few weeks but reopened its doors on April 25.Following Martirosyan's speech, in abusive videos posted online, “people dressed in military uniforms declared that they would find transgender activists and kill them. Local news media published home addresses for Ms. Martirosyan and her co-workers. Someone attached an Armenian flag to Ms. Martirosyan's home,” The New York Times reported.Max Varzhapetyan, the community and office assistant at the Right Side, says they will continue to work because it's their policy to be visible transgender activists.Varzhapetyan, who's bigender and uses they/them pronouns, says that they and Martirosyan are particularly at risk since they were both at parliament that day. The only places they go are their homes and the NGO's office to avoid harassment and violence, Varzhapetyan says, speaking on Martirosyan's behalf as well.“The whole situation changed after the speech,” said Varzhapetyan, 23. “Because previously, people didn't know who trans people were. Lilit's speech delivered a powerful message. And even if people hate us and want to kill us, they learned about what Lilit [said].”Martirosyan started her activism at age 13. And by 15, she started taking birth control pills for estrogen because she says there are no other options for transgender women in Armenia. Today, she goes abroad to Ukraine for hormone replacement therapy pills.Doctors refuse to treat transgender people because of the discrimination, she says.It's one of the issues her NGO is working to combat.In 2015, she became the first transgender woman in Armenia to legally change her name on her passport. The Right Side negotiated with the Civil Status Acts Registration Agency of the Staff of the Ministry of Justice to make the name change possible. Two years later, it became official policy in the country: Transgender people could legally change their names without having to provide psychological documentation or having three witnesses present, according to Varzhapetyan.But the organization says there's still plenty of work to be done.A transgender person is eligible to change their passport only if they've undergone sex reassignment surgery in Armenia.Although Martirosyan had the surgery, which was performed by a Russian doctor, she has chosen to keep her sex as “male” on her passport. She says she won't officially change her gender to match her identity until every transgender person in Armenia has the right to do so, with or without sex reassignment surgery.)Martirosyan and the Right Side have largely received international support. The United Nations office in Yerevan and the European Union both released statements condemning violence against the LGBTQ community in Armenia.But MP Zohrabyan says the whole country was shocked by Martirosyan's presentation on transgender rights.“We need time for that,” Zohrabyan said in Russian. “Our church is not ready for this conversation.”The state-financed Armenian Apostolic Church is believed to be the world's oldest Christian institution. It's widely seen as a major part of the country's national identity. After Martirosyan's speech, a priest burned incense to sanctify the area where she spoke, reported OC Media, a news outlet that covers the Caucasus region.“Our society is completely different,” Zohrabyan said. “It's not that of Holland, Austria or France. We need to accept our mentality the way it is.”Although Zohrabyan was widely criticized for her reaction to Martirosyan, which some called discriminatory, BHK officials wrote a statement defending the MP.The country's peaceful transition to government last year, known as the “Velvet Revolution,” spurred hope for a new Armenia. For the LGBTQ community, too.Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan “publicly denounced any threats of violence and hate speech” on “numerous occasions,” a spokesman said in an email to The New York Times.But many activists say that not much has changed for the community under Pashinyan, who was swept to power by the street protests.Brett Burnham, a gay man who moved from the US to Yerevan in August 2018 to work as a public health professor at the American University of Armenia (AUA), blames the lack of dialogue around these issues.“So, this idea that Armenians can't change or that this is just a patriarchal society might be true for now because people aren't willing to have these conversations, and the fact is — and there's data lots of data to support this — that LGBTQ people leave this country. They don't want to stay here they don't feel supported.”According to a 2015 report by Pink Armenia, an LGBTQ rights group, 5,891 citizens left Armenia due to discrimination based on gender and sexuality between 2011 and 2013 alone.At AUA, Burnham sensed a need for a safe space for gay, lesbian, transgender students allies on campus. That's what led him to start a group under conditions by the school's administration that he keep it anonymous. He would have to name it “International Students Meeting,” he said.Students would meet informally and share coming out stories, said Burnham, who researches cancer and LGBTQ health disparities in Armenia and beyond.  “These students are deeply traumatized,” he said.