Robert Pearl Starks

Robert Pearl Starks

Location: phoenix, arizona

About me

As Vice President of Product Development, I lead cross-functional teams of designers, developers, QA testers and product stakeholders to develop, launch, and improve products customers need and love. 

Previously, I've worked in a variety of leadership roles in education / learning & professional development. Through my experience, I've become accustomed to working across departmental silos and with various stakeholders (executives, end-users, faculty, staff, students / learners, alumni, parents, regulatory agencies, partners and employers) to facilitate collaboration and advance common goals. In my previous roles, I've advocated for student needs and driven organizational change that helped educators do their best work, students thrive in their careers, and employers connect with quality talent.

Despite different contexts, a common theme in my career journey has been to do work that contributes to a mission which improves people's lives. It's also always been important for me to work with an organization whose values align with my own. I'm a listener, empathizer, customer advocate, servant leader, and lifelong learner. I'm never satisfied with status quo, I constantly strive for "better," and I'm driven by genuine curiosity to solve complex problems.

“Work to become; not to acquire.” -Elbert Hubbard

Interests

social media, career development, training, higher education, web 2.0/3.0, career services, leadership, marketing

Skills

social media, marketing, training, consulting, management, strategic planning

Activity

Hi Robert, I have found that whereas many career services professionals use social media for data mining and skip tracing to help them track, document, and verify employment, not as many use social media as part of an integrated marketing strategy to increase career services participation and/or foster relationships sooner. What is your experience? How are you/will you be using these tools to help? Robert Starks Jr.

Hi Lauren, Whereas a size of an institution can certainly lead to specialized functional areas leading to different "departments," the size of a school alone isn't typically the only variable that should determine the division of work. It is quite typical for schools to have individuals serve in different functional capacities such as an instructor who also helps graduates with employment (typically a "Career Services" function). What is pointed out in the course is the interdependence of all aspects of the student life cycle which is similar no matter school size. For students, there is an enrollment process, a program… >>>

Colleges, under increased pressure to justify the cost of education, are having a hard time getting proof of graduates' success in finding well-paying jobs. Melissa Korn reports on Lunch Break. Photo: Erica Gannett for The Wall Street Journal.

Hi Lauren, I love that you use video to develop a "library" of your guest speaking program. How do you use the video exactly? Do the videos get hosted on the school's server in a "Career Services" area of a website or the student portal? Do you have a YouTube channel and use social media to further promote these videos to students? I'd love to hear the process you have in place. Robert Starks Jr.

Hi Lauren, I can share with you a few things that worked well for my team in the past. First, our staff met with students one-on-one starting, at the very least, 6 months prior to graduation. This was because we had a large population of students that required intensive case management services. During that time, one-on-one mock interviews were a heavy priority. Career services advisors would work with students repeatedly on interviewing making them as real as possible through a standard process we created. The repeated mock interviews not only allowed us to improve students' performance but gave advisors a… >>>

Editor Kevin Kuzma leads the third in a four-part series of interviews with Alex Tabarrok, associate professor of economics at George Mason University. 

Education Secretary Arne Duncan announces new rules requiring career colleges to do a better job of preparing students for gainful employment, or risk losing access to taxpayer-funded federal student aid.

Hi Kim, I hear you - scheduling can definitely be a challenge. Have you explored any distance methods such as webcams or recorded video? When conducting the mock networking activity, are students assessed and given feedback? What is evaluated and how is feedback given? Robert Starks Jr.

Hi Kim, Those are excellent recommendations. I'm not sure if your school already does this but I know of another institution that had similar industries as yours (creative) and had similar challenges. Another strategy they implemented was a formal periodic portfolio evaluation with students. The school established a timeline for each department for when Program Chairs and Lead Instructors would have "check-ins" with students to evaluate their portfolios and develop action plans to help improve students' work so that by the time students were in their final portfolio course, quality was improved. They required participation in a final portfolio show… >>>

Hi Kim, What you describe does indeed sound like there is opportunity to have improved processes in the admissions area to ensure students and the institution are better prepared for success. What practices do you believe can be implemented to address the lack of cohesion you mention? Robert Starks Jr.

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