Fac/Staff Lounge

Harvard Students React to Affirmative Action Decision

The SCOTUS decision on affirmative action has brought the act of access and the form of access into the spotlight. But in this episode Dr. De Veau speaks to two student activists from Harvard University who have opinions on what diversity and the quest for a diverse campus feels like. Kashish Bastola and Kawsar Yasin are Sophomores who have been vocal about the experience of students who are not part of the top of the socio economic spectrum. In this episode, we discuss why conversations about diversity must be more nuanced than enrollment figures.Kashish Bastola’s Time Magazine piece reflecting on his experience at Harvard and what diversity looks like and feels like on campus: https://time.com/6295329/harvard-diversity-problem-class-essay/ Office Hours with Dr. De Veau is a podcast designed for the Higher Education community by a Higher Education professional. It is produced by Davis Yas and Pod617 studios. Dr. Laura De Veau is Principal & Founder of Fortify Associates, LLC. If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to subscribe to Dr. De Veau’s Substack Newsletter, “What’s Up in the Academy?” and follow her on Social Media. https://linktr.ee/deveautrain

Stewart Reynolds of ’Brittlestar’

Hundreds of thousands of people watch Brittlestar, or Stewart Reynolds' videos every week. His comedic and family-friendly videos have been seen more than 600 MILLION times on various platforms. With a global fanbase, an invitation to the White House, speaking engagements all over North America, commentary segments on Global National, a panelist on CTV National News, starring in the Dreamworks TV show ‘Kid vs Parent’ with his youngest son, collaborations with celebs such as Ryan Reynolds, Gordon Ramsay and The Property Brothers, and meet-and-greets at PlaylistLive, Brittlestar is living the social media celebrity dream… not bad for a Dad from the suburbs.Brittlestar, his wife, Shannon and his two sons have created viral videos for a variety of brands and organizations such as Disney, ESPN, Subway, CBC, Walmart, Kal Tire and others. His book “Welcome to the Stupidpocalypse: Survival Tips for the Dumbagedon” is a wonderful read and laugh. Available at https://posthillpress.com/book/welcome-to-the-stupidpocalypse-survival-tips-for-the-dumbageddon To get your fill of Brittlestar go to: www.brittlestar.comFind @brittlestar pretty much everywhere on social mediaOffice Hours with Dr. De Veau is a podcast designed for the Higher Education community by a Higher Education professional. It is produced by Davis Yas and Pod617 studios. Dr. Laura De Veau is Principal & Founder of Fortify Associates, LLC. If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to subscribe to Dr. De Veau’s Substack Newsletter, “What’s Up in the Academy?” and follow her on Social Media. https://linktr.ee/deveautrain

Beth Devonshire, Assoc. Gen. Counsel, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Beth Devonshire, J.D. is currently the Associate General Counsel at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to her role, Beth served as a consultant for D.Stafford & Associates working with institutions on issues involving Title IX, Clery, threat assessment, and other compliance-related issues. Additionally, Beth served as the Associate Dean of Students at UMass Boston, the Director of Community Standards at Bridgewater State University, and the Director of Community Standards at Stonehill College. Prior to her work in higher education, Beth served as a law clerk for the Justices of the Superior Court in Massachusetts and in multiple roles at the Massachusetts State House.Ms. Devonshire is a faculty member in New England College’s Doctorate of Education Program and the Higher Education Administration program at Bridgewater State University. Additionally, Beth has served on the Public Policy Division for NASPA, is also the former Massachusetts Public Policy Liaison for MA NASPA, and also served as the Director of the Legislative Committee for the Association for Student Conduct Administrators (ASCA) for two years. Ms. Devonshire is a member of the Massachusetts Bar. She is a graduate of Stonehill College with a degree in English and Secondary Education and holds a J.D. from Suffolk University School of Law. She is also a trained mediator.Office Hours with Dr. De Veau is a podcast designed for the Higher Education community by a Higher Education professional. It is produced by David Yas and Pod617 studios. Dr. Laura De Veau is Principal & Founder of Fortify Associates, LLC. If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to subscribe to Dr. De Veau’s Substack Newsletter, “What’s Up in the Academy?” and follow her on Social Media. https://linktr.ee/deveautrain Resources: SCOTUS Decision: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/20-1199_hgdj.pdf Resources from the College Board: https://highered.collegeboard.org/recruitment-admissions/policies-research/access-diversity/2023-scotus-decision Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Address to the Boston University School of Law Class of 2023 https://youtu.be/idUqcMItAW0?si=c-5cSvIWZ5MPTAzu