“I knew there was homophobia in Armenia, but I didn't know the extent to which it existed,” said Burnham, 35. “I was a little surprised. But then when I met the students, it was clear that they were petrified.”He didn't expect to be harassed himself. Especially not by his own students over email and social media.“I have been verbally attacked and attacked via email by students viciously, and there's no consequence for them because of my sexuality and the research that I do,” he said.In his course evaluations, one student wrote that “Dr. Burnham performed great as an instructor. In contrast, he is an extremely aggressive homosexual's advocate.” Another student said, “this is discrimination of students, because we are imposed to tolerate something that [we] don't want to invade our environment.”Half a year into his tenure at the public health department, he was asked to leave and never come back by AUA, a university accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission in California. His annual contract wasn't renewed. Burnham says he doesn't know why. He wasn't given a reason. He suspects it might be because of his sexuality.Yeva Margaryan, one of Burnham's advisees in the public health department, said she hasn't witnessed any harassment by the administration. But, she said, it is likely many students didn't understand why he was “talking openly about his sexuality.”“There are a lot of [gay people] in Armenia, but not very many are open,” Margaryan, 23, said. “I just think it's about our mentality. It's Armenia. And our culture is like that. I just want [Burnham] to understand that he has nothing to do with that.”AUA responded to The World's request for comment and said that it has a “non-discrimination policy in its hiring practices,” and that “Dr. Burnham offered information about his sexual orientation. However, that information was inconsequential in the hiring decision.”The statement continues, “Dr. Burnham signed a one-year contract. The decision not to renew his contract was made in accordance to the Armenian law and considering several factors, including the needs of the program and student feedback. Obviously, personnel matters are confidential and to protect the rights of the employee and the employer cannot be shared with third parties. But we assure you that Dr. Burnham's sexual orientation had no effect on the decision not to renew his contract.”Burnham, who is currently suing the university over an intellectual property issue, says that he feels exhausted, but “duty-bound,” to his students at AUA who respect him and his work. He's going to finish grading papers until the end of the semester. He says he's glad that this chapter of his life is almost over.As he packs his bags to leave Armenia next month, Martirosyan is more determined than ever to stay in her country and continue fighting for LGBTQ rights there.Editor's note: Lilit Martirosyan is no relation to Lucy Martirosyan, who authored this story. This story has been updated to further clarify what harassment Yeva Margaryan witnessed. 

Lilit Martirosyan misses the chance to go and sit somewhere outside to drink coffee. She hasn’t been able to do that for the past seven weeks. It’s too dangerous for her to even look out her own window.People can recognize her face now.She became the first transgender woman to speak to Armenia’s parliament last month. A video of her speech was shared around the world and applauded by LGBTQ activists and supporters. But she’s been getting death threats since then, and she’s afraid to leave the house.Armenia ranks as one of the worst countries to live in Europe for LGBTQ people, according to a new assessment this month by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe). The post-Soviet republic came in near the bottom of the 49 countries listed, barely topping Azerbaijan and Turkey.At a parliamentary hearing held by the National Assembly in Yerevan on April 5, Martirosyan, the president of the Right Side nongovernmental organization, called for legal protection for transgender people in Armenia who often face harassment and violence.“I ask you to see me as a collective figure,” Martirosyan told Armenian lawmakers and activists. “I encompass in myself the tortured, raped, kidnapped, subjected to physical violence …  unemployed, poor and morally abandoned Armenian transgender’s image.”Martirosyan, herself, has been attacked multiple times on the streets of Yerevan. Three months ago, her teeth were broken and her head was badly injured, she told The World.She says the police didn’t do anything, and that she and her community don’t feel safe.In fact, her NGO tallied 283 crimes against transgender people who were “tortured, raped, kidnapped, subjected to physical violence, burned, immolated, knifed, subjected to murder attempts, killed” in Armenia from 2016 to 2018.Right Side, which claims to be the first and only organization that works to ensure protections for transgender people and sex workers in Armenia and in the South Caucasus, saw Martirosyan’s speech as a victory for themselves and the rest of the LGBTQ community in the country.But not everybody was celebrating.As soon as Martirosyan’s three-minute speech ended, Naira