Making MOVES for Military-Friendly Education with Courtney Swoboda

This episode of Central Speaks shines a spotlight on Courtney Swoboda, director of UCM's Military and Veterans Services Office and 2024 Higher Ed Military Spotlight Award recipient. Courtney’s decade of service in the Air Force and five years at UCM have shaped her into a transformative leader, redefining military-friendly education through her dedication and innovation.

Under her leadership, UCM's Military and Veterans Success Center is a welcoming, resource-rich space for military-affiliated students and their families. Her influence extends beyond campus with the creation of MOVES (Missouri Organization of Veteran Education Specialists), a statewide initiative connecting institutions to better serve veterans.

Join us as we explore what drives Courtney, the impactful programs she has championed, and the story behind a nickname that’s stuck with her over the years.

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Transcript

Alex Greenwood

Welcome to Central Speaks, where we highlight the University of Central Missouri's change makers who are busy redefining what's possible every day. Today we're honored to spotlight Courtney Swoboda, Director of UCM's Military and Veterans Services Office and the recent recipient of the prestigious 2024 Higher Ed Military Spotlight Award. This national award recognizes individuals in higher education who demonstrate exceptional innovation and commitment to supporting military affiliated students. And Courtney truly exemplifies these qualities.

 

One member of the Higher Ed Military Advisory Council described her as embodying, quote, passion, dedication, and innovation, noting her work in creating MOVES, the Missouri Organization of Veteran Education Specialists. This initiative connects institutions statewide to better address the unique needs of veteran students. Another council member praised Courtney's journey from a certifying official to director, saying she represents what's possible in this profession through her hard work and expanding expertise.

 

With over a decade in the Air Force, and five years at UCM, Courtney has built UCM's Military and Veterans Success Center into a welcoming, resource-rich environment for military-affiliated students and their families. From helping veterans transition to college life to launching impactful programs across Missouri, Courtney's leadership is invaluable not only in the center, but here at the university. So why don't you join us as we dive into Courtney's inspiring work, her vision for military education, and the difference she's making every day for those who serve our country. Welcome to the show.

Courtney Swoboda

Thank you, Alex, so much for having me. I'm super excited to be here.

Alex

You know, you are everywhere anyway. It's like I can't even open my podcast app and there you are on somebody else's show. I'm a little miffed you didn't start here, but that's OK. That's OK. That's OK. But seriously, before we get into the office itself and everything, I'm just curious about you and your life journey. How did you get into the military? How did all that work for you?

Courtney

Yeah, so I actually kind of thought about the military because of my middle brother. So I have two younger siblings and my middle brother thought, hey, I think I'm going to enlist in the Air Force Reserves. I was going to college, paying for college, realized how expensive it was, saw all the benefits he was getting and thought, hey, I could probably do that.

So I enlisted a year after he did and then kind of was like, man, I really like the military. I'm kind of lost in a sense. I didn't know what I wanted to do. So I moved back home, was finishing up my associate's degree, met my now husband and we moved to UCM and now I'm a two-time grad from here and I'm in the center.

It's been great to me. Then it's nice because we're right next to Whiteman Air Force Base and that's where I'm stationed at. So just kind of fell into it. I got really lucky. I worked at the Missouri Veterans Home for a couple of years, deployed while I was there. I went to Kandahar with the A-10s out with the 442nd. And then kind of fell into the certifying role at UCM. I wanted to expand and finish my bachelor's degree. And then I just absolutely fell in love with what we do in the center. So it just kind of fit.

Alex

You know, I've got several military veterans in my family one of my very closest friends was 82nd Airborne. And I always ask him this question: like, you know, back when we were in college, did you see yourself jumping out of perfectly good airplanes? He's like, heck no. I just wonder if you were ever on the flight line or nearby in Kandahar going, how did I get here? It must have been very surreal.

Courtney

I think we all kind of have that experience. And for me, my first career full in the Air Force, I was armament. So I loaded munitions on the A-10. I worked in the back shop, we worked on the loading equipment.

So kind of as a female for one, being in a male predominant career field, it was kind of surreal. was like, man, this is not something I do in the civilian world. So, kind of having that experience was really awesome. I get to talk about it and I've done it. So I'm very proud of myself for the things that I've done. I did that for six years. And then I was like, let's do something that I kind of do here at UCM. Let's kind of balance my military and civilian careers. And that's how I got into education and training. I did that for the past five years and now I just got a new position and I'm the talent management consultant. It's a long phrase. They call them TMCs. Acronyms are known in the military, so get ready. I'll probably throw a couple out, but I help with reenlistments with our unit in the maintenance squadron.

Alex

You know, and you were so kind and so were the folks at Whiteman to invite many of us from UCM. I was brand new in the position, and one of the first things I did officially was go as communications director and tour the facility. And I'll never forget going into the A10 area. Now, I've told you offline that the A10 is like, I think it's the coolest.

Courtney

Because it is. it is. It's absolutely the warthog. It's so cool.

Alex

But I remember you ran into another mechanic, female mechanic who was your friend. And I must confess, I thought the same thing. thought, you know, these women are doing the same jobs as everybody else here. And it's not by any means a safe job. You don't have to be in the plane to risk your life, so to speak. Loading armament cannot be just, you know, it’s not something you can sleepwalk through. It's got to be a lot of heavy work and the mechanics side of it. It just strikes me as the, I know our military trains people extremely well but was it ever daunting though that first day when you're like, okay, let's go?

Courtney

100%. Yes. And I'm so thankful for the supervision that I have. I mean, I'm still really close to one of my supervisors, Sonny. I always have to throw a shout out to him. He's one of my great mentors. His children actually come to UCM. So one of them worked here in our center with us.

They've become great mentors and family to my family. And I just think that the military is what you make of it. I'm a big believer in that. I've always kind of had a positive attitude and I've kind of gravitated towards positive people, which is great. And then I think in my role, it's nice now that I'm a senior leader in the military and here at UCM, my roles are pretty unique. And I like to try and tell people to give it a different perspective. You may not have the best experience with everything that you do in the military or with education but be open-minded to it and really listen and find those people to help you through it. I really try and be that person now in the military and here at UCM.

Alex

Yeah, well, we recently had a story on the TV about one of our students who's an airman and just extraordinary: JD Culp. And I'll try to remember, put a link in the show notes if you haven't seen that, read the story about this extraordinary young man. And what I was impressed by was I just got a hold of you as a courtesy to say, hey, by the way, I'm pretty sure you know James and we're going to be doing a story. And you're like, I'll be there. I'm like, OK. But that's the thing. You were there the whole time offering background available as a source, whatever you needed to do. And I kept saying to you, this is so kind of you. And you're like, no, this is what I do. This is for our people. I support them. And I think that's something that people in your entire department, kind of, it's infectious. That's way you do things. And I want to get to that in a moment, but first I have to ask you about MOVES. Can you kind of explain, especially to us civilians, what is MOVES all about and how did it come about?

