EP143: CAMP at Washington State: Improving Student Outcomes for Migrant and Seasonal Farm Working Families — A 2024 Example of Excelencia
Release Date: 10/31/2024
EP157: Navigating Access and Opportunity in STEMM with Dr. Stephanie Rodriguez
In The Margins
In this episode, Dr. Stephanie Rodriguez, Director of the STEMM Opportunity Alliance (SOA) at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), sits down in the pod to talk about STEMM education, workforce development, equity, and policy advancement. From growing up in Indiana to earning her PhD in immunology, Rodriguez shares how a teacher’s spark changed the trajectory of her life — and informs her work to empower future scientists. In this conversation, with Diverse host Ralph Newell, she dives deep into the challenges and opportunities facing STEMM...
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EP156: Community Colleges & The Fight for Equity, with Dr. Carrie B. Kisker
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EP155: MEET JAYO ADEGBOYO | 2025 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Male Sports Scholar of the Year
In The Margins
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EP154: MEET JAIDA ROSS | 2025 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Female Sports Scholar of the Year
In The Margins
In this inspiring episode, we celebrate 2025 Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sports Scholar of the Year Jaida Ross from the University of Oregon. This conversation explores her journey from a small Oregon town to the Olympic stage, highlighting her excellence in academics, athletics, and community service. Jaida shares her path from discovering shot put in middle school to competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she finished fourth place, missing a medal by just inches. She reveals how she found her athletic calling in a sport that celebrated her body type and natural strength, contrasting...
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EP153: Tech Talent Starts Here: How the Last Mile Fund Supports Student Success
In The Margins
In today’s episode, we sit down with Ruthe Farmer, founder and CEO of the Last Mile Education Fund, for a powerful conversation about unlocking opportunity in STEM education. This discussion focuses on the Last Mile’s mission to support students in the final stretch of their degrees—especially those in high-demand fields like cybersecurity. Farmer also describes how the fund provides crucial support for tuition, certification exams, and even basic needs, helping students stay on track when it matters most. The conversation looks at the fund’s innovative partnership...
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EP152: A Remarkable Journey in Community College Leadership, with Dr. Walter G. Bumphus
In The Margins
In this inspiring episode we engage with Dr. Walter G. Bumphus, the outgoing president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), as he prepares to conclude his transformative 15-year tenure at the end of 2025. This candid conversation highlights his remarkable journey in higher education, from his early days at Murray State University alongside future community college leaders Dr. Ken Atwater and Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton, to becoming one of the most influential voices in community college leadership. Bumphus shares pivotal moments from his career, including his first...
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EP151: Catching up with Toni Morrison scholar and DEI expert, Dr. Marilyn Sanders Mobley
In The Margins
In today’s episode, we sit down with Dr. Marilyn Sanders Mobley, a distinguished scholar, author, and academic leader. As founder of the African American Studies program at George Mason University and former Vice President for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity at Case Western Reserve University, Mobley has spent decades shaping conversations on race, gender, and social justice — now serving as a diversity consultant. Mobley shares her journey as a literary scholar and how she helped establish the Toni Morrison Society, dedicated to preserving Morrison’s legacy. Her...
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EP150: Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms, with Dr. Marlee Bunch
In The Margins
In this episode we feature author and creator of the un/HUSH Framework, Dr. Marlee Bunch, to discuss the development of her framework for dealing with the challenges of implementing diverse narratives in today’s educational settings. Bunch shares how her experiences as an educator in diverse, low-income schools led her to pursue a doctorate focused on the oral histories of Black female educators in Mississippi during the civil rights era. She also explains how their stories informed the un/HUSH Framework, which emphasizes the following principles: uniting, naming, history, unlearning,...
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EP149: From Protest to President: A Social Justice Journey with Dr. George A. Pruitt
In The Margins
In this episode, we welcome Dr. George A. Pruitt, Thomas Edison State University president emeritus, for a thought-provoking discussion highlighting the past, present, and future of the civil rights movement, the importance of celebrating diverse histories, and the ongoing struggle for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education and beyond. Pruitt also offers a glimpse into his new book: From Protest to President: A Social Justice Journey through the Emergence of Adult Education and the Birth of Distance Learning. Throughout the conversation with Diverse host Ralph...
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EP148: Embracing Diversity, Fostering Belonging: How Affordable Access Transforms Lives at the University of Mount Saint Vincent
In The Margins
Meet , president of the University of Mount Saint Vincent in the Bronx, New York City. A first-generation college graduate herself, Burns is leading the university into the future of what higher ed should look like — an authentic, high-quality education for students of all backgrounds. Under Burns' leadership since 2021, the Mount is a Hispanic-and-minority-serving institution. Don’t miss the conversation as Burns and host Diverse host David Pluviose explore innovative strategies and the holistic approach that the University of Mount Saint Vincent uses to meet the needs of...
info_outlineIn this episode we sit down with Michael Heim, the Director of Migrant Education Student Access & Support (MESAS) at Washington State University Pullman (WSU).
Heim has overseen both the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) and the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) at WSU for seven years. Under his leadership, WSU CAMP has been selected as this year’s Example of Excelencia at the baccalaureate level.
Created in 2005 by Excelencia in Education, Examples of Excelencia is a national initiative that identifies and promotes evidence-based practices improving Latinx student success in higher education.
Tune in as Heim, and Diverse host Ralph Newell, dive deep into the inner workings of the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), which supports students from migrant and seasonal farm working backgrounds during their first year of college.
WSU’s CAMP serves a cohort of Latinx students annually, focusing on retention through evidence-based practices that positively impact these students' educational journeys. Despite its successes, the conversation also explores the challenges CAMP faces, such as the need for continued support beyond the first year and the role of community partnerships in sustaining student success.
This is the third feature in our series of four schools being recognized in 2024 by Excelencia in Education. In case you missed it, check out our prior episode featuring this year’s Example of Excelencia at the associate level: Getting to Know the EAP program at Reading Area Community College episode.
KEY POINTS:
- WSU emphasizes diversity, focusing on its growing Latinx population.
- CAMP supports students facing challenges, leading to a 10% higher graduation rate.
- More funding could further boost CAMP’s retention and graduation outcomes.
- How Heim’s work with CAMP has shaped his views on education access for underserved groups.
- Ongoing support from K-12 to higher ed is vital for migrant students.
- The University of Idaho tragedy underscores the need to validate student concerns and build trust.
- WSU and University of Idaho CAMP programs foster community among migrant students.
QUOTABLES:
“CAMP is a program specifically designed to help students who come from a background in migrant and seasonal farm working to have success during the first year and transition into their second year. – Michael Heim
"The stronger the foundation for that student, the more successful they'll be later." – Michael Heim
"The goal is to really serve the state as a land grant institution. We've noticed that at least one sector is kind of growing pretty quickly and that population is our Latinx student population." – Michael Heim
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In The Margins is produced by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education and edited by EPYC Media Network (visit at https://www.epyc.co/).