Zohrabyan, a member of parliament from the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) who chaired the meeting, asked her to leave the hall.Zohrabyan called her speech “disrespectful,” adding that it had nothing to do with the agenda that day. The hearing was meant to cover issues of judicial reform and disability rights.A few days later, on April 8, there was backlash against Martirosyan.More than 100 supporters of nationalist and conservative groups led anti-LGBTQ protests in front of the National Assembly against Martirosyan and her speech, according to Radio Free Europe. A few parliamentarians verbally attacked her. Lilit Martirosyan Credit: Courtesy of the Right Side  One MP said Martirosyan should be burned in Republic Square, a popular center in the middle of the capital.Ever since then, Martirosyan and the Right Side have received dozens of death threats. The NGO closed down for a few weeks but reopened its doors on April 25.Following Martirosyan’s speech, in abusive videos posted online, “people dressed in military uniforms declared that they would find transgender activists and kill them. Local news media published home addresses for Ms. Martirosyan and her co-workers. Someone attached an Armenian flag to Ms. Martirosyan’s home,” The New York Times reported.Max Varzhapetyan, the community and office assistant at the Right Side, says they will continue to work because it’s their policy to be visible transgender activists.Varzhapetyan, who’s bigender and uses they/them pronouns, says that they and Martirosyan are particularly at risk since they were both at parliament that day. The only places they go are their homes and the NGO’s office to avoid harassment and violence, Varzhapetyan says, speaking on Martirosyan’s behalf as well.“The whole situation changed after the speech,” said Varzhapetyan, 23. “Because previously, people didn’t know who trans people were. Lilit’s speech delivered a powerful message. And even if people hate us and want to kill us, they learned about what Lilit [said].”Martirosyan started her activism at age 13. And by 15, she started taking birth control pills for estrogen because she says there are no other options for transgender women in Armenia. Today, she goes abroad to Ukraine for hormone replacement therapy pills.Doctors refuse to treat transgender people because of the discrimination, she says.It’s one of the issues her NGO is working to combat.In 2015, she became the first transgender woman in Armenia to legally change her name on her passport. The Right Side negotiated with the Civil Status Acts Registration Agency of the Staff of the Ministry of Justice to make the name change possible. Two years later, it became official policy in the country: Transgender people could legally change their names without having to provide psychological documentation or having three witnesses present, according to Varzhapetyan.But the organization says there’s still plenty of work to be done.A transgender person is eligible to change their passport only if they’ve undergone sex reassignment surgery in Armenia.Although Martirosyan had the surgery, which was performed by a Russian doctor, she has chosen to keep her sex as “male” on her passport. She says she won’t officially change her gender to match her identity until every transgender person in Armenia has the right to do so, with or without sex reassignment surgery.)Martirosyan and the Right Side have largely received international support. The United Nations office in Yerevan and the European Union both released statements condemning violence against the LGBTQ community in Armenia.But MP Zohrabyan says the whole country was shocked by Martirosyan’s presentation on transgender rights.“We need time for that,” Zohrabyan said in Russian. “Our church is not ready for this conversation.”The state-financed Armenian Apostolic Church is believed to be the world’s oldest Christian institution. It’s widely seen as a major part of the country’s national identity. After Martirosyan’s speech, a priest burned incense to sanctify the area where she spoke, reported OC Media, a news outlet that covers the Caucasus region.“Our society is completely different,” Zohrabyan said. “It’s not that of Holland, Austria or France. We need to accept our mentality the way it is.”Although Zohrabyan was widely criticized for her reaction to Martirosyan, which some called discriminatory, BHK officials wrote a statement defending the MP.The country’s peaceful transition to government last year, known as the “Velvet Revolution,” spurred hope for a new Armenia. For the LGBTQ community, too.Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan “publicly denounced any threats of violence and hate speech” on “numerous occasions,” a spokesman said in an email to The New York Times.But many activists say that not much has changed for the community under Pashinyan, who was swept to power by the street protests.Brett Burnham, a gay man who moved from the US to Yerevan in August 2018 to work as a public health professor at the American University of Armenia (AUA), blames the lack of dialogue around these issues.