Courtney

When I became the director, I kind of felt like, man, there's a lot to this position. There's a lot of things that on campus, people don't know what we do in the center, along with being a director. But I wanted to kind of gravitate. I like to collaborate. That's kind of in my nature. I just started making phone calls to other schools. So my parents live down in Springfield. So MSU thought of like a good connection. They have a great program down there. So I reached out to Raelene Ziegler. She's the director down there. And we kind of picked up a friendship. And we just started calling around other schools. She'd been in that position in the director role for a while too. And we were like, why are more people in our roles in the state of Missouri not talking? There's organizations across the nation, other states have things like this. we really wanted it to make it like, not to where like you have to pay dues, because there's all these different organizations we have to pay into. And it's kind of stressful because one, funding's tight and two, it's just a little overwhelming. So we wanted to make it a friendly environment and to where they would feel comfortable coming to us and asking questions.

There is turnover just like any other positions in these roles. So those new people coming in, we thought it was vital for them to get the knowledge outside of the training we received from the VA and the DOD, things that they wouldn't get trained on to try and help them. So we've really kind of built friendships and it's very open communication. We have a list serve so people can type in questions and no question's a dumb question in my book. I've been there, I've experienced it. So it's just nice to be able to help other people throughout the state.

Alex

It's a fantastic model and it's something I know my department here on campus, we're trying very hard to make sure that everybody understands. There are open lines of communication, and that's how we're trying to make sure we serve our partners well. And I can take a page from your book, and definitely an inspiration from you and how you're doing this and reaching out to people, because we're doing similar things. I won't bore the audience with what we're doing, but I just say it to say that I think it's your example is noticed, and it's really appreciated as much. Again, we're talking a lot to folks who don't normally, maybe if they're not in the military, have a family member in the military, but mean, the military aspect of our students brings quite a lot to UCM, does it not?

Courtney

Yes it does. Could you give us a little bit of that? know, kind of our background on campus, because a lot of people, one, don't know a lot about our center. I think over the last few years we've done a really good job of expanding our, you know, saying what we do here on campus, who we serve, and how can other departments work with us. So for us, last year we served about 1,600 military-affiliated students on our campus. So they could be on our campus, they could be online.

And to me, always like to point out too, my service doesn't just stop here at UCM. I love service altogether, but the military does not do a good job of explaining benefits. Last year we serviced about 1600 military affiliated students, whether they're on campus or fully online, or they could be living in the state and doing kind of a hybrid. We have a lot of students who commute from Lee's Summit and they stay here in our center all day long. But our center, kind of the three main things that we do is we process VA educational benefits, we process military tuition assistance, so federal and state and something that sets us aside from other kind of standalone centers is we process military transcripts. So we're reviewing those transcripts and trying to articulate as much of that credit as possible to try and basically give them credit for what they've done in the military towards their higher education degree. I think that is so valuable for us as a campus and for those service members because it just shows that we truly, we see what they've done in the military and we're giving them credit for it.

Alex

Well, and I can also imagine It's probably a little Byzantine--government processes and procedures. I think you alluded to that maybe the DOD doesn't always do a great job or the Veterans Affairs Center doesn't always do a great job explaining the benefits to veterans and to active duty, right? And so you guys seem like you're the translator.

Courtney

Yes. little bit there. It's very confusing. I remember when I was using my benefits. It's just kind of it gives you so much anxiety. You just don't know where to start. Right. And then if you have someone who's like, OK, here, figure it out, go to this website and apply here in the center, we don't do that. We're very hands-on. We tell students, let's sit at a computer together. Let's apply for these benefits together. You get to make the decision. Let's look at both benefits that you might be eligible for. Maybe take it home and think about it. Come back in and we'll sit down and apply with them for you. We'll sit down and go through the application for tuition assistance with you. We'll print out your schedule and sit with you while you apply for your funding.

We'll call your education service officer and ask them questions that they might need. So we really go through the entire process. We educate them. We do intakes. They take about an hour.

And we, you know, one of the first questions that I train my staff is get to know the student, ask them, and I say, okay, tell me what's your story? Are you in the military? Because we have a lot of dependents on campus. are you using transfer of entitlement? Are you not using benefits? And then it starts getting the wheels rolling for my staff and I because then we're like, okay, you're eligible for this benefit, you're not eligible for this benefit. have you thought of this scholarship? So we do a lot more than just benefits. We really try and full spectrum help them on campus overall.

Alex

Is there some parity though for our students who are military, for their dependents on what they pay in fees here at UCM or something of that nature?

Courtney

Yeah, so we have the military tuition package. So if they're using VA or military tuition assistance, that's whether you're a military dependent or not. If you're using a benefit like that, you're going to get that package. And then we have so many resources and discounts. It's unreal. I mean, the amount of things that we bring for our students and you know, we can't do that without the leadership listening. So that's one thing again that puts me aside that I am so positioned on at UCM, where I'm at the table listening, I'm also heard. So I think that is so important and I am so lucky and blessed to have that here at UCM.

Alex

Yeah, you're not the only department leader I've heard that from since I've been here too. It's really, I love that what you just said is not only are they listening, but you are heard. They get that and I think that's fantastic. Let's shift a little bit here. One of the reasons we do this show is we want to share with other folks who work here, whether they be faculty or staff, about some of the change makers and some of the people who are truly redefining what's possible here at UCM. And it's evident, I mean we've already just talked about all these wonderful things you're bringing to the table that perhaps other schools don't. And I think by the way, it's not a secret to most listeners who work here and gone here that UCM is pretty special about student success. I'd like to see how we translate that from your leadership to your team. First of all, can you tell us how many folks do you have in your office and how do you empower them to redefine what's possible?

Courtney

Absolutely. So we are small but mighty. So there are three of us that are associated with the Military and Veterans Success Center. So we've got myself, we've got our coordinator in the center physically, and then we also have our Whiteman Air Force Base coordinator. So she's out at Whiteman, so she's not with us in the center, but we work all three of us really well together to make sure we serve as such a big student population. So I think leadership is just open communication. I listen to my staff and I think, you we listen to students too. And I keep talking about that communication is kind of my thing, but I don't think you can have a successful program unless you continue to listen to your students, continue to listen to your staff, because things are always changing. So what would have been last year may not be true this year. You always have to be innovative and really think and listen. And I think we do a great job of that. know, our center was here before I became here, Jeff Huffman, you know, he was the director when I started. Great mentor of mine. He did a lot of great things. And when I took over, I really wanted to think about what programming did we not have? What things are we not offering to students? And we full force went for him. And now, you know, we pretty much offer everything for our students. So I think just kind of listening to students and listening to what they're wanting has made our program so successful.

