EDUP Xcelerated Excellence Jacob Easley II, PhD, PMP

Our guest, Rodney Toulson, returns to the Xcelerated Excellence podcast. He is the founder of Restorative Consulting Service LLC. And in this episode, he outlines how restorative practice is operationalized through his consultancies and how the practice can aid in school renewal and excellence.



Rodney explains how his study and engagement with the International Institute for Restorative Practices, of which he is a graduate, set the stage for a career in restorative practice. He articulates the importance of collective responsibility of teams and their individuals members for effective restorative practice.



Rodney contends that at its core, restorative practice is about relationships and mindset. It is through the right relationships and mindsets that educational equity is made possible. He concludes with an invitation to join Restorative Consulting Services’ 4-week book study to learn more.



Host: Jacob Easley II, PhD, PMP



Resources:

EDUP Xcelerated Excellence’s Episode Inspirational Shorts with Rodney Toulson—Restorative Counseling

International Institute for Restorative Practice

The EDUP Experience

Our Guest, ⁠Dr. Ramon Goings⁠, is the founder of ⁠Done Dissertation⁠, a consulting firm aimed at helping more than 1000 students successfully complete their dissertations in one year or less.



Dr. Goings shares how his experiences as a doctoral student and the disruption of the COVID pandemic influenced the development and direction of the resources provided by Done Dissertation.



Working with doctoral students and universities across discipline areas, Done Dissertation offers collaborative and personalized services to support clients. The organization has created safe spaces for doctoral candidates to problem solve through their challenges for completing their dissertations. Equally, the services provided supplement the support provided through the traditional faculty committee structure.



Dr. Goings is also the author of ⁠14 Secrets to a Done Dissertation: A Guide to Navigating the Dissertation Process and Finishing in Record Time.⁠



Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by ⁠Xcelerated Excellence Consulting⁠, which provides customized, value-added consultancies to educational leaders and their organizations to meet their full potential for excellence through strategic planning and problem solving, continuous improvement expertise, and professional development.



Your Host: ⁠Jacob Easley II, PhD,PMP⁠



Resources:

Inside Higher Education: ⁠I’m Chairing My First Dissertation. What Do I Do?⁠

⁠The EDUP Experience⁠

⁠EDUP PCO⁠



#dissertation

#doctoralcompletion

#donedissertation

#HBCUalmuni

Our guest, Dr. Lisa Vollendorf, is the 6th President of SUNY Empire State University. Did you know that Empire State is New York’s only public, online institution of higher education?



Dr. Vollendorf shares the origin of Empire State University, for which equity and access were key drivers. The university offers two-year, four-year, and limited graduate programs. Graduates of the 2024 class range from age 17 to 77.



Empire is designated as an Autism Support College, recognized by the Anderson Center for Autism and is a leader in innovation regarding transferability of credits. Dr. Vollendorf explains how Empire is addressing the more than 40 million individuals in the United States who have attended college but have not completed or received credentials.



Listen to learn about Empire’s holistic approach for student support and more.



Your Host: Jacob Easley II, PhD, PMP



Resources:

Empire State University

The State University of New York (SUNY)

EDUP PCO

The EDUP Experience





#onlinelearning

#studentsupport

#autism

Our guest ⁠⁠Andrés Acebo⁠⁠, Interim President of ⁠⁠New Jersey City University⁠⁠ shares how he and the NJCU community have forged a new mission and vision for what he calls a “Student Ready” college.



President Acebo stresses the importance of shared governance, while insisting on ways to meet the needs of students and communities served. NJCU is federally recognized as a minority serving institution (MSI). Andy explains how his professional and personal missions are reflected back in the experiences and successes of the NJCU student body.



He shares his insights on educational effectiveness and equity and the recent Supreme Court ruling, banning race-based admissions for institutions of higher education (IHEs).



Your Host: ⁠⁠Jacob Easley II, PhD. PMP⁠⁠





Resources:

⁠⁠NJCU Admissions⁠⁠

ROI-NJ.Com: ⁠⁠For NJCU’s Acebo, Success Story Born of Opportunity, Affirmative Action College Ruling Hits Home⁠⁠

⁠⁠The EDUP Experience⁠⁠

Our guest Steven Simmons, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nilent, NIL Enterprise Solutions, shares experiences supporting college athletes for financial literacy, wellbeing, and social media branding.



Partnering with colleges and corporate bands, Steve shares how the Nilent service model reflects a mix of alturism and mercenary capitalism. The model is driving solutions in the wake of the recent federal ruling allowing college athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL). He underlies the importance of authentic engagement not only across Nilent services, but for athletes in branding, and colleges in educating.



Your Host: Jacob Easley II, PhD, PMP



Episode Sponsor: Elation Communications



Resources:

Federal judge blocks NCAA from enforcing NIL rules

EDUP Legal

EDUP The Experience

Dr. Kevin Kumashiro, Interim Dean for the School of
Education, Hofstra University, addresses the non-neutral role of schools in social equity. He explains that teaching should be seen as a collective effort, imagined differently. Unlearning and new learning about what effective teaching
is and can be is central to the liberatory function of education.



Dr. Kumashiro is a scholar and advocate of anti-oppressive education and share frameworks to guide educator preparation and educational equity. He shares examples of how to operationalize these frameworks across different contexts within the education profession. His inspiration is drawn from social movements.



Your Host: Jacob Easley II, PhD, PMP



Resources


Kevin Kumashiro
Against Common Sense: Teaching and Learning Toward Social Justice (4th Edition)
The EDUP Experience



Sponsor:


Elation Communication



#Liberatoryeducation

#anti-oppresiveeducation

#educatorpreparation