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

Myhisha, I see. Thanks for explaining. Of all the things you do, where would you say are your top 3-5 areas where you could use help? Robert Starks Jr.

Myhisha, If the institution makes decisions based on both employment projections from research and actual employment outcomes, do you know how decisions are made on eliminating programs or creating new ones if there hasn't been any tracking of data historically? I'm confused because I don't see how an institution can make data-driven decisions without data. As I understood from your previous statements, your institution has just recently formed a Career Services department in which you are the only one serving in the Career Services function. I imagine that very little data has historically been collected if this is the case.… >>>

Myhisha, If I am hearing correctly, it sounds like although some student services staff have been designated to "help" in career services, the reality is that this is not working. With a truly one-person shop handling 6 campuses, this is not sustainable and will produce an extremely limited result unless you have adequate staffing to achieve the goals that have been identified by the institution. If staff in different functional areas have been designated to "help," the "help" they provide must be clearly defined and goals must be established for them just as any staff member in Career Services would… >>>

Myhisha, It sounds like you have identified an opportunity for your institution as well as a feasible strategy to partner with Admissions. What would it take to advocate for what you suggest? Looking at program outcomes is absolutely essential to evaluate mission success. Robert Starks Jr.
Aliza, What tools (listening Posts) do you use to curate content to share on your platforms? Do you have any favorites? Do you use any other tools to manage your accounts or to automate posts such as HootSuite, BufferApp, or IFTTT? I'm wondering what your experience is with other third-party apps to help you manage your accounts. Thanks for sharing with the group. Robert Starks Jr.
Discussion Comment

Aliza, I think this is a personal decision and our job as Career Professionals is to simply educate students on the pros and cons of disclosing and sharing information on social platforms. As with anything, there are pros and cons and I think students must be able to make informed decisions about how they disclose, share, protect (to the extent possible) and manage what they choose to disclose and publish on social media platforms. This entire process is part of the skill of building and managing one's personal brand. This is how I respond because, ultimately, it is a personal… >>>

Aliza, When you say your Facebook is targeting current students and alumni to help current students and alumni feel a part of the community, I am wondering if you can share your methodology for measuring the achievement of this goal. What are some key indicators for you that help you monitor your progress? Robert Starks Jr.

With all the conversations about the problems in higher education and the changes that must be made to adapt to the 21st century economy, it’s easy to lose sight of the large-scale challenges all colleges and universities face.  Here is a list of 5 that must be addressed by all institutions no matter if they are career colleges, private or public institutions:

 

1. Disruptive Technology

Disruptive technology continues to have a significant impact on institutions.  Examples include adaptive learning platforms that provide detailed, individualized information on student learning preferences and outcomes as well as social media platforms, academic… >>>

Discussion Comment
Aliza, Thanks for sharing this approach. I think proactively getting in front of students, explaining the benefits of social media usage and then providing step-by-step guidance is an excellent strategy to get students started. Do you do other workshops to continue educating students on how to build and manage an online personal brand, how to display proper "netiquette" or how to strategically network? What strategies do you have in place to address other "social media" topics? Robert Starks Jr.
Aliza, Does your career services department have a Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter account or are these accounts for your school in general? How do you use each channel differently and can you identify what your primary goal(s) are for each channel? What it is you are wanting to accomplish and how have you been able to determine progress/achievement of goals? Robert Starks Jr.

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