Democracy's College: Research and Leadership in Educational Equity, Justice and Excellence for All

In this special-edition Illinois SUCCESS episode, we explore how campuses can leverage data and institutional research to improve holistic advising and other programs to support students to and through college to complete a credential or degree. Dr. OiYan Poon talks with Dr. Lindsey Back about the On-Track data system at the University of Illinois Chicago, and how this information informs her team's work to improve student success across campus.

In this episode, Dr. OiYan Poon—an author, speaker, and race and education scholar—talks with Dr. James Minor about how campuses can leverage data and institutional research to improve holistic advising and other programs to support students to and through college so they can complete a credential or degree. Dr. Minor is the chancellor of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

In this episode, Dr. OiYan Poon—an author, speaker, and race and education scholar—talks with Dr. Jay Gatrell, the president of Eastern Illinois University, about how institutional leaders can organize campus efforts to reduce the rates of D and F grades, also known as DFW rates, as well as reduce the number of course withdrawals by engaging in actionable, institutional research and data. Dr. Poon and Dr. Gatrell especially focus on gateway courses in their talk.

In this special edition of Democracy's College, OCCRL Associate Director Gianina Baker talks with Valerie Lynch and Deana Schenk about the critical roles of benefits navigators and HOUSE liaisons, two positions designed to help students access basic-needs resources such as food, housing, health care, and financial support. Lynch is the senior managing director at the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and Schenk serves as the senior director for student success at the Illinois Community College Board.

In this episode, Dr. OiYan Poon—an author, speaker, and race and education scholar—talks with Dr. Nick Branson about the different frameworks for understanding institutional data as well as creative ways that campuses can use a wealth of data to improve support systems that help all students succeed. Dr. Branson is the assistant vice president for strategic advancement at the College of Lake County.

In this episode, Dr. Gianina Baker, the associate director of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership, talks with Dr. Kimberly A. Griffin about the Institutional Model for Faculty Diversity and its role in advancing STEM equity. The conversation with Dr. Griffin, who is the dean of the College of Education at the University of Maryland, explores the model's connection to the NSF ASPIRE Alliance and its practical applications in higher education.

In this episode, Hannah Kuneyl, a senior research assistant at OCCRL, talks with Dr. LaDrina Wilson about her experiences and insights working at bistate community colleges in Illinois and Iowa as both an administrator and practitioner.

In this episode, OCCRL Director Lorenzo Baber talks with Lisa Castillo Richmond, the outgoing executive director of the Partnership for College Completion, about key findings she has observed in developmental education in Illinois. Drs. Castillo Richmond and Baber also cover where the state is currently at with developmental education reform as well as the importance of placement and the building out of the model.

In this episode, OCCRL senior research assistant H.M. Kuneyl, who coordinates OCCRL's yearly Illinois Community College Leadership Institute, talks with Terry Wilkerson, the president of Rend Lake College who partook in the institute's Journey to the President panel in 2023. Kuneyl and Wilkerson discuss the challenges and benefits of working in the field of postsecondary education at a rural community college, President Wilkerson's career trajectory, the qualities that make a good leader, and other topics.

In this episode, OCCRL research assistant H.M. Kuneyl, who coordinates the yearly OCCRL Illinois Community College Leadership Institute (ICCLI), talks with two individuals who were a part of the institute's first cohort. They are Andy Hynds, dean of math, science and business and the executive dean of academics at Richland Community College; and Brianna McClay, associate dean of student services at Kennedy King College in the City Colleges of Chicago. Hynds and McClay discuss their work as community college leaders and how the ICCLI they attended in May of 2023 influenced their outlooks and careers.