“So, this idea that Armenians can't change or that this is just a patriarchal society might be true for now because people aren't willing to have these conversations, and the fact is — and there's data lots of data to support this — that LGBTQ people leave this country. They don't want to stay here they don't feel supported.”According to a 2015 report by Pink Armenia, an LGBTQ rights group, 5,891 citizens left Armenia due to discrimination based on gender and sexuality between 2011 and 2013 alone.At AUA, Burnham sensed a need for a safe space for gay, lesbian, transgender students allies on campus. That’s what led him to start a group under conditions by the school’s administration that he keep it anonymous. He would have to name it “International Students Meeting,” he said.Students would meet informally and share coming out stories, said Burnham, who researches cancer and LGBTQ health disparities in Armenia and beyond.  “These students are deeply traumatized,” he said.“I knew there was homophobia in Armenia, but I didn’t know the extent to which it existed,” said Burnham, 35. “I was a little surprised. But then when I met the students, it was clear that they were petrified.”He didn’t expect to be harassed himself. Especially not by his own students over email and social media.“I have been verbally attacked and attacked via email by students viciously, and there's no consequence for them because of my sexuality and the research that I do,” he said.In his course evaluations, one student wrote that “Dr. Burnham performed great as an instructor. In contrast, he is an extremely aggressive homosexual’s advocate.” Another student said, “this is discrimination of students, because we are imposed to tolerate something that [we] don’t want to invade our environment.”Half a year into his tenure at the public health department, he was asked to leave and never come back by AUA, a university accredited by WASC Senior College and University Commission in California. His annual contract wasn’t renewed. Burnham says he doesn’t know why. He wasn’t given a reason. He suspects it might be because of his sexuality.Yeva Margaryan, one of Burnham’s advisees in the public health department, said she hasn't witnessed any harassment by the administration. But, she said, it is likely many students didn’t understand why he was “talking openly about his sexuality.”“There are a lot of [gay people] in Armenia, but not very many are open,” Margaryan, 23, said. “I just think it’s about our mentality. It’s Armenia. And our culture is like that. I just want [Burnham] to understand that he has nothing to do with that.”AUA responded to The World’s request for comment and said that it has a “non-discrimination policy in its hiring practices,” and that “Dr. Burnham offered information about his sexual orientation. However, that information was inconsequential in the hiring decision.”The statement continues, “Dr. Burnham signed a one-year contract. The decision not to renew his contract was made in accordance to the Armenian law and considering several factors, including the needs of the program and student feedback. Obviously, personnel matters are confidential and to protect the rights of the employee and the employer cannot be shared with third parties. But we assure you that Dr. Burnham’s sexual orientation had no effect on the decision not to renew his contract.”Burnham, who is currently suing the university over an intellectual property issue, says that he feels exhausted, but “duty-bound,” to his students at AUA who respect him and his work. He’s going to finish grading papers until the end of the semester. He says he’s glad that this chapter of his life is almost over.As he packs his bags to leave Armenia next month, Martirosyan is more determined than ever to stay in her country and continue fighting for LGBTQ rights there.Editor’s note: Lilit Martirosyan is no relation to Lucy Martirosyan, who authored this story. This story has been updated to further clarify what harassment Yeva Margaryan witnessed. 

Albert Camarillo, Stanford Professor emeritus of History, reflects on growing up as a Mexican American in the Los Angeles suburb of Compton and the profound effect of that environment and the opportunities it provided in shaping his scholarship and his life. He discusses racial restrictive covenants, changing demographics, school integration in the 1960s, and the value of playing team sports. As one of very few Mexican American students when he entered UCLA, he met his wife Susan and discovered the nascent field of Chicano history, going on to earn the first PhD in this field. Coming to Stanford in 1975 as an affirmative action hire, he praises senior faculty mentors in the history department. After founding Stanford’s Center for Chicano Research, he directed the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and credits Stanford for taking a chance and investing in the development of this new field. He mentions chairing a major two-year study, the University Commission on Minority Issues. And he notes that his service as associate dean of Humanities & Sciences helped him learn how the university works from the inside.

