A DISCUSSION WITH DR. REGINALD S. AVERY, PRESIDENT OF COPPIN STATE UNIVERSIY ON COPPIN’S ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY

The Journey Begins radio for the engaged parent and dedicated educator presents a discussion with Dr. Reginald S. Avery, President of Coppin State University on the role of higher education and community involvement.

Dr. Reginald S. Avery officially assumed the presidency of 109-year-old Coppin State University, on January 14, 2008. Dr. Avery, who was serving as Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of South Carolina Upstate, became Coppin’s fifth president, succeeding Dr. Stanley F. Battle. Dr. Avery brought more than 35-years of experience in higher education to Coppin State University and a strong allegiance to its mission and a pledge to advance excellence and effectiveness.

Dr. Avery had served as Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Professor at the University of South Carolina Upstate (USC) since 2003. In 2006-07, he served as the institution’s Acting Chancellor while the Chancellor was on sabbatical. Previously, he was Provost at Alma College in Michigan, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Kentucky State University and Founding Dean of the School of Professional Programs at Benedict College in South Carolina. He served on the faculty of the University of Tennessee and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. While holding leading posts at USC Upstate, Dr. Avery served on several boards, including those of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Urban League of the Upstate, and 100 Black Men.

Dr. Avery holds a Ph.D. from the Florence Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, an M.S.W. from the George Williams College of Aurora University, and a B.S. in sociology from North Carolina A&T State University. He and his wife Esther have three adult children and two grandchildren.

A DISCUSSION ON THE ROLE OF PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT WITH DR. ANDRÉS ALONSO, CEO, BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Journey Begins radio for the engaged parent and dedicated educator presents a discussion with Dr. Andres Alonso, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools on the role and importance of parental engagement.

At the age of 12, Dr. Andres Alonso emigrated to the United States from Cuba with his parents. Originally speaking no English, he attended public schools in Union City, New Jersey, and ultimately graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University. Dr. Alonso went on to earn a J.D. from Harvard Law School and practiced law in New York City before changing course to become an educator. In 2006 he was awarded a Doctorate in Education from Harvard University.

From 1987 to 1998, Dr. Alonso taught emotionally disturbed special education adolescents and English language learners in Newark, New Jersey. He worked at the New York City Department of Education from 2003 to 2007, first as Chief of Staff and then as Deputy Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, working closely with the Chancellor in planning and implementing the reform of the largest educational system in the nation.

On July 1, 2007, Dr. Alonso was named CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools), and immediately launched a series of innovative programs. In the first two years of his tenure, Baltimore City students reached their highest outcomes in state exams, across all categories of students. After elementary students made Adequate Yearly Progress across all No Child Left Behind subgroups for two consecutive years, City Schools exited “Corrective Action” status in 2009. The district also made significant steps toward disengagement in its 25-year-old special education lawsuit, and enrollment in City Schools increased for the first time in decades.
In his reform agenda, Dr. Alonso moved resources and autonomy to principals and school community leaders, while streamlining central office to provide guidance, support and accountability for schools. He also implemented an ambitious program to create 24 new secondary schools over four years, expanded alternative options and closed low performing schools, while focusing on increased student support. Under his leadership, City Schools aggressively enlarged the role of parents in the school decision-making process.

Dr. Alonso’s achievements have been recognized by newspapers and other prestigious organizations in the community. Among many other awards, in 2008 he was granted the “Audacious Individual Award” by the Open Society Institute Baltimore, and named “Innovator of the Year” by The Daily Record. In 2009 he was named “School Superintendent of the Year” by the Fullwood Foundation, and recognized as a “Hispanic Hero Award” winner by U.S. Hispanic Youth Entrepreneur Education. In May 2009 Dr. Alonso was named as only the third recipient of the “Howard Pete Rawlings Courage in Public Service Award” by the Greater Baltimore Committee. In August 2009 Dr. Alonso was appointed to the prestigious No Child Left Behind Committee for the Aspen Institute, a bipartisan effort to improve federal education policy to spur academic progress and close the achievement gap.

Part Two of an Exclusive Interview with Dr. Susan Aldridge

An Exclusive Interview with Dr. Susan Aldridge
President, University of Maryland University College

In a two part series, Dr. Susan Aldridge, President of the University of Maryland University College responds to eight questions from Education The Natural Bridge (ETNB).

ETNB: What role does business and industry have in the development of your academic programs and have you partnered with local and national organizations to enhance the academic achievement of UMUC students?

Dr. Aldridge: Every UMUC degree program is developed to meet the needs of our nation’s workforce, so that students can easily apply a degree to a career.

To ensure the quality and real-world application of our academic programs, UMUC has created a worldwide learning network, which includes a growing number of collaborative relationships with other institutions of higher education, federal, state and local governments, and corporations. One example is a recent collaboration with Booz Allen Hamilton, which inspired the university to launch the first-ever comprehensive higher education initiative to meet the growing demand for knowledge leaders in cybersecurity. This fall, UMUC is launching bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in cybersecurity, which were also created in response to calls from Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley to establish Maryland as a cybersecurity hub. UMUC’s new programs will help fill the critical need for thousands of cybersecurity professionals in the months and years ahead.

