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

Hello Paulette, Whereas "over enrollment" may not be an issue at your campus, are there any practices in place at your institution during the admissions process that enable students to assess their career interests at the point of considering enrollment to align their interests with programs offered by the institution? In my experience, this seems to be a rare practice and I am curious if your institution does this, has considered it, or will consider. Thanks for sharing! Robert Starks Jr.

Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others. 

Hi Kristin, I'd have to agree with you that most institutions have simply started using social media tools but without intent. It is mainly used as another megaphone to make announcements when it has potential to be part of an integrated marketing strategy to achieve multiple career center objectives. It can help increase student awareness and participation, recruit program advisory board members, leverage word-of-mouth to discover career opportunities in the unadvertised market, and enhance career preparation and learning by strategically designing personal learning networks. These are just a few of the ways it can be used with purpose. Robert Starks… >>>

Hi Paulette, It's great you have such wonderful alumni engagement and that you have involved alumni in your career services programming. Some schools struggle getting alumni involved and keeping in touch with alumni. What do you think are some of the things your school does well that results in your alumni's continued participation? Thanks. Robert Starks Jr.

More than 40 million people are unemployed in developed economies alone. Here we explore the underlying causes of the jobs crisis and some of the ways business, government, and Higher Education can cooperate to create the millions of jobs that are needed.

Executive Director of National Commission on College and University Board Governance Jane Wellman discusses whether the higher education business model is broken and, if so, how it can be changed. Issues include seeking new sources of revenue, cross subsidizing programs, and rising costs, among others.

President of Kalamazoo College, Eileen Wilson Oyelaran, articulates some of the most-pressing challenges facing higher education today, including state, national, and institutional economic difficulties; public policy demands; demographic changes; and technology. The right response to these challenges for one institution might not be the right response for another.

Americans owe $1 trillion in student loan debt. How did that happen, and what's the impact on the nation's economy?  PBS delivers this brief report on the rise of student loan debt and the questions being raised because of the problem. 

 

Most employees enjoy the opportunity to learn and are eager to participate in training to advance their careers.  So why do some employees hate training and how can organizations prevent this from happening? 

 

1. Training as Punishment – Employee training and development can help enhance performance but some organizations use training purely as a disciplinary action when employees underperform.  This leads employees to view training as punishment.

How to Avoid: Support all employees with continuous training opportunities as part of your organizational development strategy.  Employees are energized about training that is truly available to support them, not>>>

 

 

Employee job satisfaction is critical to any institution’s success.  Dissatisfied employees are less engaged, less committed, and less likely to perform.  Studies confirm organizations that support their employees through training increase job satisfaction resulting in better business results.  Employee training, however, is not only linked to improved business results but is also a powerful factor in shaping employee attitudes.  It creates motivation for increased discretionary behavior and a satisfaction with career development that ultimately leads to increased job satisfaction of two types: intrinsic and extrinsic. 

 

Intrinsic Job Satisfaction

Intrinsic job satisfaction is when employees consider the type>>>

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