CCA On the Air

In this episode of CCA on the Air: Success to and Through College, we’re joined by Christa Acampora, Buckner W. Clay Professor of Philosophy and Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Virginia. Under her leadership, UVA has launched an innovative advising fellows model that embeds pre-major advising into the first-year academic experience through the En...

In this episode of CCA on the Air, Midwest Region Alliance Engagement Director Nichole Mann takes listeners inside Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) in Cleveland, Ohio, for a conversation that came straight out of CCA's Complete College Photo Library project. She sits down with Dr. Connie Kassor, Chair of the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Humanities Center and Mandel Scholars Academy, and M...

In this episode of CCA on the Air: Transforming Advising at Greenville Technical, we’re joined by Brett Barclay ( Brett. Barclay@gvltec.edu ), the Dean of Academic Advising at Greenville Technical College in South Carolina. GTC has participated in CCA’s Accelerator, a part of the Gates Foundation Intermediaries for Scale Investment, for nearly three years. Through this project, GTC has focused int...

In this episode of CCA on the Air , Alliance Engagement Director Dr. Jamia Stokes is joined by Dr. Anton Reece, President of West Kentucky Community and Technical College — a record five-time Aspen Prize top 10 finalist. Dr. Reece unpacks the philosophy behind WKCTC’s nationally recognized student success model, sharing how a data-driven, empathy-centered culture has produced outstanding outcomes...

In this episode of CCA On the Air , Alliance Engagement Director Jennifer Torres sits down with Dr. Carlos Cruz, Associate Vice Chancellor for Well-Being and Social Support at Dallas College. Together, they explore how Dallas College built a coordinated Student Care Network, transforming fragmented services into an integrated system of support for more than 100,000 students. Listeners will hear ho...

Midwest Alliance Engagement Director Nichole Mann speaks with Breana Brown, Program Coordinator at Illinois State University's Stevenson Center, about her journey from first-generation college student to passionate advocate for student success. Breana shares her unique perspective working with both graduate students and first-year undergrads, emphasizing the importance of shifting from a defic...

In this episode of CCA On the Air, Alliance Engagement Director Jonathan Gowin sits down with two leaders from the CollegeBound Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland: Khala Granville Williamson, Director of High School Programs, and Jennifer Covahey , Director of College Success. They explore how CollegeBound has built a comprehensive "to and through college" model that supports Baltimore Ci...

In this episode of CCA on the Air, recorded live at CCA's Data Days convening in Denver, we dive deep into Kentucky's ambitious journey toward its 60 by 30 educational attainment goal. Hear from higher education leaders across the state who are redefining what success looks like by moving away from rigid target-setting toward progress-based benchmarking. In Kentucky, constant communication...

Join Nichole Mann from Complete College America as she explores corequisite education in the sciences with Dr. Thomas Dickson from the Ohio Department of Higher Education and Geoff Woolf from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. This episode examines Ohio's Strong Start in Science initiative, which applies successful corequisite models from math and English to introductory biology...

Accreditation sits at the heart of higher education’s promise to deliver value, quality, and opportunity. But in 2025, the landscape is shifting fast, fueled by questions of accountability, the rise of alternative accreditors, and new expectations around data and student success. In this episode of  CCA on the Air , we sit down with Dr. Maria Toyoda, the new President and CEO of WSCUC. Together, w...

Join us as we sit down with John Fink, Senior Research Associate and Program Lead at CCRC, and one of the authors of  More Essential Than Ever: Community College Pathways to Educational and Career Success, to explore a decade of research on guided pathways reforms. We'll discuss how state and institutional leaders can implement proven strategies to help more community college students complete...

In this guest episode of the Voices for Justice podcast, host Alyssa Silva speaks with Dr. J. Luke Wood, the ninth president of Sacramento State and a nationally recognized scholar on racial equity in education. Together, they explore what it means to lead with courage during politically charged times, the launch of the nation’s first Black Honors College, and how innovation and resilience are sha...