Alex

Is there a lot of feedback entertained from your clients, from the students? Do you solicit actively, solicit what they think and does your staff hear from them?

Courtney

Absolutely. So, we do surveys, we do graduation surveys, we do an annual survey as well to kind of hear what the students are wanting. So, you know, one great example, we had furniture in the center and it was just not the comfiest they really said that they wanted something that they would like to take a nap on. So we have a couch, you know, I'm almost six foot. We have a couch that I can fully lay on and they can take a nap and students do that. They take the, turn the lights off and they take a nap. We've got, we've upgraded our golf cart. Our old golf cart would backfire, it was a gas golf cart. And some of our veterans who have PTSD are hearing that could trigger them. So we got an electric golf cart and now we offer veteran-led tours because we partner with admissions. So I just think that, you know,

For me, I'm always thinking, which can get me in trouble, because then I sign myself up for way too much. But we have so many partnerships on this campus that I don't think people realize either, because again, we reach out for those partnerships to better our students. At the end of the day, that's the end goal for us.

Alex

Yeah, and I hitched a ride recently on that wonderful golf cart. And I tell you, it's every bit fitting for our military. I like to hear that. I think entertaining feedback is an important deal, in which you hit on there. That's why you're a great guest, Courtney. You always anticipate what I'm going to ask you anyway. You already gave me the whole answer. But I think the point you made about how we need to be constantly, continuously improving our processes. And I understand this, getting into this, is that when you work in a higher education situation where you know this is going to happen at this time of year. This is going to happen at this time of year. And you kind of start, I can see where the urge to kind of like build up to those big things can sometimes take away from looking at some of the other things. And it sounds to me like you're really on a constant head on a swivel. Let's make sure everything's going smoothly here. Is that a fair way to characterize it?

Courtney

In a sense, we kind of have to be. So for VA and DOD, we have to remain compliant with those benefits. So I always have to make sure we're compliant in all aspects on campus, know, all the way down to, you know, with your area with IMC, I have to make sure our photos are compliant with DOD regulations. I have to make sure, you know, our students are following what they're supposed to be doing for their VA educational benefits because we do get a lot of money from that, but we have to make sure that they're using that funding correctly. And then on top of it with our MOU with the base, so we have to make sure that we're compliant with all of that. So there's just a ton of moving parts throughout the year that people don't realize that we have to make sure that we're remaining compliant with.

Alex

What do you think about your, are three of you, you know, I just assumed you had more, by the way, with all the things you do. It's incredible, the three of you. Wow, so this is why this is important too. I think other department leaders and managers and just everybody would like to know though, how do you recognize and celebrate the unique contributions of your team? mean, are there things you do or is it just we're so busy, we just like good job, let's drive on or are there any examples of what you do to kind of keep things fresh just for your staff on an employment level? I talk to them every single day. I think you could talk to both of them.

Courtney

Vanessa, she recently just left us, got a position on campus with our Human Resources Department. I'm so happy for her, but very sad for the center. And we just hired someone great as well, so we can't wait to bring her on the team. But I just think for me as a staff, since we're so small, we have to have that relationship. So, whether we go to lunch or we have team meetings, so we'll go out to Whiteman and see Courtney's area out there. Courtney comes to our location on campus a lot too. And then like I said, we hang out with our students in the center.

I tell my staff all the time, go have lunch with them, go sit with the students, get to know them. We're a family in there. And I think when you walk into the center, you're going to get that feel. And we all know each other, and we're there to help. I can't tell you that my student workers wouldn't help any of the students that come in. I mean, they are just phenomenal. I mean, if they hear a question or a student's in need.

They've already done it and they haven't even come and talked to me about it and I hear it after the fact. it's just nice to have built such a team that is willing to help so many on campus. Yeah, and they're empowered to do these things. And so like you just said, it's just great to hear, OK, thanks. That is such a wonderful thing to have on your team, right? And I know I'm blessed with that on my team.

Alex

Do you do any goal setting?

Courtney

My staff are going to so laugh at this but yes, I have a lot of goals. No kidding. do. have long term, short term and usually I like to sign personally myself up for way too much, but I think it's because I care for my students so much that I want to make sure we offer as much as possible. Right. That we're doing what we're supposed to be doing for our students but for my staff that's something that we ask we talk about all the time or what are your goals for your specific program? Are there things that you could fix?

I am not a micromanager at all. I mean, I hire people because I think they're going to do a great job and they are doing a great job. And so I kind of let them do their thing and then innovate and change where they need to do it. They'll reach out to me with questions or concerns and then I give my advice. But I really kind of give them whatever they need to do to do their job. And I think that's why our program has been so successful too.

Alex

What do you think folks, let's just say in a university setting in general, what do you think they don't understand about the student who also happens to be either active duty or a veteran?

Courtney

Our students--we already have a diverse student population on our campus, but then we're servicing those students too, and they're diverse inside that diverse population. so there's so many different benefits that they could be using, or they might be in a different time in their life. Like we have veterans who have did a full career in the military, completely retired, and now they're kind of falling back on school and they're like, okay, what am I going to do now? And they can't find a job or they're trying to navigate a family, they have a full family at home or working a full-time job. So we're really trying to help them navigate those benefits.

And then we also help like first-time freshmen, military dependent children, and help them understand their benefits. We really, as staff in our office, have to really get to know that student and figure out what their needs are and what their background is because then that can better help us.

We do have some students that have some PTSD issues or anxiety issues. We have had some students that come in the center and they have panic attacks. So we have water in the back. We know where to put them. Our staff have been trained to try and like be like, okay, let's put you in the back. No questions asked. Go sit down, calm down, and then let us know if you need something. So we really have to be able to kind of just understand the student and get to know them and know what their needs are.

Alex

It sounds to me Courtney like it's probably also implicit that it's an open invitation to faculty who may have such students in there and maybe if they have a concern maybe they're observing something that maybe they're worried that maybe there's a triggering effect of some sort. I just wonder if faculty and staff know they can consult you all about that.

Courtney

Yes, so we actually have training on campus it's called Green Zone Training, this is where we can talk about our office and what we do. We held one here recently and we had 65 faculty and staff show up, which was amazing. It's a training that was done a long, long time ago and we've kind of adopted it on our campus and made it our own. It's about a three hour training and we go over VA benefits, what things our students go through, what are all the acronyms that are thrown out. The difference is between active duty National Guard and Reserves, the commitments that these students have.

And JD Culp, he's such a great example of this. mean, he has a family. He is in the Air National Guard. He's a full-time student. He's in UCM Athletics. I mean, that is a schedule in itself. So I just think that that training is so important for our campus and I'm so glad that it's gaining momentum because now it's giving them that open door to come talk to us if they need to. And faculty have been very responsive to it. I've gotten tons of emails and questions about, hey, I didn't even realize this when you talked about it.

