Podcast

Building a Community Beyond Higher Ed – with Nicole Terrell

It’s well known that a career in higher education leaves you with many transferable skills. Are those skills useful outside of your workplace? How can we use what we’ve learned working with students to better ourselves and our communities?  In 2009, Nicole Terrell joined COCM as a first-time Assistant Director in a brand-new residence hall…

Chosen for a Career in Higher Ed – with Rafael Cordwell

Rafael Cordwell believes that you don’t choose your profession, your profession chooses you. And in the beginning, Raf resisted a career in student affairs—despite encouragement from more than one of his supervisors at Southern Connecticut State. But higher education had other plans for Raf, and today, he aspires to impact campus culture and policy for…

Build Lasting Influence with Infrastructure – with Tricia Wells

“Build the bridge as you walk across it. Just find something and try it out and define it. And then over time, it becomes the normal that everybody’s used to—an efficiently run process.” In her ten-year career with COCM, Tricia Wells played a major role in developing the infrastructure we use today, creating several of…

Getting Connected on a New Campus – with Amy Lorenz

Student affairs professionals are sometimes hesitant to pursue a role with COCM, thinking that the transition back to a university setting will be challenging. Today, Amy Lorenz joins guest host Tara Wilkinson to share her successful move from facilities and operations at Capstone to UNF, explaining how to make connections on a new campus!

Leveraging Support to Initiate BIG Change – with Jes Lassiter

If you’re looking to make a big change, the first step is to share your intentions—and then accept help when it’s offered. Today, guest host Tara Wilkinson is joined by Jes Lassiter to explain how the support she received from colleagues in higher ed at COCM inspired her to pursue an extraordinary venture!

Marrying Access + Excellence in Higher Ed – with Dr. Eileen Strempel

How can we be elite without being elitist? Today, I’m joined by Dr. Eileen Strempel to discuss the marriage of access with excellence in higher ed. She shares her commitment to being an unabashed champion of transfer students and describes our responsibility to be responsive and welcoming to the shifting demographics of the student body.

Perspectives on Student Housing Facilities and Operations – Recorded LIVE at the 2019 Annual Meeting with COCM Assistant Directors

What all is involved in running a student housing site? And who are the people behind the scenes managing and operating all the jobs that need to get done? During the 2019 COCM Annual Meeting, we sat down with four assistant directors – with various roles, including building operations, maintenance, business operation, and residence life – to learn from their experiences and stories.

Reflections on Working in Student Housing – with Brian Collins

After working with COCM for over 10 years, IT Coordinator, Brian Collins, made the decision to move to a new company in a new professional field. Brian explains why he needed this shift and encourages others at COCM that the need for growth doesn’t necessarily mean leaving the company to find ways to stretch yourself – he suggests to engage in opportunities outside of your defined roles, and see what you learn.