The higher ed sector has been relatively immune (or perhaps resistant?) to change since its inception, but in the past 10-15 years, and especially since the Great Recession, multiple things have changed, forcing changes on it. We now are seeing market forces unleashed, including consolidation, mergers/acquisitions, and closures as we’ve rarely seen before (and not in my lifetime). Understanding Higher Ed’s Situation To put what is happening in higher ed in perspective, we examine the higher ed marketplace through the lens of the product lifecycle (PLC). This is a tool marketing applies to products, but it also is relevant when examining market segments or industries. The PLC is made up of four stages: introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. The introduction stage is characterized by the organization building brand awareness; The growth stage is characterized by strong growth, and the organization building brand preference and increasing market share; The maturity stage is characterized by strong growth diminishing as “competition” rise and competitors offer similar “products.” This results in multiple possible marketing strategies including cutting prices, rethinking positioning and branding, and market consolidation; and The decline stage is characterized by sales significantly declining or having declined. In many cases, the product (or business) goes out of business or, as a last result, finds an acquirer (merger or acquisition). Higher ed finds itself in the maturity to declining stages as characterized by declining enrollments, lack of differentiation in the higher ed marketplace, and an increase in market consolidation (M&A activity) and/or college closings. There are many reasons why higher ed finds itself in this situation.    First, higher ed enrollment has decreased for a myriad of factors, not the least of which is changing demographics, i.e., the numbers of the “traditional” college age student has decreased.  Compounding this decrease, higher ed is becoming perceived as elitist, and many cannot afford its cost and/or the resultant student debt.  In other words, institutions are competing for a shrinking pool of students, and it costs more for an education that some feel isn’t worth the money spent or debt incurred. Second, there is an overabundance of education institutions – too many colleges and universities, and, with rare exceptions, they are offering the same types of programs, e.g., how many MBA programs do we need???  This has resulted in significant economic pressure on those small- to medium-sized colleges and universities who have a relatively small (or no) endowment. This pressure is compounded by cost curves that have been carved into stone over the last several decades. This is played out by larger institutions undercutting smaller institutions on price.  For example, the president of the University of Virginia recently announced that tuition will be free for families earning less than $80,000 a year, and if they earn less than $30,000 a year, they will get room and board. In another example, New York University is not charging their medical school students any tuition. Both of these institutions have large endowments to be able to do this, but how can the small- to mid-sized institutions compete? Lastly, there is pressure for the nonprofit higher ed sector to figure out what to do about the out-of-favor for-profit institutions. These three reasons, aside from the fact that there are market dynamics at play – there is more supply than demand – are driving many of the changes we’re seeing right now in higher ed. Mature and Declining Markets Give Rise to M&A Activity Some smaller colleges and universities under financial stress are looking for ways to solve their problems, and one way is merging with or being merged into another institution. The for-profit sector is a great example of where there has been significant M&A activity, e.g., Purdue and Kaplan forming Purdue Global, Strayer acquiring Capella, etc., as for-profits figure out their future when nonprofits are clearly in favor (and for-profits are clearly out-of-favor). This not completely changed, even with the change in administration. Mergers aren’t the only solution for this problem. Many for-profits are attempting the transition to nonprofit status, e.g., Grand Canyon University and University of Phoenix. However, this isn't always the easiest thing to do because of the regulatory permissions required from the Dept of Education and the institution’s accreditation body. Additionally, it doesn't solve their perception problems, at least immediately. Multiple Reasons for M&A Activity There are multiple reasons for increased M&A activity in the higher ed sector besides market forces at work, and we need to look at the reasons why M&A activity occurs.  