The Program Pod

On this episode of the Program Pod, host Jason Varga celebrates two outstanding RCBC faculty members: Elizabeth Brendle, recipient of the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award and Assistant Professor of Nursing, and Faith Zimnes RCBC Professor of the Year and Assistant Professor of Dental Hygiene.

They share how they found their way into healthcare and teaching, what it means to put students first, and how they help students connect classroom learning with real-world patient care.

Ariel Howard, the 2026 President's Award winner at RCB, joins the show to talk about her journey and upcoming commencement speech. Ariel, a non-traditional student and full-time worker, overcame self-doubt to pursue early childhood education. She shared her military background, including 14 years of service and deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and her transition to the American Red Cross. Ariel emphasized the importance of perseverance and self-belief. She plans to continue her education at Rowan University and may volunteer at the Red Cross. Ariel's speech will encourage her peers to never give up on their dreams.

Take a deep dive into the biology program at RCB. Guests include Francesca Martelli, a three-plus-one biology major and member of the SEA-PHAGES program, Shannon Meadows, an assistant professor at RCBC and principal investigator for the SEA-Phages program, and Anne Tokazewski, also an assistant professor at RCBC and the architect of the 3+1 biology program, which allows students to earn a bachelor's degree from Rowan University for a fraction of the cost. The SEA-Phages program, part of the Science Education Alliance, involves students in identifying and isolating bacteriophages from soil samples. The program emphasizes hands-on learning, skill-building, and career preparation in various biology fields.

Debt Undone: 10 Years of 3+1 with Rowan & RCBC What happens when two leading New Jersey institutions rethink the cost of college? In this special companion episode, leaders from Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC) reflect on a decade of the groundbreaking 3+1 partnership, a model that has helped nearly 2,000 students earn both an associate and bachelor’s degree for about $30,000 total.

💰 $52 million in collective tuition savings

🎓 1,800+ graduates

📈 13 degree pathways (and growing)

🚀 A seamless, affordable path to a four-year degree Hear from the architects of the program and the students whose futures were transformed by it.

Less debt. More opportunity. Ten years strong. Learn more: rcbc.edu/rowan/3plus1 #rowan #rcbc

Meet the voices of the Class of 2025. In this special episode, RCBC Winter Commencement student speakers Omalayo Akinwole, Sherria Hannah, and Yvonne Tai open up about the exceptional stories behind their journeys and what it means to step onto the stage at Votta Hall Auditorium.

With Veterans Day and Thanksgiving this month at RCBC, we wanted to take time to say thanks to our veterans for their service and salute some of our own on campus. We are joined by RCBC Criminal Justice student and Army veteran, Reginald Taylor, RCBC Adjunct Instructor for the Paramedic Science program and Air Force Veteran, Stephen Hodsdon, and RCBC Coordinator for Military Education and Veteran Service, Jennifer George. 

This episode comes to you from the RCBC Culinary Arts Center inside the demonstration kitchen. We sit down with RCBC Culinary student, Destiny Maldonado, RCBC Director of Culinary Technology and Hospitality, Chef Desmond Keefe, and Director of Economic Growth of Developmental and Regional Planning for the Burlington County Bridge Commission, Rob Wells. Gain insight into everything RCBC's Culinary program has to offer including teaming up with the county, local farmers and other partners to create the first ever farm to table dinner event benefit. 

Spring 2025 Commencement coverage rolls on featuring our captivating conversation with Health Sciences President’s Award Winner Emma Marett, who was inspired to be a pediatric nurse by the treatment she received while recovering from illness. She discusses her travels and tribulations all culminating to the success story she has become today which showcases the inner strength to never give up. 

Spring 2025 Commencement coverage continues with a conversation with the Humanities, Business, and Social Science Sciences Valedictorian Emmanuel Lewechi, who has a 4.0 GPA and is one of 467 semi-finalists for the national Jack Kent Cooke transfer scholarship. We tap into his affinity for creative writing and how he pushed himself out of his comfort zone helping him achieve life changing societal goals.

The first of our four-part Spring 2025 commencement coverage kicks off with a conversation highlighting the STEM Valedictorian Nakul Mittal who shares his experiences attending RCBC and his passion for computer science which lead to a fascinating research project in the popular world of AI.