K-12 to Career: How Community Colleges are Accelerating Workforce Development
In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by a new co-host, Chad Bolser, a Chancellor from Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana. In previous roles, he served as vice president of Strategic Operations-Southern Campuses and Chancellor at the Richmond Campus. Chad was the athletic director at Richmond Community Schools for six years and the head coach for boys basketball for 10 years. We also bid farewell to Dr. Katie Lash as she embarks on a new chapter of her career as Ivy Tech’s Vice President for K-14 and Strategic Initiatives.
In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by a new co-host, Chad Bolser, a Chancellor from Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana. In previous roles, he served as vice president of Strategic Operations-Southern Campuses and Chancellor at the Richmond Campus. Chad was the athletic director at Richmond Community Schools for six years and the head coach for boys basketball for 10 years. We also bid farewell to Dr. Katie Lash as she embarks on a new chapter of her career as Ivy Tech’s Vice President for K-14 and Strategic Initiatives.
Some Questions I Ask:
- What news do you have to tell us, Katie? (02:12)
- Who is Chad Bolser? (03:51)
- How do community colleges (including Ivy Tech) impact their local areas? (05:25)
- How are K-12 educators expanding their role in preparing students for the workforce? (07:38)
- How are community colleges adapting to these changes? (10:14)
- What takeaways do you have from national conferences you attend? (11:33)
- How does thought leadership play a role in elevating Ivy Tech’s reputation and influence at the state and national level? (14:30)
- How does Katie’s new role (from K-12 to K-14) illustrate community colleges’ strategies? (19:36)
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
- Katie’s new career path (02:17)
- All about Chad Bolser (04:10)
- The growth of community colleges like Ivy Tech (05:45)
- Chad’s insights regarding K-12 and the workforce (08:00)
- Community colleges’ adaptation to AI (10:38)
- The evolution of community colleges nationally (11:52)
- The influence of Ivy Tech through thought leadership and education (15:25)
- Katie’s transition from K-12 to K-14 (20:36)
Quotes:
“One of the reasons that I like the term community college—as opposed to two-year or, when we leave off the community portion of that and just say college to try to stay in the higher education lane—is because we are the connectors of the community. And I think one of the reasons that we're having this moment when lots of folks are talking about how we can be integrators is because we're connectors. We connect to employer partners.”
“It doesn't matter whether it's an elementary student, a middle school student, or high school student, if you ask them about knowledge, rarely are they turning to the curriculum that they've been presented with. They're turning to their devices, they're turning to AI, they're turning to all of the options that they have. We shouldn't be surprised that they're also learning how to do a lot of things that we would have gone to classes for—and they're doing it in 15-minute increments on the internet. That's not a bad thing. That's a wonderful thing.”
“Accessibility has always been the core of what community college’s two-year experience has been for the educational system.”
Stay in touch with Dr. Katie Lash:
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Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
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Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
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About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
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Hello, Build Momentum listeners. We're excited to kick off season four of the podcast and we have some exciting changes to share this season. We're so thrilled for last season's co-host, Dr. Katie Lash, who recently left the service center to take on the role of VP of K-14 and Strategic Initiatives at Ivy Tech are so happy for her and wish her well as she focuses on her new job. The good news is that we're still keeping our Indiana connection and Chad Bolser and Chancellor from Ivy Tech will be this season's new co-host!
