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

Managing people has evolved from old approaches of "commanding and controling" to "developing and empowering." Over the years, managers have taken some responsibility for ensuring that their staff members maintain the knowledge and skills necessary to perform. Additionally, organizations have developed more expansive models of what development looks like. Compare the old versus new approaches below:

1. Focus on Poor Performers vs. High Performers

  • Old Approach: Poor performers are the only staff members who need development
  • New Approach: Every staff member within an organization should be developed with particular attention to high performers

2. Development as Responsibility of Human Resources>>>

It looks as though we've identified some common barriers that exists for non-traditional students. Some of those mentioned are: transportation, child care and family issues. What are some best practices that you've employed to help mitigate these barriers for your graduates?

Complete College America, a national nonprofit dedicated to growing the pool of American college graduates has published a report that outlines five of what it calls “game-changer” strategies that could dramatically increase the number of students who successfully complete college. The report provides evidence that implementing these “game changers” would result in more degrees and other educational credentials being awarded while closing attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations. Also, significantly, no changes in federal policy are necessary to drive forward with the reforms, although some federal policy changes could undoubtedly help quicken the pace of adoption. 

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Hi Linda, Student involvement is a great way to start off right before diving in. The better the understanding of the audience, their behaviors, and their preferences, the more intentional you can be with using social channels to achieve your goals. An issue I have seen is schools trying to use their channels for multiple, different purposes. For example, Admissions wants to generate inquiries (leads) whereas Career Services wants to brand the career center and increase student participation. The goals change the tactics, the messaging, the content....everything essentially. Consequently, some institutions have different accounts for different purposes. Take all of… >>>

Hello Amy, Using social media to post events (and other information) can certainly amplify your reach in your marketing efforts. Because you have identified that you are using social media in this fashion, I'm wondering if you can explain the following... 1. Are you using a Facebook page, profile or Group? What factors were considered in making the decision? 2. How are you marketing your Facebook presence to students so that they participate? 3. Have you established how to measure the success of your social media strategy? If it is information dissemination, what metrics could you review? What other goals… >>>

Hello Kathryn, Constant Contact has great software tools to manage your email and social campaigns - it's great your school has invested in this resource for you to use. I noticed you say you use social media to inform students of job openings and that it has been essential in helping graduates get placed. This raises 3 questions for me: 1. Does your use of social media differ in any ways from how you use email? Why or why not? 2. How have you been able to correlate success in graduate placement to your social media activities? 3. In what… >>>

Discussion Comment
Hello Amy, The challenge you describe is shared among others. Your approach to build strong supportive relationships and to help connect students with job opportunities prior to graduation is spot on! What tactics do you use to build these relationships with students prior to graduation? How might you incorporate the use of social media to help augment your existing strategy? Robert Starks Jr.

Editor Kevin Kuzma leads the third in a four-part series of interviews with George Boggs, President and CEO Emeritus of the American Association of Community Colleges and Superintendent President Emeritus of Palomar College. George talks with Kevin about the new and exciting changes at community colleges across the country. 

It’s December, which typically means many employees are beginning to think of their end-of-year performance evaluations.  Are the goals you set at the beginning of the year on track for success?

 

Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in the craziness of our day-to-day tasks, that at some point in the year, our goals start to look more like burdensome “to-do list” items rather than meaningful objectives with personal significance we set out to achieve knowing they would benefit ourselves and consequently, the organization and the students we serve.  As you reflect on 2013, you might find that you accomplished… >>>

George Boggs, President and CEO Emeritus of the American Association of Community Colleges, visits with Career College Central about whether or not colleges and universities need to do a better job of advising students on the programs they take.

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