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

What is the most difficult obstacle to overcome in building an institutional culture which supports employment outcomes at every instance of the students tenure?
In thinking about your relationships with hiring employers, what do you feel is the key motivator for them to hire your graduates? Is it their relationship with a trusted career services rep or the quality of the graduate? How do you know?
There was a recent article http://finance.yahoo.com/news/employers-skills-gap-not-problem-100000789.html in the news which said that employers don't feel that it's their job to "fix" the skills gap that exists today. What role, in your opinion, do employers have in addressing this problem and is this something your institution is addressing?

Today’s Job seekers have never been more empowered as they are today. The sheer amount of tools, advice and sites they have at their disposal is large. This is especially true when it comes to using social networking sites like Facebook and Linkedin.

Although each of these sites are used for different purposes (personal vs professional), they do have something in common to aid the job search. They both tell jobseekers what company their friends currently work at. A relatively new tool called Jobs With Friends helps jobseekers leverage that important data so they can more easily get referred.

When… >>>

Editor Kevin Kuzma leads the second 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 differences between the various sectors of higher education. 

Higher education in the U.S. has a problem: More students are getting into college, but they're not finishing. One community college in Maryland has developed a program aimed at getting students to graduation day. This video is embedded from the Wall Street Journal site.

Higher Education's Lost Generation 

Hi Linda, I'm glad to have you as a course participant. This course is very focused on strategy and things to consider when implementing strategies using social tools to support achieving career services objectives. As you go through it, I encourage you to ask as many questions as you want and engage in dialogue to get the most out of it. I'm hear to help you any way I can and look forward to our interactions. Make sure to read through the forums - there have been many great discussions and I am confident you'll learn a great deal just… >>>

The Post-9/11 GI Bill has paid for nearly 1 million veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to go to school at a cost of about $30 billion since 2009. With an influx of over one million more veterans projected to enter higher education in the next several years, institutions should be prepared to serve veteran students. Military veterans represent a unique type of non-traditional student who must overcome distinctive challenges to reintegrate into the civilian workforce yet many employees never have special training to serve this population.

 

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) Executive Director and… >>>

Editor Kevin Kuzma leads the first 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 “Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count” initiative, and its impact on community colleges.

Discussion Comment
Hi Jason, What do you believe might be the root cause(s) for the challenge of communicating with past graduates? What do you feel are the root causes for the other issues you indicate and what are some intervention strategies you currently employ to address these obstacles? Robert Starks Jr.

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