One thing that was a great example is a lot of students, they have a trigger when you lock the doors in the classroom and a lot of people don't think about that because now they're trapped in that room and they can't get out or their backs are facing doors. That's another big thing that we've heard. So, a lot of our students kind of position themselves in classrooms so they can see the doors. These are just things that you know not everybody would think about but it is something to make the students more successful to bring into your classroom.

Alex

There are myriad things that you have to take into account and I think it's fantastic that that many people showed up to hear more and forgive me for not being there, but I will be at the next one. I will. I need to know these things. And know, but to your point too, you made a great little aside earlier about how you work with IMC because, you know, there's certain uniform photos we shouldn't use for a variety of reasons. That's not because you're being picky. It's because this is like, okay, we don't use that particular uniform anymore, or that's not something we should be showing or that kind of thing. I think that's really important and that goes back to again, you're not shy about speaking up for your people, you know? And ultimately UCM because you help us do our job better when we talk about your folks, right? So I just love that.

I think I was just gushing when we did the interview with JD because you were there and I was talking to you and I like, I just can't believe, this is so great, you know? That you're here and hanging around for so long and then giving some background to the reporter. And you know, what a lot of people I try to tell partners on campus is the way you are when a reporter actually comes here to do a positive story especially is really important because they start going, wow, UCM, man, they roll out the red carpet for us, right? And I got that feeling from you, so I don't mean to embarrass you, but thank you. There's probably a million things we could have talked about today, and I know I've already eaten up a lot of your day, and you're busy person, but is there anything I haven't mentioned that you want to get in here to let folks know about here on campus?

Courtney

I'm super proud of our campus. We've ranked nationally recently. So last year we ranked number three on the Military Friendly Survey as a military friendly schools and for military friendly spouses in the nation. So as Little Warrensburg UCM, I think that is phenomenal. And then we recently got news that ranked number 15 on the Best for Vets Military Times survey. I'm very proud of our campus, very proud of my program. And I think I had to put a plug in for that just because it's a lot of work.

Alex

And as a campus we collectively came together and knocked it out of the park. Courtney. And if people need to get a hold of you, there's a place on the website. What's the best way? see me in my office. Can I walk in? Come walk on in. Don't need an appointment?

Courtney

No, no appointment. Just come see me.

Alex

OK, now this is the most treacherous part of this interview. This is where I ask you for what we call the final fun fact. Courtney Swoboda, what is a final fun fact you could tell us all about you personally? This is not about your work; this is about you.

Courtney

So, my husband is totally going to laugh at me. He works on campus too. But my nickname is corn dog. And a lot of people on campus know that. My students call me corn dog. You'll see on our, we have a debate board in the center and I'll sign my name is corn dog. So it's really fun. I actually respond to corn dog too. I love corndogs. It was a name given to me a long time ago in a previous job and it just kind of stuck. Our Wi-Fi is named corndog. I mean like anything you can think of.

Alex

So fun fact for Courtney Swoboda. Corndog. I'm sorry, Courtney. Besides the fact that I so enjoy working with you, you're a delight as a guest and I appreciate your enthusiasm and it's just infectious, your energy. Thank you for telling us a little bit about your inspiring journey.

Thank you and thank you very much sincerely for your service to our nation, but more so to our students here. I'll tell you what, your passion and your dedication, I hope everybody can feel that and they can bring that to their own work helping our students here.

Thanks to our listeners for joining us today. Now be sure to check out more episodes of Central Speaks at ucmo.edu, slash news slash central speaks. Check the show notes for a link and you'll hear more stories of the remarkable individuals making redefining what's possible every day at UCM a reality.

And I want to give a special thanks to Josh Tomlinson of KMOS PBS who engineered this show and kindly loaned us his studio. Again, this is Central Speaks, a production of the Integrated Marketing and Communications Office, and we'll see you next time, right here on Central Speaks.

 

© 2024 University of Central Missouri. All rights reserved. Central Speaks is a production of the ⁠UCM Office of Integrated Marketing and Communications.⁠

Recorded at ⁠KMOS PBS⁠; engineered by Josh Tomlinson.

Music by https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/music.html

Dr. Cory Wicker on Redefining HR

Today we welcome Cory Wicker, Ph.D., SPHR, SHRM-SCP, UCM associate vice president for Human Resources.

Since joining UCM in May 2023, Dr. Wicker has brought a wealth of expertise to the university, leveraging his extensive experience in human resources to drive positive change and empower the university’s most valuable asset: its people.

Dr. Wicker’s impressive credentials include a Ph.D. in Human Capital Development, an MBA and certifications as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP). His leadership is focused on fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment while delivering innovative solutions and exceptional service to faculty and staff.

Tune in as we discuss his vision for Human Resources in higher education, his strategic approach to human capital development, and how HR is helping to redefine what’s possible at UCM.

He might even have some tips on the music stores with the best vinyl, too. Don’t miss this insightful conversation!

Learn more about the UCM Office of Human Resources ⁠here⁠.

 

Transcript

Alex Greenwood
Welcome to Central Speaks, the podcast that puts the spotlight on the dedicated individuals who propel the University of Central Missouri forward. I'm Alex Greenwood.

Each episode, we delve into the stories of those who embody UCM spirit of innovation and service, showcasing the transformative work that redefines what's possible on our campus and beyond. Central speaks is all about hearing directly from UCM change makers as they share how they push boundaries and inspire colleagues and students redefining what's possible every day, this show isn't just about recognizing hard work, it's about sharing the passion, creativity and commitment of the people who turn ideas into action.

Through these conversations, we aim to inspire our community by highlighting the innovative solutions and personal journeys to continually shape and redefine the UCM experience. At the heart of it all is a simple truth. UCM success is powered by those who serve with purpose, constantly pushing boundaries, challenging expectations and creating new possibilities. Central Speaks is here to tell their stories in their own words and today on central speaks, I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Cory Wicker, associate vice president for Human Resources, right here at UCM.

Dr. Wicker brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, having joined the leadership team in May of 2023 with a career dedicated direct to directing human resources across multiple sectors, he is known as a true champion for change, dedicated to advancing performance, productivity and profit through our organization's most vital asset, its people. Dr. Wicker, his educational background is impressive, with a PhD in human capital development from the University of Southern Mississippi, an MBA from Southeastern Louisiana University, and a bachelor's in human resources development from Louisiana State University, he also holds prestigious certifications as a senior professional in human resources and a senior Certified Professional beyond his academic and professional achievements, Dr. Wicker’s contributions to the field have been recognized with numerous awards, including his induction into USM 2022, graduate student Hall of Fame, and his service on the boards of respected HR organizations here at UCM, Dr. Wicker is focused on fostering a positive, inclusive work environment that attracts, develops and retains top talent under his leadership. UC M's Office of Human Resources is committed to excellence, providing innovative solutions, exceptional service and strategic support to both employees and the broader university community, guided by values of integrity, respect and collaboration. Dr. Wicker and his team are dedicated to enhancing the overall employee experience and supporting UCM mission.

