Rebuilding The American Dream Degree Insurance

President Thomas Hudson of Jackson State University has spent his career lifting others up, from his time as a lawyer with a private practice with an equity based focused, to his current tenure as Jackson State University's president.  

Dedicated to the community that JSU anchors, President Hudson has described JSU's role for students, employees, businesses, citizens as holistic. "This is being a beacon, if you will... To be a part of that solution to drive progressive ideas in in different ways of doing things, to help the surrounding community and make things better."

Listen to this episode of Rebuilding the American Dream to learn more about what President Hudson and JSU are doing to fortify its mission to produce ethical and technologically advanced global leaders who properly address societal problems and compete effectively.  

Dr. José-Marie Griffiths, president of Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota has spent her career in research, teaching, public service, corporate leadership, economic development, and higher education administration.  She has served in presidential appointments to several national committees, let projects for federal agencies and has received over 20 significant awards in science, technology, teaching and the advancement of women in these fields.

In this episode of Rebuilding the American Dream, Dr. Griffiths discusses the challenges and successes of preparing today's students for technical jobs that do not yet exist. We also delve into thoughtful conversation about partnerships between public issues and university research, up-skilling and stacking credentials and the benefit of having a guarantee on your degree.

President Troy VanAken has helped to grow Elmhurst University (IL) in ways not often seen consistently, and certainly incredible in the middle of a pandemic.
In this episode of the Rebuilding the American Dream podcast, President VanAken shared some of the keys to his success over the past 5 years and what he, the faculty and staff are doing at Elmhurst to build a sustainable model for their continued growth.

Before beginning his role as Trinity Christian College’s president in July 2015, President Dykstra served as mayor of the City of Holland, Michigan, and as the senior vice president and community president of Mercantile Bank of Michigan. A Summa Cum Laude graduate of Marquette Law School, he was a judicial law clerk for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and practiced law for 15 years.  President Dykstra also was a part-time member of the faculty at Hope College and served on the board of Northwestern College (Iowa), his alma mater.
In this recent episode of Rebuilding the American Dream, President Dykstra discusses the experiences that shaped his leadership style; how he and Trinity Christian College are finding new paths to adapt to the future of higher education and the importance of nurturing the totality of a person - brain, body, spirit and soul - for the betterment of the person, institution and surrounding community.

As a registered pharmacist, Dr. Cynthia Warrick is highly skilled at recommending treatments and remedies. Now in her historic career as an HBCU president, Dr. Warrick continues to be a problem solver and stabilizer in distressed environments. 
Dr. Warrick is a native of San Antonio, Texas and graduated from Howard University with the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, and completed the Masters of Science in Public Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Doctorate in Environmental Science & Public Policy from George Mason University.  
 The first female president of Stillman College joins the Rebuilding the American Dream Podcast where she discusses her drive for entering higher education leadership; the need to connect students to career and industries sooner and the importance of the general education core for holistic education. 

Dr. Julie Basler is President of Platt College in Aurora, Colorado. Prior to coming to Platt College in 2007, Dr. Basler served as the Coordinator of Fine Arts and Associate Professor of English and Speech Communications at Columbia State Community College in middle Tennessee for nearly a decade.  Dr. Basler earned her degrees from the University of Tennessee at Martin, Murray State University in Kentucky, and Middle Tennessee State University.

Fiercely proud of, and grateful for, her upbringing and education in small communities, Dr. Basler shares in this episode why individualized mentorship is life changing, helping  all students to feel valued; the importance of allowing our students to make, and correct, mistakes; and then celebrating the successes - especially the small ones.