When Your Campus Closes: An Honest Talk with VPSAs Who Have Closed the Doors

Closing a College is something a handful of VPSAs have experienced. And according to Moody’s the numbers are going to continue to rise in the years ahead. Dr. Laura De Veau has been there, and she has invited two Chief Student Affairs Officers to have a frank talk about their lived experiences closing campuses in 2023. Dr. Laura Lyndon was VPSA at Holy Names University (CA) and Eric Booth was VP for Student Development at Iowa Wesleyan University (IA). Join us for this frank conversation. This is a replay conversation from the final episode of Season 2 of “Office Hours with Dr. De Veau”Subscribe to Dr. Laura De Veau’s weekly Substack newsletter, “What’s Up in the Academy?” and follow her on social media. All her latest links are here in the Linktree: https://linktr.ee/deveautrain Transcript: Welcome to Season 3 of Office Hours with Dr. De Veau. We have had so many amazing shows over the last two years and we will continue in the season ahead. The Academic Year is here and US Higher Education is going through some things … between closures and mergers, wrapping our heads, hearts and strategies around what to do about holistic admissions in light of the SCOTUS ruling outlawing affirmative action … and of course our students and how are they doing and what are WE doing to build public trust in the promise that is Higher Education? For our new listeners, welcome. For our returning listeners, you will see something new, after two great seasons on the Fireside Platform, some analysis of our audience and our reach and, frankly, a need for some professional support, Office Hours has joined the Pod617 Family of shows. Welcome our producer, David Yas, a wonderful friend, lover of podcasts and an accomplished producer. He will be making sure that Office Hours sounds fantastic in your ear buds. More features will be added this year, but for you - just follow, download, share and RATE the shows. Rating really helps. Before premiering new content, I wanted to be sure that you caught our final episode of Season 2. My guests were Eric Booth, the former VPSA at Iowa Wesleyan University and Dr. Laura Lyndon the former VPSA at Holy Names University (CA). With the current state of closures and mergers in Higher Education, this show has some important insights into the impact of such an event. The next new show will be hitting your podcast feed on September 27, 2023 when we will be bringing in one of our favorite campus legal experts to weigh in on the SCOTUS decision, now that some dust has cleared and campuses are starting to develop their ‘holistic admissions’ practices. Thank you again for being a listener, and if you want more Dr. Laura De Veau content. Don’t forget to subscribe to my Newsletter, “What’s Up in the Academy?” on Substack, and follow me on social media. All links for subscribing and following are in the linktree in the show notes.

When Your Campus Closes: An Honest Talk with VPSAs Who Have Closed the Doors

Closing a College is something a handful of VPSAs have experienced. And according to Moody’s the numbers are going to continue to rise in the years ahead. Dr. Laura De Veau has been there, and she has invited two Chief Student Affairs Officers to have a frank talk about their lived experiences closing campuses in 2023. Dr. Laura Lyndon was VPSA at Holy Names University (CA) and Eric Booth was VP for Student Development at Iowa Wesleyan University (IA). 

 Show notes: 
The Surreal End of an American College / The Atlantic (2019) https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/06/what-its-like-when-your-college-shuts-down/591862/  HigherEducation fled this American Small Town and left a Ghost Town / USA Today (2022) https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2023/05/25/wvu-higher-education-montgomery-west-viriginia-impact/70243287007/  
Connect with Dr. De Veau: https://linktr.ee/deveautrain  Connect with Dr. Lyndon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-laura-lyndon-78b6984/  Connect with Eric Booth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-booth-b77a7899/ Be part of the next show https://f.chat/zesW

The Financial & Time to Completion Disadvantage Felt by Transfer Students

Beyond Transfer is a series of White Papers produced by SOVA a Higher Education Consulting organization and several partners. The series highlights several challenges to the Transfer process and digs deep into layers of questionable business practices that have become standard in higher education. This 3-Part pod series will bring together writers and contributors to the white papers and we will unpack their findings and recommendations.  In our final episode in this 3-Part series, we are going to focus on the students and how the promise of transfer doesn’t line up with reality. With students today moving in and out of work and learning experiences at a higher rate, it is imperative that the transfer process be one that supports student outcomes.