Well, Dr. Wicker, I feel like I need a break now, after I talked about all these wonderful things you've achieved and what you're starting to do here at UCM, but I want to thank you for joining us here on Central Speaks. 

Dr. Cory Wicker
Well, thanks for having me, having me, and I am so excited to be here.

Alex

I want to jump right in you've been here just over a year as we recorded this. So you got in May 2023, and you came from where?

Cory

The state of Louisiana. It's the Board of Regents, it's the system office, hmm,

Alex

So how did you find things here in Warrensburg?

Cory
I enjoyed it. I mean, it was a lot when I talked to people before I joined the team. It was a lot of the things that I was currently doing, you know, some rebuilding and laying some foundational work. So I jumped right in.

Alex
Did you find that you had to come in and perhaps hit the reset button a little bit on HR and maybe develop your own strategy carrying forward?

Cory
Yes. of course, adopting some of the our strategy here at UCM is we're people centered and mission driven, so we want to carry on that approach and build that foundation toward that maybe looking at what our goals are as far as an organization, how might HR add value to that? So my team were already doing HR, right? But let's take it on to another level.

Alex
Can you give me maybe just an example of that?

Cory
So first coming in, you always start in. My apologies. Let's talk about my approach is you start with a needs assessment. You kind of look, that's how you gather your information. So when I first got here, I did listening tours. And prior to my Start, you see I made engaged locked in companies in an engagement survey as well as a compensation study. So using that information, I began my work, yeah, so making sure they connected to UCM strategic plan, and doing some of the work. So in practice, that started out with, of course, doing a needs assessment, finding out what we what our employees wanted. That birthed some initiatives, such as, we did an employee discount program. We did a total rewards survey, which we're in our second round of that. We continue that. We did a benefits fair and flu shot. We brought that back to campus. I saw you there, yep. And then we, for the first time, we did a jet dental hygiene clinic. So. So these were all the things that are people centered, that contributes to academic excellence and organizational excellence, and then our another pillar of what we do is continuous improvement. So this past April, the board, with the blessing of VP Hawley and President Best, we took to the board talent management suite, and that's going to be a part of our continuous improvement by taking away some of the paper based processes that we have and bringing it more to an electronic streamline.

Alex
Yeah, I've been in those trainings for some of the Neo Ed stuff is that we're talking about here, because I actually was part of a hiring process. I've only been here about eight or nine months, and I had to be on board for that and all the paper at the time. You know, I was just here right before everything started to go over to Neo Ed. And it's just, it's revolutionary how you've cut back on the paper side of things. I was curious, as I've been in one of your trainings. I've been to two year trainings, actually, about that. How are people responding to that?

Cory
Yeah, so I would say, well, positive, you know, with the forms our prior process, using prior process or fill in a vacancy, they would kind of pass a paper around campus and get their signatures, and then it's, you know, where is it? You know, we play the world, where's Waldo when now you're able to see where it is and follow that process, who's added approval, if there's any issues, you're able to communicate in the system. Hey, maybe you want to look at this change, the funding and this kind of thing, so you're able to really communicate. And we're doing some 21st century HR practices.

Alex
And what I was going to tell you too, as a relatively new hire, my first day, orientation day, folks. I mean, it was just, I You're always nervous your first day, you know, you've done the hard part, you think, which is to get the job right. You've jumped through the hoops, you've done the interviews, you got the interviews, you got the hire, you got the offer. You're coming in, and it's your first day, and then it's like, oh boy, it gets real. You know, I'll never forget this, the one down that hallway on the first floor by HR, and there's your entire team lined up to welcome us into the conference room to do orientation. And then you came in, and it was this warm, energetic welcome. Everybody. Got chance to go around the room and talk a little bit about themselves, and it was so comprehensive and it took about a half a day, which, which I is amazing. I thought it was going to be an all-day thing, you know, but I wanted to express how much as a new employee, I just delighted in that, because I did not walk out of there with a lot of questions, but walked out of there feeling really good about the choice to come work here.

Cory

Awesome.

Alex

As you talk about continuous improvement, I bet you're finding new ways to make sure orientation goes as smoothly as possible. There's probably always room for improvement there. And I think that, I think that you see that in a lot of industries, of course, and I was curious too, is there a significant difference in the higher ed sector versus private sector elsewhere, as far as how you manage?

Cory
I would say that universities have are unique in their needs. It's a balance of academic rigor with operational efficiency is you're not really your bottom line is different. So HR, we what we do is we strive to contribute to that bottom line. We're not going to do any programs or initiatives that are not going to be tied to the ultimate bottom line. So in our field, it's mostly our students that student contact. So you have to think about it at different you know these student experiences that our employees are connecting to, connecting with how can, what can we do in HR to make that better?

So, for instance, a lot of our faculty members and our chairs, they talked about the adjunct hiring piece where we required HR use some HR practice was to, no matter if you've been an adjunct before, you always would have to provide each time each semester, you'd have to provide your letters of recommendation and letter of intent, and that included your returning. So that's a barrier for our faculty because they can be again, spending time doing other things, connecting with students and so forth. So what in HR can we do to eliminate that barrier. So working with our provost, looking at HLC, I was able to make that determination, that we will then remove that from our process. So again, it's that, what can we do that automatically effects our student experience?

Alex
Okay, here's a tough question for you. You know, are you held to account by turnover from employees?

Cory
Yes, I would say that, yeah, yeah.

Alex

Indeed, when you talk about continuous improvement, that's part of the process is identifying the things that might be might contribute to turnover. Is that so?

Cory

Yeah.

Alex

I spent some time yesterday at the MIC, is there a difference in the locations? Do those employees have different needs than perhaps Warrensburg employees, or vice versa? Or is that it's pretty uniform?

Alex
I would say, being where we are located rural, that adds a different level. That's what we talk about, external forces. Right location being rural, and we have Kansas City where there's more job opportunities and so forth. So that does add a different level to our complexity when we recruit and retain.You spoke earlier about faculty needs as well. And talk about complexity here. I mean, UCM, for intents and purposes, is a large, small town here in the middle of Warrensburg, right? And we have thousands of students and several hundred employees, and it's just it's so amazing. You have these wonderful people who do facilities and maintenance, and you've got our great OT people, and I'm looking beyond even the faculty, who's just incredible, but you've got all these staff that are dedicated, and they all have different ways of doing their job and coming at their job.

