Play PodcastPlay Download PodcastDownload

Transcription:

Scott Webb: There are so many factors to consider when choosing a college, including location, academic programs, financial aid options, and more. And when you factor in the uncertainty due to COVID-19, your head can start to spend here to help us sort through all this today is Kirkwood Community College Director of Admissions. Mike Espinoza. This podcast is brought to you by Kirkwood Community College. I'm Scott Webb. So Mike, thanks so much for joining me today. You know, we're hearing that today's uncertain times have prompted a lot of college students at course, and their parents, to reevaluate college plans for fall. If someone is thinking about going to another college or university, or already going to one, why should they consider choosing or transferring to Kirkwood instead?

Mike Espinoza: Yeah, that's a great question. And you know, I think first and foremost, when you're considering a college, no matter what, you know, fit is always, you know, that's the first item that any admissions representative, any leader from a higher ed perspective is going to start with, or at least any good one, in my opinion, that fit tester sort of encompass a lot of different personal areas. But I think some of the main ones that are generally are hit would be the academic fit, the opportunities for great faculty, the cost, the proximity to kind of where you want to be in the world. At Kirkwood, you know, we feel that regardless of a pandemic situation or a situation that is somewhat unprecedented, like we're all going through right now. We feel like we check those boxes. Most of the time for so many folks, Kirkwood is going to offer world-class academics with diverse faculty who are dedicated to teaching and learning.

We're offering that at a cost that is really reflective of folks needs out there, not just right now, but in general, with the cost of higher education rising, everybody wants the most bang for the buck. And everybody wants to be more conscious and making sure that the value that they get in return is what they need and what they're comfortable with. And I think that when you look at Kirkwood's tuition relative to all of the opportunities that provides academically, socially, and then you take the proximity aspect for folks in Iowa in particular not only just in Eastern Iowa, but throughout the state. I think all of that, like I said, checks the boxes for so many and make Kirkwood maybe even a more appealing and compelling option that folks are considering or could start to consider during this time.

Host: Yeah, you're so right. There's so many things that we as parents think about, you know, I have a 17 year old, and he's going through this process himself and, you know, just there's that blanket thing of, well, I want to go college. Okay. Well, what do you want to study in college? And in where do you think you might want to live? And when it comes to classroom sizes, do you like small classrooms or Big lecture halls, and what about the campus life and activities and sports? And there's just so many things, you know, that all parents and all perspective students, you know, are going through and thinking about, and you touched on this a little bit, but what really sets Kirkwood apart from other schools, maybe especially now during this sort of weird and uncertain COVID time?

Mike Espinoza: Well, I think the Kirkwood has always been an institution that is about access, that is about providing opportunities for the community. We have such a diverse body of students, and that just simply means that we have to offer a lot to choose from and meet needs of so many students. And I think that right now, when this pandemic situation is, is affecting so many folks it's really highlighting individual needs and individual situations more and more. And so as the community's college, which we pride ourselves in and have been for many, many years, we want to be able to you know, certainly be flexible enough to look at every situation with personalism, with a sense of providing an understanding for individuals of what we can do to meet those needs. So for example, we have a robust staff in our office of admissions, which is also joined with our office of student life. So it really is admissions and student life.

Additionally, our admissions advisors are prepared then to usher students onto the additional areas of resources that will help sort of bring that student path to light. Our one-stop office will provide students with a financial aid, tuition and scholarship information and opportunities. We have direct connections to all of the academic departments. And so we'll be able to connect students to any academic department to continue the conversation. Student life and all of the various student social activities. We in the office of admission feel that. So the buck stops with us when we are working with students. And so we're prepared to usher students onto those continued connections so that whatever that path a student is needing to understand and know, we'll be able to connect to them and create a more dynamic experience. And so I think all of that brings forth a real, like I said, value that no matter whether it's today or whether it's three months ago or whether it's three years from now, I think that resonates for so many, but even more so in the current climate that we're in.

Host: So yeah, I think you're so right, especially now, but really any time I think that personal touch is so important and so key for young people as they think about which college or university to attend. And when we think about Kirkwood in relationship to others, let's say larger or more expensive institutions, how does Kirkwood compare if you will?

