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 Michelle, I hear you and empathize with your frustration. I commend you for your own perseverance in doing your best to make a difference. I can also tell by virtue of taking initiative to enroll in this course, you care about your own professional development and seek to do your best. Perhaps there will be a time when your talents will be used at another institution that shares your philosophy and implements practices that support quality graduate outcomes throughout the entire student life cycle. Robert Starks Jr.

Hi Michelle, Because a top-down approach for change requires those with authority to implement change, my question was if you had ideas on how individuals could be change agents taking a bottom-up approach. In other words, what are action items/steps those without authority can do to influence the process of change for the betterment of the institution. I see some of your practical ideas in your response such as working closely with Admissions, voicing concerns with other departments, and the need to specifically advocate for change with Director-level staff and build influencers. I ask the question not just to you… >>>

Hello B, Thank you for sharing this excellent point. The listening you mention is critical in providing tailored, personalized service for employers and in doing so, improving your applicant-to-offer ratio and hopefully, a long-term partnership in which your institution has preference over others because of outstanding customer service. Robert Starks Jr.
Hi Michelle, Great insights and comments! Thank you for sharing! I think your question is valid regarding why institutions would want to consider using the old placement model in today's economy. For institutions to change, we really are talking about a cultural shift that requires buy-in from the top. That's a tall order for anyone, particularly when one may not have the authority to implement change from the top down. In that case, what ideas might you have on how one could champion change from the bottom up? Robert Starks Jr.
Hi Sheri, Do you have a process for determining which employers can "sponsor" classrooms? This is an interesting practice and I'm wondering how the school determines which employers can sponsor and in what manner. Can you share how this has worked? Robert Starks Jr.

Employee benefits are the number one driver of college costs, according to Jane Wellman, especially for public institutions, which often don't control benefit packages themselves. Where institutions are saving money is in faculty salaries, with the growing practice of using adjunct over tenured faculty.

Professor Stephen Brown, Professor of Learning Technologies, De Montfort University discusses what Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are doing for Higher Education.  He discusses the problems, the opportunities, and shares insight from a pedagogical perspective of the MOOC.  

 

@garlandwilliams : Although the author, Jonah Deaver, suggested tips for "Career Colleges," as indicated by the title of his guest post, I don't think he was suggesting that other types of institutions don't need to do the same thing (or shouldn't).  I think he was simply addressing his audience since he was specifically writing content for the career college lounge.     

Hi Sheri, Thanks for sharing your example of institution-wide participation. Whereas events seem to be a long-standing practice among institutions, embedded core career curricula throughout the student life-cycle seems to be rare. Rather, many institutions have a single course that covers topics such as study skills with career topics such as resume writing mixed in. Why do you think a more comprehensive life-cycle approach to teaching professional and employability skills is more rare than it is common? What variables do you believe might influence this reality? Robert Starks Jr.

Editor Kevin Kuzma continues his conversation with Alex Tabarrok, associate professor of economics at George Mason University. Alex talks with Kevin about whether or not American parents need to rethink what careers they tell their children to pursue.

End of Content

End of Content