On this episode of CCA on the Air, we explore the world of Open Education and its transformative impact on student success. Our guest, Lindsey Gwozdz, Assistant Dean of Libraries at the Community College of Rhode Island, brings a dual perspective—as a campus-based practitioner and a regional leader in the open ed movement. Together, we discuss the promise of open education (OE), what it takes to b...

Internships can be game-changers, but for many students, access to meaningful work experience remains out of reach. In this episode of  CCA on the Air , we hear directly from Complete College America’s student interns about how their internship experience has influenced their professional growth and shaped their views on the student experience.  They reflect on the realities of navigating college...

Join CCA Alliance Engagement Director Nichole Mann as she explores the concept of values-driven advising with Dr. Jeff Elliott, executive director of undergraduate academic advising at Purdue University. This episode examines how academic advisors can integrate their personal values with institutional mission to create meaningful student experiences. The conversation covers the holistic nature of...

What happens when you eliminate the guesswork from student support and create a single, visible entry point for help? At the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, a cross-campus team has reimagined emergency aid delivery through a bold “one front door” model—streamlining support, maximizing donor impact, and reducing time-to-aid from weeks to mere days. For institutions looking to operationalize...

What if small changes to how you structure your courses could dramatically improve student learning outcomes? In this episode, we sit down with Justin Shaffer to explore the world of high-structure course design and its transformative impact on STEM education. Justin shares insights from his collaborative project with CCA and Ohio, revealing practical strategies that faculty can implement without...

Student parents represent over 20% of college students nationwide, yet their unique needs often go unseen. In this episode, we’re joined by Catron Allred, Director of the Early Childhood Center of Excellence (ECCOE) at Santa Fe Community College, where the New Mexico Student Parent Alliance is housed. She shares how New Mexico is advancing student parent success through powerful data insights and...

CCA Alliance Engagement Director Nichole Mann interviews Dr. Blake Flanders, president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents, about workforce alignment in higher education. Dr. Flanders discusses Kansas's comprehensive approach to connecting education with career outcomes, including stackable credentials, applied learning experiences, and strategic reforms like developmental education and gui...

In this episode of CCA on the Air, host Jamia Stokes introduces listeners to Complete College America's other Alliance engagement directors: Jonathan Gowin, Nichole Mann, and Jennifer Torres. The conversation features all four regional directors who share their personal journeys, professional backgrounds, and the unique perspectives they bring to their work advancing college completion and closing...

This episode of "CCA on the Air" features an interview with Dr. Jonathan Anderson, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Eastern Washington University, about "unapologetic handholding"—a student success philosophy that provides intentional, high-touch support without compromising academic standards. Dr. Anderson explains how this approach helps demystify higher educ...

How can we help students discover a deeper sense of purpose in their education? In this episode, we explore how Nashville State Community College, in partnership with Motivate Lab, brings relevance affirmation research to life through the Values Connection Activity to strengthen students' sense of purpose, persistence, and belonging. Tune in to hear how this simple but powerful approach is tra...

Targeted networks and student-centered approaches can transform educational outcomes for under-resourced communities. By connecting Historically Black and Predominantly Black Community Colleges, Alabama Possible is changing narratives, amplifying student voices, and creating economic pathways in one of the nation's poorest states. Join CCA Alliance Engagement Director Jamia Stokes in conversat...

Building stackable credentials requires faculty to decide what skills are fundamental to students' future success. At Red Rocks Community College, business faculty decided that one of those skills is cultural intelligence, and students immediately connected with the concept. Learn more about CQ and how it supports stackable learning approaches in this episode of CCA on the Air with Stephanie Schoo...

Explore the vital connections between college completion and a thriving democracy in this session recorded at All In: The 2024 CCA Annual Convening. Join education leaders and innovators as they tackle one of today's most pressing challenges: restoring public trust in higher education while expanding access and success for all students. From innovative state programs to student perspectives on cla...