And I mean, you got people who are super creative, so they're a little different, then you got people who are super, you know, regimented. They do this one thing, you know, it's got to be a challenge for you and your team to do that. Or do you just kind of approach everybody as “Look, this is your UCM employee. This is how we come at you. This is what we work with” Or do you do you have to kind of work on differentiation of approach, different approach?

Cory

Yep. And it's the same thing with management. You know, you have your employees that you know you supervise. One takes a different approach. You know you have to as the adaptability, right? Management style, right? So that's the focus that you also have with your employees because each department is, as you stated, unique in the way they do things. So you have to understand your workforce, understand how the way they operate, their needs, and that's the way you tailor your approach in working with so we have a team. They're called HR strategic HR partners, and that's when they partner them with their learning the business, learning how each of their client groups function, to be able to provide HR that, meeting them where they are,

Alex
Okay, I'll make sure I understand you. So you have these, these folks that are attached, like one HR staffer who's attached to certain areas, correct? Can you give me example?

Cory
So you have four colleges. So, each four senior strategic partners, they each take a college as well as they have their staff groups.

Alex
Oh, okay, excellent, excellent. Well, yeah, I'm an IMC, and we approach our clients the same, you know, similar way. We have marketing specialists for each college, or we're trying to get there. Yeah, I understand that you've been doing HR for your basically, your entire career. What are the big no matter where they are? I'm not just saying you see it. What are the big misconceptions about human resources?

Cory
The big misconception, I would say, is the transactional component. We're always talked about as we just do administrative work. And I want HR to be seen as more than that. I want us to be seen as an advocate and a resource, as well as a focus on fairness and equity and creating a positive work environment. So, we want to be able to partner and collaborate. We want to be seen more than just “Okay, let's just process this step action form.” We want to be seen as more than that, and then not so much of when you're called or we email you and say, Hey, come by. You know, sometimes it's the principal's office, you know, our call. So, right? What did I do wrong? We want you to think of it as a way that we might be want to collaborate with you.

Alex
Is it tough though, too? I mean, you're in the midst of, kind of turning the ship around in that regard, trying to get people to understand that, right? Is that a tough sell for people, or is it just a matter of, you know, not, attrition is not the right word, but it's just a matter of working with people day by day, month by month, that it's going to finally, hopefully sink in in that regard.

Cory
Yes…not just talking the talk but walking the walk. So they need to be able to see it, to trust it.

Alex
You did talk about the principal's office a little bit. There are the aspects of your job that I'm sure are no fun for you, with conflict resolution, that kind of thing. I mean, we are all human beings. Human beings are different, some might say, flawed in all different ways, but we have to work together. You've been here a shorter short time. It's been my experience, at least in the past nine months or so that I've been here, that we have amassed and attracted some extremely talented people on our staff and our faculty. Have you found that to be the case? And if so, what do you think draws people here?

Cory
Absolutely, I think that it's the community you know as one of our values. It’s what attracted me and why I stay. I believe that any all the relationships, relationships I've built over time, including with you, I feel like. I can call you and say, “Hey, I'm running into this problem, or I'm thinking about launching this initiative. What do you think?” Yeah. “How do you think it's going to fare?” Yeah, and you probably would stop what you're doing and say, you work with me. Same thing I saw when we were preparing for HLC. It was all hands on approach. You can't find that any everywhere, where everybody fosters a community in a spirit of collegial let's work together. And you really saw that during our HLC, yeah.

Alex
I think too, in my line of work, you know, which is to try to help extend our reputation and our awareness in most more into this, let's say the Kansas City Market and elsewhere across the state, St Louis, eventually all those things is I always tell my clients this, I'm like, “Oh my gosh, you have such great stories.” And I am so excited that I get to kind of shape those stories, to try to get the news media interested, or to tell the public about it. I don't know about you, but I get excited getting to work just about every day when I think about that, it's got to be it's got to be fun for you.

In that regard, is it fun for you or, you know, I know it's long hours. I know it can be tough, but do you ever have any fun at this job?

Cory
Oh yeah, the part that you know, what keeps me going is when you have an employee come back and say, It's noticed. Oh, wow, thank you. Wow. The gratitude that goes a long way because our jobs and HR, you can kind of probably look it up. You probably see this, our burnout rate is, I think, was predicted to be back in the 90s, a 92% burnout rate, right? And it didn't know other I would say, profession is changing, and we're accelerating at a different pace. We're called to do on a lot of things. You know, the big thing right now is the FLSA changes, right where nobody, pretty much gave us a guidebook. We have to come up with that ourselves of how we remain compliant. So it's just when we when our work is noticed, goes a long way for us.

Alex
It sounds like you're saying, I don't want to put words in your mouth. Cory, but it sounds like you're saying, though, to staff, “you don't have to wait to hear from us if you have a question or an issue.” Is that fair? That's good?

Cory

Yes. Yes.

Alex

Best way for them to get a hold of you. What do you advise folks to do?

Cory
Oh, so we have our emails out there, phone number or just simply stop by. Yeah, yeah. We have rebranded our office where you can actually there's letters out there that says human resources, so, yeah, we're have it where you can it's well noted where we are.

Alex
I have also been and I do the programs, by the way, I do lots of the programs, the health and wellness. I wanted to get in. I got an email just this morning from you about the holiday health situation. If you would tell us about the holiday health thing you're doing, and then I'd love to just get into a little bit more. Is that a is that type of program, these wellness programs, is that kind of nationwide trend, or is it something that you specifically were asked to look into, or you brought it with you? Just tell us a little bit about both those things.

Cory
Yeah, so we're looking for something in the holiday stretch, you know, just to get everybody going, we're our people. We're people centered. So anything that keeps our staff healthy and well, we would like to do that. We're adding. One of our initiatives was to benefits, make sure it's not communicated just one portion of the year. We want to communicate throughout, right? And if our workforce is healthy and well, then we're making we're hitting our target, we're servicing our student. That's that bottom line impact, right? So that's what birth that just a series of events that keeps our faculty and staff?

Alex
Well, yeah, I've, well you talked about that earlier. You mentioned the health fair, and you mentioned the dental visit, which is just what I never, frankly, never heard that, coming to a place of employment and doing that. And I, I have a long drive here to and from every day, and me getting to the dentist is getting tougher and tougher, right? And I, when I heard that, oh, wow, they might be coming here. Maybe I can schedule some, some, you know, you can't schedule serious oral surgery, but cleanings and things like that, right?

Cory

X rays, teeth whitening, just a general exam.