Basically, there are three main reasons: New markets / customers New technologies Gain efficiencies in operations National University System is a good example of this – they’re on a buying spree and for all the right reasons. The National University System, a not-for-profit, currently has three nonprofit institutions under its umbrella: National University, the original mothership; JFK University in northern California, and the City University of Seattle, but over the past year, it has acquired Patten University for its technology and Northcentral University for its students and programs. M&A for New Technologies. In its acquisition of Patten University, NU acquired one of the best LMS systems in the marketplace. The system, which was called University Now, has been renamed Flex Course, and NU has adapted it for their own use. As part of the acquisition, National also acquired Patten’s courses which were heavily competency-based. This is also a good advantage in that they have been able to teach out the Patten programs and integrate the learnings into their current undergraduate programs. One thing that was critical in the acquisition was the ability to modify the LMS to ensure NU was able to continue to satisfy Title IV funding requirements which are driven by Carnegie units. Again, due diligence was critical in this respect. The technology was relatively new, and therefore it was easier to adapt it to satisfy Title IV funding requirements when doing CBE. Ultimately, NU has great hopes that this acquisition will help them to transform the online learning experience at all its universities. In other words, National did a great job in completing its due diligence. M&A as a Growth Strategy. There are two ways that institution grow. One is through organic growth, i.e., you decide you will move into the online sector and you build your program from scratch. Many institutions have done this, and the most recent (and possibly the most famous) of these is the announced online undergraduate program at the University of Pennsylvania, the first of the Ivy League institutions to go online with a program. The second strategy is acquisition, which is how the National University System is expanding their doctoral offerings. NU acquired Northcentral University (pending appropriate WSCUC and DOE approvals), an online for-profit university that offers mostly graduate education programs at the master and doctoral levels. This fills a gap that NU had at the doctoral level and adds to its ability to offer online and blended courses. National is already predominantly online – 51 percent of its students are in synchronous or asynchronous online programs – but its acquisition of Northcentral was critical in three ways. First, Northcentral is completely online and has 24 programs, the majority of which are doctoral, an area NU wanted to expand its offerings. Second, the Northcentral faculty are high quality and located in nearly all of the 50 states. The model that they use is one-on-one similar to the Oxford Tutorial Model, which having your faculty are distributed across the country is an advantage when using this pedagogy. Lastly, National acquires a pretty efficient OPM support back-office. As far as the culture goes, NU expects they will get some real experience bringing the for-profit Northcentral University into the NU System and converting it to a not-for-profit. National’s acquisitions have been very strategic in nature – they have looked at multiple opportunities and walked away from many. With these two, they’ve made good choices in line with their overall strategic plan and done the due diligence to ensure they are picking the right horse. Remember that Culture Issue We Had… Culture is critical when considering a merger. Years ago, when HP acquired Compaq, it was the culture differences that most impacted the success (or lack thereof) of the merger. The Purdue Global situation is a good example of the challenges merger entities can face. Purdue “bought” Kaplan, i.e., Purdue got the franchise of the online courseware from the Kaplan organization, while Kaplan retained the back-office processing and support, and the OPM.  Kaplan’s portion of the entity, still for-profit, is being paid for by the profits they're going to make, while the courses are offered through the not-for-profit Purdue Global. Many consider the merger between Purdue, a Tier 1 research university with a very high reputation and traditional faculty, and Kaplan, a good institution in its own right but a for-profit online, a very gutsy move – especially when one considers the faculty culture aspects. Why is there resistance to this change is relatively simple to understand. Culture. The integration of cultures is never easy.  Sometimes, when two cultures come together as Purdue and Kaplan are attempting to do, they merge like oil and water. And that's one of the most important things that folks doing mergers and acquisitions must think about – how the cultures align – because more than anything else, it is culture that can destroy a merger and eliminate the efficiencies that the merger is designed to take advantage of. Take for instance the merger of Kaplan and Purdue. Kaplan, a for-profit, and Purdue, a R1 university, are very different cultures, especially when it comes to faculty.  