The college presidency: educational access and workforce development - President Aisha Francis

03/05/24 • 30 min

In the episode, Dr. Aisha Francis, President and CEO of the Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology, talks about access to education and workforce development, "one of the challenges we have is to push the limits of what it means to deliver access for all."
Aisha Franklin, PhD

In 2021, Aisha Francis, PhD, became the first female President in the 113-year history of Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology, now known as Franklin Cummings Tech. Dr. Francis is an award-winning academic, nonprofit leader, and strategist with broad experience in organizational planning, philanthropy, board development, and corporate communications. She believes in the ability of effective organizations and well-supported individuals to transform underserved communities for the better, which is her life’s work. She enjoys implementing dynamic new programs at best-in-class organizations that improve access to and equity of educational and economic opportunities.
In her previous role as the college’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Francis expanded the institution's network of supporters through external and government relations and oversaw the establishment of a new stream of workforce development programming that has since generated millions of dollars in contracts. Before joining the college, she served as the Managing Director of Development for Harvard Medical School, raising scholarship funds for underrepresented medical school students as well as diversity and inclusion
programs. She previously spearheaded marketing and fundraising for Economic Mobility Pathways and held leadership positions at the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and Boston Medical Center.
Originally from Nashville, TN, she completed her undergraduate education at Fisk University, then earned a master's and doctorate in English Literature from Vanderbilt University.
Resources
Working to Learn: Disrupting the divide between college and career pathways for young people (2020) by Noel S. Anderson and Lisette Nieves
Journal of Career and Technical Education https://journalcte.org/articles
Sinking Like Quicksand: Expanding Education Opportunity for Young Men of Color (2009) by Noel S. Anderson and Colleen L. Larson

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From faculty to administration: making the shift - Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert

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In the episode, Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert, provost at the University of the Pacific, talks about making the transition from faculty member to chief academic officer, " People are coachable and can develop their skills if they are interested in doing it."
Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert, Ph.D, B.A.

Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert serves as Provost at the University of the Pacific, a position she began in July 2023. Before joining Pacific as Provost, Gretchen served for six years as associate dean of the faculty at Scripps College, one of the five Claremont Colleges in southern California. Most recently she served for 15 months as acting vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty at Scripps College. She also has extensive experience working across all five of the Claremont schools, including serving as faculty
director of the Claremont Faculty Leadership Program. A molecular biologist who earned a Ph.D. from Weill Medical College of Cornell University/Sloan-Kettering Institute and a B.A. in biology from Swarthmore College, she was a biology professor on the faculties of Scripps, Pitzer, and Claremont McKenna and is a tenured faculty member in biology at the University of the Pacific. Gretchen was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Warsaw Institute for Genetics and Biotechnology in Poland in 2018-2019, where she has an ongoing research collaboration.
Resources:
Faculty to Administration, Making the Transition (July 2014) by Dr. Joann Bangs, Higher Ed Jobs
Reframing Academic Leadership (2009) Lee G. Bolman and Joan V. Gallos
The Balancing Acts of Academic Leadership: A Guide for Department Chairs and Deans (2021) by Jeanne A. K. Hey
From Colleague to Chair, Department to Dean: Faculty Members in Leadership Positions (June 2022) by Robert A. Scott, Higher Ed Jobs

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Student success; everyone's responsibility - Bernie Savarese

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In this episode, Dr. Bernie Savarese, vice president for Academic Affairs, Research, and Student Success at the University of Tennessee System, talks about the shared responsibility of student engagement for positive outcomes.
"Student success it is about more than just metrics, it is about life, families, dreams and communities".
Bernie Savarese, EdD, MBA
Dr. Bernie Savarese, vice president for Academic Affairs, Research, and Student Success, joined the University of Tennessee System in 2021. In this role, he convenes and works closely with the chief academic, research, and student affairs officers of the UT campuses. He also serves as the liaison to various state agencies and departments, and staffs the Education, Research, and Service Committee of the Board of Trustees.
From 2017 to 2021, Dr. Savarese served as the assistant vice president for Student Success and the Student Experience at New York University (NYU). There, he oversaw the creation of the Division of Student Success, led the university’s Student Success Steering Committee, and served as a subject matter expert to university leaders on the New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai campuses. Before joining NYU, Dr. Savarese worked at Ohio State University for almost two decades, most recently directing
the campus’ nationally recognized First Year Experience (FYE) program and serving on the leadership team in the Division of Enrollment Management. Before his time in FYE, he held various leadership roles across the Division of Student Affairs.
Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, Dr. Savarese grew up in the Appalachian region of eastern Ohio. He received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and an MBA from Ohio State University, a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Bowling Green State University, and his Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation from New York University.
Resources:
Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success 2nd Edition (2022) by Tia Brown McNair, Susan Albertine, Nicole McDonald, Thomas Major, Jr, and Michelle Asha Cooper
Thriving in Transitions: A Research-Based Approach to College Student Success 2nd Edition (2020) by Laurie A. Schreiner (Editor), Michelle C. Louis (Editor), and Denise D. Nelson (Editor)