Alex
That's just fantastic. And the other thing too, I got my flu shot here, which was great, but I loved the atmosphere you set up. It was kind of a fun, you know, party, not “party”, party atmosphere, but you know, it was a fun, joyous occasion where we all got together and with good humor and learned some things, and got some of their basic health things covered, which for me, it just by doing that, getting that flu shot there, I didn't have to worry about maybe taking part of a day off to go get a flu shot elsewhere, back home, or, you know, and my doctor visits, things like that, all coming together, but, but also just being more healthy in general. And I like the idea too, that when I first started here, I said, Wow, the rec is next door to my office building, and I just would go over there and work out over lunch, things like that. And that is encouraged, that's highly encouraged to use our facilities that way. Do you have kind of a gentle push to tell folks, you know, you can work out here? You can. And or just take your time, walk around the campus, do what you can to kind of get moving.

Cory
Yes. So our wellness campaign, they will be allowed to track their steps. In our total reward statements, we give a shout out to the rec center. We actually partnered with the rec center this for our benefits Fair this year, and we will do so next year, great. Yeah. So in our orientation, we talk about the Student Rec Center. So it's a push. Now, with our Healthier You, you can have your fitness tracker track to that and get your points that way. So it's to get the steps moving. And what a way to do it.

Alex

Yeah, I  take advantage of I absolutely love the approach. I think it's fantastic. But that brings me to some of the most important employees on this campus, and they work for you. These are those wonderful people who lined up on my orientation day. These are people who--I cannot tell you I have ever seen an HR training where people got so excited. I don't mean me. I mean your trainers, your staff. They get so excited about the topic, they're practically giggling through it. You know, they just, they just love their jobs. Yes, that's I got to say it. I I've never seen that before in my life. What do you do? What are you doing that that has created this environment where your team seems so ebullient and so excited about their work.

Cory
The big piece, I think, is that they feel valued. You know, listening to them, we collaborate. I'm in the trenches with them. You know, in addition to that, it's, again, we talk about, if I'm investing in people as far as our workforce, then I have to do, also do it with my staff, right? So it's encouraging them to go to, like, professional development. So this will be the second year I was able to bring them to a national conference, and that conference is allowing them to rub elbows with HR professionals at other colleges and universities in United States. In addition to that, I feel as time is like our most valuable resource as well. So they get my time. Yeah, so at any moment in time they need me, I'm there available.

Alex
Do you think that that is—for want of a better term, scalable for other departments? Do you recommend that to other department heads if they come to you and say, maybe I've got some motivation issues here?

Cory
Yeah, absolutely. You have to know your people. You have to listen to them, you know, do a pulse check, you know, how things going? Also have weekly one on one meetings with each of my staff members, and that's their opportunity to kind of, we can collaborate. We can talk about maybe any barriers they're experiencing, anything that they may need help with, or just, they just want to talk, yeah, so is that a lot of time just to kind of check the pulse. So when it comes time for performance discussions, there aren't any surprises, because we talk regularly, we communicate and we collaborate.

Alex
Oh yeah, there's nothing worse than showing up on your review day once a year and then all of a sudden, “Walt, I didn't know there was a problem.” You know, that's fantastic. And what's on the horizon? Anything that the UCM employees might see coming soon. Or do you want to tease something you're thinking about doing?

Cory
We talked a little bit about NeoEd in and our first there's actually five modules a part of that, because it's a full Talent Management Suite, because we want to be able to touch the employee throughout their life cycle, meaning from date of prior to hire right until the transition of, let's say, retirement, so we want to be able to track that throughout. So first, we started out with recruitment, our first module, and that's when we talked about the staff vacancy form and how we were going to transform our recruitment to make it a more paperless process. But then we're going to go into a learn module, and that's where we're going to do all our training and invest in that career development component for our employees. Then we're going to do the performance evaluations, performance discussions and so forth. So it'll be a full suite when we're done with it. So we're now in the implementation component of learn.

Alex
Yeah, I see several more, at least, joyous trainings ahead--fun times with your staff. It's a good vibe. You know, you go in and it's, I mean, it's serious business, don't get me wrong, but, but it's a good vibe. I've never worked anywhere HR had that kind of vibe ever.

Cory
I appreciate that. Yeah,

Alex
Is there anything that I haven't covered here that you just want to make sure you mentioned while we have everybody's ear?

Cory
Yeah, I would just say stay tuned for and just be open mind to change and embrace change. And we'll be looking for ways of to collaborate with partners across campus. We just want to make sure that you're ready and you're willing, and when we call you that you're ready, but for the most part, I think we've captured everything, and just stay tuned for what we're getting ready to do with NeoEd. I think that's going to be a game changer for our campus.

Alex
I'm excited to see it really when it's fully out there, you know, when we got it going. And kudos to your staff again for doing that. You know, you can't get away without one last question. Okay, this is a little corny tradition here on Central Speaks called the final fun fact. Just tell us something fun about you? About Cory Wirker?

Cory
So Cory is a record collector, vinyl, So I've been recreating my catalog I had, of course, cassettes and CDs growing up, and now I'm trying to transfer that to vinyl. Yes. So fun. Fact is, I start I came here, and my grandmother's probably going to listen to this podcast with three records that I got from her. I don't know if she knows this. Oh, you borrow them. And then morph now to and that's when I first, you know, got here. I may have started collecting in August, and my collection has grown to about eight hundred.

Alex
Eight hundred vinyl. Whoa,

Cory
Yeah, and counting. Wow.

Alex
What do you what do you like? What's your genres of music do you prefer?

Cory

So I go through phases, of course, but the most it would be 90s hip hop, maybe 80s hip hop if it's a rare gem. In addition to that, I like your soft rock, classic rock. So yeah, I'm kind of all over the place with this, with a little bit of jazz, maybe not any country,

Alex

It's an it's interesting, as I get to this certain stage of my life, which shall be not mentioned, I've turned to jazz and, like, I listen to jazz all the way down here most mornings, just it gets me in the right mood. I even like some of the old 40s stuff, the Benny Goodman stuff the Benny Goodman stuff and all that kind of thing. You know, it's just a different vibe altogether. You just don't hear it very much. But so I guess it's fair to say, you really believe that the sound out of vinyl is a richer sound than the digital?

Cory

Absolutely. And I didn't think that until I actually put the needle on a record, yeah. And then I heard, I think, okay, yeah. I can, I can see why, yeah, and it's not--for those who listen here--how fast my collection has morphed:..it’s not an addiction when it comes to vinyl.

Alex

You know, you talk about a warm, rich sound of vinyl and music, and I just get really good, warm vibes talking to our guest today, Dr. Cory Wicker, who is our associate vice president for Human Resources here at the University of Central Missouri, Cory, thank you, not only for joining us here on Central Speaks, but thank you for all the work you and your team are doing. It's tough work, it's challenging work, but I'm here to tell you I think you're making a difference.