Regardless of the high quality of Kaplan, an institution which has stayed pretty much out of trouble in terms of the scrutiny of the for-profit community, Kaplan’s online degree programs themselves are a challenge to Purdue’s “in classroom” campus programs that a R1 institutions are experienced in providing. Faculty, and especially traditional, research faculty, generally tend not to like a lot of change, nor are they wild about online education. And we can just imagine what a traditional, research faculty such as Purdue’s felt about merging with a for-profit online institution. From all reports, the faculty was furious when the merger was first announced – their “brand” was being diluted by this incorporated new global entity called Purdue Global that included a for-profit institution. The merger has progressed, and faculty and administration appear to have come to a truce, at least for now. That said, Purdue is spending significantly to market Purdue Global – it is in almost every market with TV and radio ads – while trying to keep marketing positioning separate between Purdue and Purdue Global.  It has yet to be seen as to whether they are able to keep their faculty happy about it or the branding separate, but that’s a whole different kettle of fish. The Future of the For-Profit Sector The for-profit sector is not going to disappear, as much as much of higher ed would like it to. However, there are market forces at play here too, and the for-profit sector may morph its way towards a higher concentration of those who survived to be distributors of OPM or programs.  An example of this is MOOCs.  When you look at several of the MOOC organizations, e.g., Udacity, EDX, etc., these organizations are not just providing learning experiences, they are turning into distributors of traditional degree programs, including even graduate programs for R1 universities. This, plus being obvious merger targets, will continue the upheaval in this sector. We believe that we will see more mergers and less of the organic growth from for-profits, including for-profits becoming part of nonprofits similar to what is happened with Purdue Global, as well as mergers to share back office services. One example of this is TCS Education System, who provides back-office services for a number of institutions. These types of mergers could have a major impact in the online space, especially for small to medium-sized institutions, as it is almost impossible for them to establish the infrastructure to do an effective job in online education – the only way for them to get and/or stay competitive in the online space is to “outsource” back-office functionality. Federal Funding and Accreditation There are also a number of changes in regulatory and accreditation factors between Obama and the Trump administrations that are impacting higher ed. Federal Funding. In a recent talk given by Secretary DeVos, her current position is focused not on the change in the standards but rather more on making Title IV funds available for a broader variety of learning experiences. She conveyed a pretty strong feeling that we should not be committing all postsecondary education funding to what we now call hire traditional higher ed, but to improve the flow of federal funds to retraining programs. Accreditation. There are not a lot of people who believe that we will move dramatically away from the kind of accreditation process we currently have for a myriad of reasons, despite the upcoming Neg Reg process which begins in early 2019 focusing on accreditation and innovation. Big changes from in accreditation will need to include a willingness to think in competency-based terms. This will require a major shift away from the strict Carnegie method of determining learning, to more of a competency-based approach to assessing learning outcomes.  Simply put, it is much more important to know that people are learning and being able to demonstrate learning outcomes than it is to demonstrate how long they sat in a seat. However, changing this mindset will be very challenging as it has been this way for well over 100 years. Additionally, those with marketing backgrounds know that accreditation is the university system's greatest barrier to entry. It is important that universities meet a quality level, but the current system requires institutions develop prima facie evidence of quality, and many potential competitors get frustrated before they get accredited. This could be one reason why the accreditation system as we currently know it does not (and will not) change. Three Things University Presidents Should Consider Before Merger If you are considering merging with another institution, there are three things you should consider. First, culture. You must examine the cultures of the two organizations to ensure that they are mergeable, i.e., that the two cultures are not contrary to one another. There are clear differences between for-profit and not-for-profit cultures, and you must “test the water” and see just how much of a business the for-profit institution sees themselves as vs. it being a learning institution. Second, regardless as to whether it is a for-profit or not-for-profit entity, does the acquired institution have the programs, faculty and administrative support that is consistent and that will integrate effectively with your own. This is critical but especially critical with respect to faculty. Faculty generates and own the content, and it is essential you have a group who can drive the learning experience for students. That's not something that you can import