Authors, Shanna Jaggars and Marty Alvarado, return to put a lens on the student experience and recommendations to improve it. Join us on Thursday, June 1 at 1:30 PM Eastern - Live on Office Hours with Dr. De Veau. The Next Evolution of Professional Development in Higher Education. Link to the 3 Beyond transfer White Papers: https://sova.org/beyond-transfer-publications/. TransferBOOST https://www.ihep.org/initiative/transfer-boost/. For more information on the PAB. including the full membership: https://sova.org/beyond-transfer. Connect with Dr. De Veau at https://linktr.ee/deveautrain  Be part of the next show https://f.chat/zLHr

Beyond Transfer Show 2: It’s Time for Accreditors to Care About Transfer Student Outcomes

The Beyond Transfer Policy Advisory Board (PAB) has issued a series of White Papers–referred to as the “No Easy Answers” series. The PAB is facilitated by Sova, a Higher Education Consulting organization and consists of a group of 12 expert practitioners who are laser focused on equity and understand how complex transfer and credit mobility are. The series highlights several challenges to the Transfer process and digs deep into layers of questionable business practices that have become standard in higher education. This 3-Part pod series will bring together members of the PAB who are writers and contributors to the white papers, and we will unpack their findings and recommendations. Accreditors have been flying under the radar, keeping their role within the HigherEd landscape to the work of maintaining and ensuring a degree of quality. Accreditors have great influence in institutional strategy and priorities. Transfer student degree attainment isn’t an essential aspect of accreditation, and the researchers at Beyond Transfer believe that without them, the needle on a transfer culture shift won’t happen. 

For this episode we will are joined by Ron Anderson and Maria Hesse, authors of the white paper. Recorded Live on Fireside: Office Hours with Dr. De Veau. The Next Evolution of Professional Development in Higher Education.  SHOW NOTES: Link to the 3 Beyond transfer White Papers: https://sova.org/beyond-transfer-publications/. For more information on the PAB. including the full membership: https://sova.org/beyond-transfer/. Connect with Dr. De Veau at https://linktr.ee/deveautrain Be part of the next show https://f.chat/Fw9V

Campus Approach to Transfers: A Bad Business Model

The Beyond Transfer Policy Advisory Board (PAB) has issued a series of White Papers–referred to as the “No Easy Answers” series. The PAB is a group of 12 expert practitioners who are laser focused on equity and understand how complex transfer and credit mobility are. (Not necessary to note – The PAB is facilitated by Sova, a Higher Education Consulting organization). The series highlights several challenges to the Transfer process and digs deep into layers of questionable business practices that have become standard in higher education. This 3-Part pod series will bring together members of the PAB who are writers and contributors to the white papers, and we will unpack their findings and recommendations. In the first show, we start by looking at the flaws of transfer enrollment strategy. The standard practice of transfer enrollment has structural issues that are hampering completion rates of students who are seeking to benefit from attaining a bachelor's degree. From how destination campuses view transfer credits to the financial business modeling, the overall business and process of transfer student recruitment and enrollment needs a fix. For this episode we will be joined by Lexa Logue, Shanna Smith Jaggars and Marty Alvarado, authors of the white paper. Bios of the authors: https://sova.org/beyond-transfer/. Link to the 3 Beyond transfer White Papers: https://sova.org/beyond-transfer-publications/. TransferBOOST https://www.ihep.org/initiative/transfer-boost/. For more information on the PAB. including the full membership: https://sova.org/beyond-transfer/ . Connect with Dr. De Veau at https://linktr.ee/deveautrain Be part of the next show https://f.chat/MHhj

Office Hours: May Think Tank Show!

The end of the academic year is here and the Think Tank is on hand to share insights into the latest HigherEd news. We will be focusing on public campus cuts and private campuses leaning into massive discount rates. Has HigherEd Learned anything? Articles Referenced:  West Virginia Slimming Down: https://bit.ly/4258KJ2  Vermont System President Steps Down: https://bit.ly/410B2mM  Connecticut State System Budget: https://bit.ly/3HDC8Ot  Tuition Discounts: https://bit.ly/42kaCgS  Ethical Poverty of Dorms for the Rich: https://bit.ly/3NCggqC  Connect with Dr. De Veau: https://linktr.ee/deveautrain Be part of the next show https://f.chat/tnSE

North Idaho College - A Red State Cautionary Tale

North Idaho College, a community college with an enrollment of nearly 10,000, is a cautionary tale for what happens when the President speaks up for what is right, faces off against a Board of Trustees who are squabbling and unqualified leading to the President being fired without cause, a law-suit, a loss of its insurance coverage, a Moody’s downgrade, mass exodus of executive leadership and is now on the precipice of losing its accreditation. Rick MacLennan is the former President of North Idaho College and will join me to discuss why Executive Leaders need to wake up - especially in the face of red state governance boards who are seeking to strip away institutional freedoms and quality. PRODUCTION NOTE: This episode had some challenging connectivity. Thank you for your grace with the audio quality. Connect with Dr. De Veau: https://linktr.ee/deveautrain Be part of the next show https://f.chat/eR6M