Mike Espinoza: When you look even past the cost of tuition, how it is a fraction of many larger public and private institutions, you look at the delivery of the academics and the value that you're getting in preparing yourself for whatever's next, whether it is to transfer onto, or to continue a bachelor's degree, whether it's to go right into a career whether it's to continue on in an already thriving career, you need that academic piece to be there. And for most folks, that academic piece is about being able to connect with the skills, being able to connect with the learning outcomes, and the faculty really, to be able to make sure that you're learning and understanding and applying what you're doing. And so at Kirkwood we pride ourselves in a small class size and the connection that our faculty has for teaching and learning. I think that when you look at even a situation like we're in with COVID-19, I think smaller class sizes are great for social distancing.

When you look at the opportunity to connect with a faculty member remotely, I think sometimes it's difficult to connect with faculty members and to get their attention, in a quote unquote normal situation, but even more so I think having that opportunity to connect with faculty that are prepared to do so, no matter what, in this climate, I think that's even more worthwhile. At this point in time, we want all of our students to be able to move forward and accomplish their goals as quickly as possible, right? The more time you spend, the more money you spend. And so we want to keep students on track to attaining whatever it is that they're looking to obtain, whether it is a degree, any credential, or just a set of classes and experiences that are going to move them forward. We want them to do that as quickly as possible. And so, you know, we really set students on that path to earn a degree faster than at many four year colleges and universities for all the reasons that I mentioned.

Host: So when we talk about academics let's talk about majors and other programs of study at Kirkwood. What are some of the options and advantages to Kirkwood?

Mike Espinoza: Kirkwood offers a lot of different paths when, when you think about a college degree or a college major, I think the first thing you think of are the more traditional liberal arts space degrees the degrees that are going to move folks forward to, you know, ultimately earning a bachelor's degree. We have many, many students that come to Kirkwood to study, to earn a bachelor's degree. And as I tell any one of those students, you need to think about when you arrive at Kirkwood, you are starting your bachelor's degree, even though you may not, you're not going to earn it from Kirkwood. We feel that positioning students who are looking to go on to earn their bachelor's degree in the mindset, they are starting their bachelor's degree with us, helps them move forward. But on the other side of that coin, there are many students that do not have any interest in earning a bachelor's degree when they come to Kirkwood, or at least not initially Kirkwood has a robust array of what we call CTE courses, which are technical education and career based education.

The Cedar Rapids, Iowa city, what we call the corridor area is you know, budding and booming with wonderful industry from wind technology to agriculture farming, to medical careers all across the board that do not require a four year degree that require a very distinct set of skills and training that Kirkwood is prepared to offer. And that many students come to Kirkwood to study and move on to, with salaries that rival and even surpass industries and livelihoods where a bachelor's degree is required, sometimes even a master's degree is required. So we have students that come to Kirkwood that are going to leave with that goal being attained, whether it is going on to a four year degree, if that's necessary for the kind of career and livelihood that they want to attain. Or moving forward, and in two short years, becoming certified becoming skilled to move on to you know, compelling and worthwhile careers, not only in the Eastern Iowa area, but just you know, throughout the country. So I think that's really, when you talk about academics, the core at Kirkwood and what has even surprised me as somebody who just recently started serving at Kirkwood took to come in and really realize everyday how much opportunity exists here, even compared to other parts of the country really is gratifying and something that we're all very proud of.

Host: So this is an amazing thing to say out loud, but I know that many of Kirkwood students graduate with absolutely no debt at all. I mean, how is that even possible? So how does Kirkwood help them make that happen, Mike?

Mike Espinoza: Yeah, absolutely. And again, it goes back to you know, understanding what you want in terms of the value for, you know, what the affordability is there for many students. And regardless we are one of the lowest tuition per credit hour in the State. You know, you, you can come to Kirkwood and take a full set of courses per semester for under $5,000, just in terms of blanket cost. Now, the trick to college education is that the cost of tuition or what many refer to, as a sticker price is not really the bottom line in terms of what students pay. We are very proud of Kirkwood to offer academic and merit based scholarships, something that is in my experience, coming from working at four year institutions, both public and private, and here at the community college, something is fairly unprecedented. We offer more than $3 million worth of scholarships for new students alone in terms of academic and merit. And that is based upon a high school academic credentials, that's based on a student's demonstrated ability to showcase their commitment outside of the classroom.

