All In: Student Pathways Forward

In this episode, host Marc Goldberg interviews Oregon Coast Community College graduate Cameron Vasquez who shares more about his experience in the nursing program at OCCC and now working as a registered nurse at Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital. He emphasizes the value of clinical rotations as part of his nursing program and how he views his employment at the hospital as a quality job. 

This is followed up with engaging conversations with the CEO of Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital Dr. Lesley Ogden and OCCC President Dr. Birgitte Ryslinge both reflecting on Cameron’s interview and sharing the importance and mutual benefit of the long standing partnership between the college and hospital to support both economic mobility for residents and employer workforce needs in a rural coastal region of the state. 

In this episode, host Marc Goldberg interviews three graduates from Columbia Gorge Community College’s Electro-Mechanical Technology program, who are all currently employed at General Electric (GE) Renewable Energy. Brian Irwin, a site supervisor, and Colby Williamson, a wind turbine technician, speak to how valuable the hands-on, practical education and training was at CGCC while also sharing their perspectives on the quality of their jobs and careers at GE. Senior services manager, Tyrel Quantrell, highlights the benefits of partnering with the college, participating in CGCC's program advisory committee and offering work-based learning opportunities. 

Dr. Marta Yera Cronin, the president of Columbia Gorge Community College, reflects on the interviews and discusses different ways the college advances racial equity and economic mobility by prioritizing job quality within the college and working with employers to advance good jobs and careers in the region. She also elaborates on how Future Ready Oregon 2022  and other state funding can assist the college in developing new programs that are responsive to changing industry skill sets and occupations. 

The All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast is a part of Oregon’s participation in the National Skills Coalition SkillSPAN network.

In the next episode of the All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast, host Marc Goldberg interviews Klamath Community College (KCC) graduate and current Cascade Comprehensive Care employee Emily Geise, Cascade Comprehensive Care CEO Tayo Akins and KCC president, Dr. Roberto Gutierrez.  

As a worker and college graduate from the Health Information Management (HIM) program, Emily shares her definition of job quality and highlights how her current position and career at Cascade Comprehensive Care aligns, in contract to another job she held prior to returning to college. She also speaks to the power of college work-based learning (internship) opportunities for students, and other policy and program components that support college completion and connection to quality careers.

Cascade Comprehensive Care CEO Tayo Akins reflects on the interview with Emily and talks about the incredible asset that KCC is to Klamath Falls employers in supporting their workforce capacity, broader economic development and retaining local skilled talent in the region like Emily.  

KCC president Dr. Roberto Gutierrez discusses the importance of strong employer partnerships like the one with Cascade Comprehensive Care and the critical role faculty and staff play in preparing and supporting students to achieve their academic and career goals. Dr. Gutierrez also shares his own personal community college story as the starting point for his own career as a college president. 

The All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast is a part of Oregon’s participation in the National Skills Coalition SkillSPAN network.

The All In: Student Pathways Forward season two launches with an introductory episode featuring a conversation with Maureen Conway, the Executive Director of the Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunities Program. This season will continue to elevate Oregon community college student voices to shape inclusive policies, practice and partnerships, but shifts the discussion to job quality and equity from season one’s focus on student basic needs insecurity. Job quality was a common issue raised by community college students during the first season, and a key  motivator for students in returning to college and pursuing postsecondary credentials. 

Maureen sets the stage for this season by offering an expansive definition of job quality that is guided by workers and shares more information on the Aspen Institute’s Job Quality Tool Library. She discusses the connections between basic needs insecurity and the lack of quality jobs for students while sharing opportunities community colleges and workforce development agencies have to influence job quality with their employer partners. 

The All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast is a part of Oregon’s participation in the National Skills Coalition SkillSPAN network. It can also be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast sites. 

In the season finale of the All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast, host Marc Goldberg facilitates a panel discussion with leaders in Oregon who were instrumental in landmark legislation that funds Benefits Navigators at all 24 public community college and universities to help students access benefits and resources that will support them to complete college and gain careers with economic mobility. The panelists include: Venus Barnes, Organizer-Community Food Justice at Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, Elizabeth Guzman Arroyo, Statewide Pathways to Opportunity and Community College STEP Consortia Director, Dan Haun, Director of Self Sufficiency Programs at the Oregon Department of Human Services, Emma Kallaway, former Government Relations Director at Portland Community College and Kate Kinder, State Strategies Director at the National Skills Coalition.

These colleagues share their reflections on what led to the passage of Oregon House Bill 2835 highlighting the role student voices and broad-based coalition had in compelling policymakers to pass this inclusive, student-centered policy. Panelists also describe the implementation of the Benefits Navigators bill to date and related wins from Oregon's 2022 short legislative session.  