ETNB: How has technology allowed UMUC to expand internationally?

Dr. Aldridge: UMUC has had an international presence since 1949, providing education to military service members in Europe. Since then, UMUC’s online courses and student services have allowed the university to serve students no matter where they are, as long as they have access to the World Wide Web.

ETNB: Share with us how student services is delivered through technology and does student services look different to students in Distance Education?

Dr. Aldridge: Online and on-site students all benefit from the same commitment to outstanding student services. As a university with operations on three different continents and nearly 90,000 students located across 25 time zones, it is essential that we have a system in place to streamline student services and provide access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our student records have all been digitally uploaded through UMUC’s Singularity Suite, which enables student services to access student information quickly and efficiently. This technology, which was implemented in 2008, has helped streamline student services for both online and on-site students.

ETNB: If I say this statement, "Technology has further democratized education". Would you agree? If so, what would you add to that statement?

Dr. Aldridge: I would absolutely agree. Technology has made education more attainable and flexible for students looking to pursue a bachelor’s degree or advance their careers while working full-time and/or raising a family. It has “broken down the walls” of many brick-and-mortar schools, with 97 percent of two and four-year institutions offering some degree programs online. In fact, a recent survey showed that fall 2008 online enrollments were up 17 percent nationwide over the previous year, with about 4.6 million students taking at least one class online.

Especially in this economy, it is all the more important for institutions to offer more online opportunities for students to change or enhance their careers.

An Exclusive Interview with Anne W. Foster, Executive Director Parents For Public Schools, Inc.

The Journey Begins radio for the engaged parent and dedicated educator presents an exclusive interview with Anne W. Foster, Executive Director, Parents For Public Schools.

With an unwavering belief in public education and exuberant energy to change her community, Anne W. Foster founded a local nonprofit organization, Realtors Supporting Richardson Schools, to help thousands of students in the Richardson Independent School District (RISD) community. As a public education advocate and former elected school board member, she has profound respect and commitment for supporting parents across the country in diverse public education systems. She believes that in order to have quality public education, it takes support from all parts of the community. Parents are a vital part of that support. Parents must be involved, and schools must welcome them.

Most recently, Anne served as the first executive director of Raise Your Hand Texas (RYHT), a public education advocacy organization. While establishing the organization’s office in Austin, Anne coordinated lobbying efforts for RYHT’s legislative agenda focused on public school improvement and reform. Under her leadership, the organization’s membership expanded to nearly 20,000 members. Determined to enhance statewide advocacy efforts, she developed a 200-person Speaker’s Bureau. Anne traveled and spoke frequently throughout Texas about key education reform issues, creating a new statewide accountability system, and improving funding for pre-kindergarten.

An Exclusive Interview with Dr. James Earl Lyons, Sr, Secretary of Higher Education for the State of Maryland

The Journey Begins radio for the engaged parent and dedicated educator presents an exclusive interview with Dr. James Earl Lyons, Sr, Secretary of Higher Education for the state of Maryland.

Dr. James Earl Lyons, Sr. became Secretary of Higher Education in March 2007. Before assuming this position, he was President of California State University, Dominguez Hills. A native of New Haven, Connecticut, he received a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a master’s degree in student personnel from the University of Connecticut, where he also earned his doctorate in Professional Higher Education Administration. In the spring of 2000, he received the Neag School of Education “Distinguished Alumnus Award” from his alma mater for his significant impact on education, his inspiration on others in their field, and for his considerable accomplishments and continuing level of achievement.

Lyons brings to the Maryland Higher Education Commission a wealth of experience and a personal touch to his presidency, having served in numerous arenas, from the Peace Corps and the classroom to executive offices and boardrooms. His inclusive style of governance means drawing on diverse elements of the community to develop and implement policy. Lyons has written and spoken extensively on myriad issues facing public education, and he has been a consultant to various agencies, boards, and commissions through the years on matters ranging from assessments of college presidents, analyses of magnet schools, busing and desegregation to the collective bargaining process and corporations reaching out to minority-owned franchises.

Before assuming the Dominguez Presidency, Lyons served education in a range of positions. He was President of Jackson State University (MS); President of Bowie State University (MD); Vice President, Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Education, Barber-Scotia College (NC), Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Director of Summer School at Fayetteville State University (NC). He also held key administrative positions at Kentucky State University and at the University of Connecticut.

Part One of a Two Part Exclusive Interview with Dr. Susan Aldridge

An Exclusive Interview with Dr. Susan Aldridge
President, University of Maryland University College

In a two part series, Dr. Susan Aldridge, President of the University of Maryland University College responds to eight questions from Education The Natural Bridge (ETNB).

ETNB: Dr. Aldridge, how long have you served as President of University of Maryland University College?

Dr. Aldridge: I just celebrated my fourth anniversary as president of UMUC. I came to UMUC in February 2006 after serving as vice chancellor for Troy University’s University College and eCampus in Alabama.

ETNB: What makes UMUC a unique learning experience for students?