So to leadership, to charitable endeavors, to extracurricular activities we also have a state sponsored scholarship opportunity called the Last Dollar Scholarship that really focuses in on career and technical education, where they are made tuition free with the collaborative work of Kirkwood and the State of Iowa. So for industries that are high in demand, you know, from automotive, agriculture, as I mentioned wind and energy technology to medical programs, there are dozens and dozens of programs at Kirkwood that qualify for the Last Dollar Scholarship as well. So you combine all of that and you see how it is that students you know, really can come to Kirkwood and get a world class education and leave debt-free to go on. And have the opportunity then to pursue education beyond that, if they want. That they may not have had that same opportunity to have they started you know, in an institution where tuition, you know, is at the high end, and you're kind of forced to make some tough choices there. So really proud of that. And hoping to continue that legacy, you know, into the future.

Host: You know, it's never a good time to stop taking classes, because one of the things that happens to people when they take some time off, whether it's to work or get their lives together, is that they often don't go back. Why is not the time to take a year off of classes?

Mike Espinoza: The path to a college degree is going to take however long it takes for an individual. And so taking that time off simply delays goals and dreams, and not to put it in such simple terms, but that can have some effects in the long run. I don't know that I have to tell you certainly about how a college degree improves graduates employment and earning potential. But yeah, the evidence is there that a college degree significantly improves you know, one's employer prospects and earning potential overall. No matter if it's a two year degree, a four year degree or beyond. And I think for folks who are looking at college as that path toward, you know, financial and academic freedom in that way, the later you start, the later you get there. So I think that's, you know, first and foremost. And studies have also shown that folks who take time off tend to take longer than they originally planned.

I think it can be easy. And that's why you hear the term life happens right, for so much of us in today's world. Life can happen and all of a sudden one year can turn into three. A lot of things happen in that time. A lot of great things happen that time, too. Absolutely. I'm not certainly discounting that. You know, but I think that you know, the fact that the focus can, can sort of start to wane even the best laid plans can go awry. And the other thing too is we don't know the continual economic factors that are going to be a part of the pandemic situation that we're having right now. And when things start to return to normal, the economy very well may look different than it does now. And we want our students to continue to be prepared, and we want to encourage them to kind of stay on the cusp of being able to weather whatever storm happens, same for folks that are currently in industries working now you know, maybe coming back to sharpen their skills, as opposed to thinking that they can ride things out.

So there's a lot of factors. And my personal opinion is it's never an ideal time to take time away from your goals. And yet at the same time, you know, that's another reason just to come and have a conversation about it. We are not here in the business so to speak of getting folks to come to Kirkwood. We want to make sure that whatever their goals are, that we are prepared to advise and counsel and help students, prospective students make the right decision. Maybe that right decision is not to come to Kirkwood or to begin their college careers at this point. And so that's really a factor we want to make sure that students keep all of their options open no matter what.

Host: So, as we wrap up here today, Mike, anything else you want to tell people, or in particular, you know, when they're considering evaluating or re-evaluating, you know, where their child's going to go to college, what can we tell them?

Mike Espinoza: We know that families have many choices out there. We just want to be kept in mind. And this is, I think what the community college in general was created for to be a viable choice, among many choices, you know, but maybe to be first choice in so many of that, it sort of begins with the community college in terms of a search and goes from there, we're prepared for whatever the world brings. We're excited for it. And that doesn't change regardless of the circumstances, you know, the great faculty, staff and students at Kirkwood are the same in terms of their spirit and the sense about them in terms of desire to be at Kirkwood and, you know, understanding what makes us special. So we appreciate the opportunity to come on here and speak to you, definitely.

Host: Definitely. Well, it's great having you on, and I can hear the passion and the excitement in your voice. And as you say, you know, there's a lot that has changed. There's a lot that is different, but one thing that hasn't is everything that Kirkwood has to offer and why it was a great option before, and it is still a great option moving forward. So we hope everybody will consider Kirkwood and we'll reach out to you. If they have any further questions, we look forward to doing more of these podcasts. And I know you're at home with your kids and we know how stressful that can be for all of us working from home these days. So Mike, thank you so much for your time and stay well.

Mike Espinoza: Thanks so much. It's great to be on.

Host: For more information on Kirkwood Community College, or to apply for admission, visit kirkwood.edu. And thanks for listening to this podcast, brought to you by Kirkwood Community College. I'm Scott Webb stay well.