easily – you must make sure that it fits your own model about how it's going to work. Thirdly, you have to look at the institution as a business. You (obviously) don’t want to take on something that is so broken that it cannot be fixed no matter how hard you try. For example, you have to ask yourself, are they hopelessly lost as a business model? Are their programs of interest to the marketplace? One of the biggest challenges institutions are having today is pruning and culling their programs, and leaders must have the courage to look faculty in the eye and say, “by the way, that course is costing us lots of money, and you only have five people in it. We know you may like it, but we can't continue to teach a course that students don't want.” That can be a really tough academic decision, but one that must be made. Wrapping Up We believe that the disruption going on in higher ed has just started and that surviving and thriving in the higher ed space will take intense focus to fine tune the systems, processes, and cost structure if institutions are going to compete and survive. Competition for the adult student has heated up dramatically. Whether we like it or not, this is not only because more traditional institutions have decided to get into the market, but also because multiple institutions are now competing on price, including those that have state subsidies federal subsidies, and/or have large endowments. This can make it very difficult for smaller institutions to compete against as it allows larger institutions to “give away” of their offerings. Bullet Points: The higher ed sector has been relatively immune (or perhaps resistant?) to change since its inception, but in the past 10-15 years, and especially since the Great Recession, multiple things have changed, forcing changes on it. We now are seeing market forces unleashed, including consolidation, mergers/acquisitions, and closures as we’ve rarely seen before (and not in my lifetime). Higher ed finds itself in the maturity to declining stages of the product lifecycle as characterized by declining enrollments, lack of differentiation in the higher ed marketplace, and an increase in market consolidation (M&A activity) and/or college closings. Some smaller colleges and universities under financial stress are looking for ways to solve their problems, and one way is merging with or being merged into another institution. There are multiple reasons for increased M&A activity in the higher ed sector besides market forces at work, and we need to look at the reasons why M&A activity occurs.  Basically, there are three main reasons: New markets/customers, new technologies, or gains in efficiencies in operations. Culture is critical when considering a merger, but the integration of cultures is never easy.  We believe that we will see more mergers and less of the organic growth from for-profits, including for-profits becoming part of nonprofits. The Ed Department under Secretary DeVos believes it should not be committing all postsecondary education funding to what we now call hire traditional higher ed, but to improve the flow of federal funds to retraining programs. Big changes from in accreditation will need to include a willingness to think in competency-based terms. This will require a major shift away from the strict Carnegie method of determining learning, to more of a competency-based approach to assessing learning outcomes.  One reason why the accreditation system as we currently know it does not (and will not) change is that accreditation is the university system's greatest barrier to entry. If you are considering merging with another institution, there are three things you should consider: Are the cultures mergeable? Does the acquired institution see themselves as a business vs. being a learning institution (or vice versa)? Does the acquired institution have the programs, faculty and administrative support that is consistent and that will integrate effectively with your own? Is the acquired institution in good financial situation, or is it so broken that it cannot be fixed no matter how hard you try?  Are they hopelessly lost as a business model? Are their programs of interest to the marketplace? The disruption going on in higher ed has just started, and that surviving and thriving in the higher ed space will take intense focus to fine tune the systems, processes, and cost structure if institutions are going to compete and survive. Competition for the adult student has heated up dramatically.   Links to Articles, Apps, or websites mentioned during the interview: Product Lifecycle: http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/product/lifecycle/ National University System: https://nu.edu Department of Education: https://www.ed.gov/ WASC Senior College and University Commission: https://www.wscuc.org/ Guests Social Media Links: Gerry Czarnecki Twitter: https://twitter.com/gerryczarnecki?lang=en Gerry Czarnecki Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theczar/ Gerry Czarnecki website: http://gerryczarnecki.com/  Your Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/ Twitter: @thechangeldr Email: podcast@changinghighered.com and drumm@thechangeleader.com