Dr. Aldridge: At UMUC, our mission is to provide adult students with high-quality, affordable, flexible educational opportunities that meet those students’ individual needs. Whether courses are taken on-site (at one of our more than 150 locations around the world), online, or in a hybrid format that combines online and on-site study, UMUC offers students a variety of options to meet their education needs. Even if a student pursues a degree solely online, we offer many platforms for student and professor interaction. So while they are not face-to-face, online students still feel engaged through course forums and blogs. The vast majority of our degree programs can be completed completely online through our virtual campus, where students are able to access their classes from anywhere in the world 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Additionally, our faculty members are typically scholar-practitioners who are currently working in the fields in which they teach, bringing the real world into the classroom.

UMUC also has a rich history of providing higher education to our nation’s military personnel for more than 60 years, with operations in Europe and Asia. Our university provides on-site courses to service members worldwide, including places like Iraq and Afghanistan.

ETNB: What is the enrollment of UMUC?

Dr. Aldridge: UMUC is the largest public university, serving approximately 90,000 students worldwide and offering 130 undergraduate and graduate degree programs online and on-site. While most of our students choose to take at least one course online, UMUC also offers face-to-face instruction at 21 locations throughout Maryland and in 27 countries and more than 150 locations worldwide. Additionally, UMUC has alliance agreements with all of Maryland’s 16 community colleges, and nearly 20 community colleges throughout the country, allowing students to transfer seamlessly from a two-year to a four-year degree.

ETNB: How has technology been used to enhance student enrollment, student services, and student learning at UMUC?

Dr. Aldridge: As one of the largest providers of online higher education in the nation, we have made it our mission to offer our online students the same high-quality education that students enjoy in our on-site classrooms. Having the highest quality of technology enables UMUC to efficiently deliver courses, make the transfer processes seamless, and the classroom experience comfortable and easily accessible.

UMUC hosts virtual open houses each semester, offering potential students the opportunity to be introduced to the university from the comfort of their own home, with advisors, staff, and faculty on hand to answer questions about degree programs, the application and registration process, and financial aid.

Once students enroll, our proprietary course-delivery platform, WebTycho, allows them to access UMUC anywhere they have Web access, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The software facilitates course delivery and provides an interactive classroom where students have direct and convenient access to professors, course syllabi, assignments, study and discussion groups, and the university’s online library, which boasts access to more than 100 premium databases of books, periodicals, and research, many of them full-text.

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DR. DIANNE LYNCH, PRESIDENT OF STEPHENS COLLEGE

The Journey Begins radio for the engaged parent and dedicated educator presents a three part discussion on the historical role and contributions of women only colleges and universities with three remarkable Presidents of these amazing institutions. Part two of this extraordinary conversation is with Dr. Dianne Lynch President of Stephens College located in Columbia, Missouri.

Dianne Lynch, Ph.D., became the 24th president of Stephens College on June 2, 2009. Founded in 1833, Stephens is the second-oldest women’s college in the nation. Dr. Lynch previously served as dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College (in Ithaca, New York), a school of approximately 1,400 students and 60 full-time faculty.

She is a former Fulbright Senior Specialist in new media technologies and learning; a member of the national accrediting council for schools of journalism and mass communication; and a member of the national Journalism Advisory Council of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Prior to becoming dean at Ithaca College in 2004, Dr. Lynch was a faculty member and chair of the Department of Journalism at Saint Michael’s College in Burlington, Vermont, a private liberal arts college of approximately 1,800 students. In that capacity, she won local, regional and national awards for teaching, including recognition in 1999 as the national Journalism Teacher of the Year. Dr. Lynch was the founding executive director of the national Online News Association. In that capacity, she was the editorial director of the first national study of the credibility of online news. She wrote a biweekly column about women and technology, “Wired Women,” for ABCNews.com from 2000 to 2003, and a weekly column on new media ethics for the Christian Science Monitor from 1998 to 2002.

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PATRICIA McGUIRE, PRESIDENT OF TRINITY UNIVERSITY

The Journey Begins radio for the engaged parent and dedicated educator presents a three part discussion on the historical role and contributions of women only colleges and universities with three remarkable Presidents of these amazing institutions.

Part one of this extraordinary conversation is with Patricia McGuire President of Trinity University located in Washington, DC. Patricia McGuire has been President of Trinity since 1989. Before coming to Trinity, Ms. McGuire was the Assistant Dean for Development and External Affairs for Georgetown University Law Center, where she was also an adjunct professor of law. Earlier, she was project director for Georgetown’s D.C. Street Law Project. She was also a legal affairs commentator for the award-winning CBS children's newsmagazine "30 Minutes" and the Fox Television program "Panorama" in Washington. President McGuire earned her Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude from Trinity College and her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. She is currently a member of the boards of directors of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, the Washington Hospital Center, the Women's College Coalition, the Washington Metropolitan Consortium of Universities, the D.C. College Success Foundation, Goodwill of Greater Washington, the National Defense Intelligence College, the American Council on Education, the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, United Educators, and the UNIFI Mutual Holding Company.

Education: The Natural Bridge Salutes An Icon: Donnie Simpson