In the next episode of the All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast, host Marc Goldberg interviews Southwestern Oregon Community College (SWOCC) student Zac Warner, college president, Dr. Patty Scott, and The Hope Center for College, Community and Justice Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield. 

Zac is a parenting student studying electrical engineering, who began in the college’s GED program. Zac speaks to the culture of care on campus sharing insightful recommendations on how colleges can support parenting and working students career pathways.

SWOCC college president Dr. Patty Scott discusses the critical role faculty and staff play in encouraging and mentoring students. 

Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield summarizes recent federal policy developments as well as The Hope Center’s 2022 priorities to support #RealCollege students like Zac. She highlights Oregon’s cutting edge career pathways and STEP program and the recent Benefits Navigator bill. 

TheAll In: Student Pathways Forward podcast is a part of Oregon’s participation in the National Skills Coalition SkillSPAN network.

This is part II of this All In: Student Pathways Forward episode that includes the second half of an interview by host Marc Goldberg with Portland Community College (PCC) President Mark Mitsui and then a conversation with Kermit Kaleba, the Strategy Director for Employer Aligned Credential Programs at Lumina Foundation.

Both President Mitsui and Kermit share reflections on the featured interview in part I with PCC Career Pathways student Shalease Williams. President Mitsui speaks further on the systemic barriers students face and how the statewide Pathways to Opportunity Initiative is helping Oregon community college students maximize benefits and resources, especially students experiencing basic needs insecurity.

Kermit discusses the Lumina Foundation’s commitment to racial equity and how the Foundation is investing in various state and college projects that support adult students in earning quality stackable credentials leading to good jobs. He highlights great work in Oregon with the STEP (SNAP Employment and Training) grant in which Shalease and many other students have accessed while taking coursework at the community college. 

The All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast is a part of Oregon’s participation in the National Skills Coalition SkillSPAN network. 

In the latest All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast episode, host Marc Goldberg interviews Portland Community College Career Pathways student Shalease Williams as well as President Mark Mitsui. Shalease speaks passionately about the value of stackable credentials for adult students and lifts up the resources and holistic faculty and staff support that are essential for adult and parenting students. President Mitsui reflects on the interview with Shalease and elaborates on the systemic barriers students face and solutions like Oregon’s statewide Pathways to Opportunity initiative and Career Pathways framework. 

This two part episode will also feature additional insights from the Lumina Foundation's Kermit Kaleba, who discusses the organization’s commitment to racial equity and how the foundation is investing in various state and college projects that support adult students to earn quality stackable credentials, increasing college completion and access to good jobs.

The All In: Student Pathways Forward podcast is a part of Oregon’s participation in the National Skills Coalition SkillSPAN network. 

This special edition of the All In: Student Pathway Forward podcast is focused on federal policy with a featured guest who is one of the strongest legislative champions in Congress for community colleges and workforce development, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, serving Oregon's 1st congressional district. Congresswoman Bonamici discusses how her federal policy work supporting community college students and workers has been shaped by her own community college student experience at Lane Community College. The Congresswoman talks about her leadership on current legislation that addresses the unmet financial need of community college students and emphasizes the different paths a student or worker can take to thrive including community college and workforce development programs but also registered apprenticeships. 

Katie Spiker, the Managing Director of Government Affairs at the National Skills Coalition, provides a valuable update from the Hill on the historic passage of the infrastructure bill and describes the status of the Build Back Better Act. She offers a helpful summary of what funding can assist higher education students, workers, apprentices and small and medium sized businesses in these two key pieces of legislation. Katie also shares how important it is for community college students, faculty, staff and champions to continue to advocate for legislation towards an inclusive economic recovery. 

The interviews with Congresswoman Bonamici and Katie Spiker were recorded prior to the House of Representatives passing the Build Back Better Act on Friday, November 19. 

This episode features an interview with Clackamas Community College student Jacob Sieler who is studying Machine Tool Technology as a parenting student at the college. Jacob talks about how different staff and faculty at the college have helped him address financial constraints through accessing resources available to students including the STEP grant, Tech Hire and Metallica Scholars Initiative grants.

Clackamas Community College President Dr. Tim Cook shares his reactions to Jacob’s interview and highlights the unique Metallica All Within My Hands Foundation grant that has supported students at the college while generating excitement about career technical education programs.

Renee Richardson, Associate Director of the Metallica All Within My Hands Foundation, and Jen Worth, Senior Vice President of Academic and Workforce Development at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) elaborate on how the Metallica Scholars Initiative came about and the flexible approach the Metallica All Within My Hands Foundation and AACC have taken with community college grant recipients to tailor it to their students' needs, local economies and respective CTE programs while encouraging additional community partnerships to address student basic needs insecurity.