Cory
Thank you, and thanks for having me. And of course, I would not be able to do this without my team. We have an amazing group down there, and we're going to continue to shine and carry forward. UCM, so go mules!

 

Alex

Go mules and Jennies! Snouts out, etc., this has been Central Speaks. We'll be back soon with another changemaker here on the University of Central Missouri campus.

We’re recording this episode in KMOS studios. Big thanks to Josh Tomlinson for engineering this one. We really do appreciate it.

We'll be back soon with another episode of Central Speaks. Check out the show notes for more information, and we'll see you next time.

 

© 2024 University of Central Missouri. All rights reserved. Central Speaks is a production of the ⁠UCM Office of Integrated Marketing and Communications.⁠

Recorded at ⁠KMOS PBS⁠; engineered by Josh Tomlinson.

Music by https://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/music.html

Amber Goreham on Finding New Lanes

On our premiere episode, we welcome Amber Goreham.

 

Amber is a proud two-time graduate of UCM, where she has spent the past 20 years dedicated to empowering students and alumni. With a Master of Science in Ethical & Strategic Leadership and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Amber has been at the forefront of guiding UCM students on their career and life paths since 2008.

As the director of the ⁠Career and Life Design Center⁠, she leverages life design principles and a commitment to career readiness to help students navigate their next steps and build the skills they need to thrive in today’s workforce.

But Amber’s journey wasn’t always centered around academia—she was once on track to become a professional bowler before life handed her a proverbial gutter ball. Today, we’ll explore how she pivoted from the bowling lanes to a lane focused on shaping lives and careers at UCM.

Listen in as we speak with Amber Goreham.

Be sure to check out ⁠The Mule Mindse⁠t! This podcast, hosted by Kendall Reger, Jessica Johnson & Ethan Gerst from the Career & Life Design Center at the University of Central Missouri, is designed to aid in professional development and educate listeners on many career related topics. 

 

TRANSCRIPT

 

Alex Greenwood

Welcome to Central Speaks, the podcast that puts the spotlight on the dedicated individuals who propel the University of Central Missouri forward. I'm Alex Greenwood.

Each episode, we delve into the stories of those who embody UCM's spirit of innovation and service, showcasing the transformative work that redefines what's possible on our campus and beyond. Central Speaks is all about hearing directly from UCM's changemakers as they share how they push boundaries and inspire colleagues and students, redefining what's possible every day. This show isn't just about recognizing hard work. It's about sharing the passion, creativity, and commitment of the people who turn ideas into action.

Through these conversations, we aim to inspire our community by highlighting the innovative solutions and personal journeys that continually shape and redefine the UCM experience. At the heart of it all is a simple truth. UCM success is powered by those who serve with purpose, constantly pushing boundaries, challenging expectations and creating new possibilities. Central Speaks is here to tell their stories in their own words. And today on our premiere episode, boy, how are we going to do that? We're going to welcome Amber Gorham. Amber is a proud two -time graduate of UCM where she spent the past 20 years dedicated to empowering students and alumni.

With a Master of Science in ethical and strategic leadership and a Bachelor of Science in business administration, Amber has been at the forefront of guiding UCM students on their career and life paths since 2008. As the director of the Career and Life Design Center, she leverages life design principles and a commitment to career readiness to help students navigate their next steps and build the skills they need to thrive in today's workforce. But Amber's journey wasn't always centered around academia. She was once on track to become a professional bowler before life handed her the proverbial gutter ball.

But today we'll explore how she pivoted from the bowling lanes to a lane focused on shaping lives and careers right here at UCM. Gorham, welcome to Central Speaks.

 

Amber Goreham

I'm so excited to be here.

 

Alex 

Well, it is for me too. It's our premiere episode and we couldn't think of anybody more fun to start with than you. And I must just go back to what I said in the intro. So, you are a top athlete at UCM. In fact, you were on track to be a professional bowler. But as I said, sorry for the gutter ball reference. can't resist. Tell us about it.

 

Amber 

You had to go with it. You had to do it. Yeah, so, know, it was 2004. I was getting ready to graduate with my undergrad degree here. you know, bowling's what brought me to the University of Central Missouri. It was definitely one of the key motivators as to why I came up here to UCM. I mean, my mom and dad lived in the Kansas City area for 21 years, but I actually spent most of my time growing up in the state of Texas. I graduated high school from Louisville High School and then decided to come up here and bowl for the Jennies.

Bowling was so much of my college experience and so much of my college education. And so, you know, I really, at that time, the women's bowling tour was still a thing. And that's what I saw myself doing post-graduation. But unfortunately, as I was upon graduation, the women's tour actually folded and the sponsorships, were, you know, no longer and women's, the women's tour was no longer. And I did not have a backup plan. So here I was getting ready to graduate and now this dream of being a professional bowler and going out on tour really wasn't a reality for me. And so, I will say I kind of got lucky in that, Ron Holmes who's still here today knew, hey, like here I am, what am I going to do now kind of situation. And so he got me in contact with an individual who worked at HR at the time who knew of an opening here.

And I went and talked to that person and within two days of graduation, I had my first job and here I was working at the University of Central Missouri for the Missouri Center for Career Education. So it was not what I planned and I didn't have a backup plan. Twenty years later, I'm still here, I never left. So it's just interesting where your life will take you. You just never know what that might look like.

But yeah, I mean, it was definitely not what I thought I was going to be doing post-graduation by any means.

 

Alex 

Well, I guess I have to say this on behalf of UCM, we're kind of glad the tour folded then because you are doing some magnificent work and you talk about how life throws you some curves here and how it's never what you think.

And that leads me to life design. Forgive me for saying it, but it sounds kind of exotic, I think, to some people. If someone saw the sign on the door of your office and they weren't sure what the career and life design center does…how do you describe it to them?

 

Amber 

I think it's a lot of different things, right? Like one thing I would say within the past several years is it's a collaborative space. I think when students walk in our center, they will notice that there are whiteboards on the wall. We have lots of technology. We have flexible furniture that can be moved individually, groups, pairs. So, I think that's a big change of our center within the last few years is that collaboration.

And almost kind of adding in that design element. I think that's when you think about life design, how I would describe it is really about, if you think about like how engineers or even folks that kind of think about when we create new products or new services and we use design thinking mindsets to help us do that, it's taking those same principles and actually now applying it to your life. So being able to think about, what's the problem? Where are you stuck? What does that look like? How do we define that problem?

And then how do we help you move forward in terms of getting as many ideas as possible on how you can build your next steps and then actually trying various things that help us actually move forward. Whether that's internships, whether that's career conversations, whether it's being able to job shadow, those kinds of things. It's being able to try various things because as we try things, we learn a lot.

And we decide and learn, this something that I see myself doing and continuing to do, or is this something that I'm still excited about, or is this something that, I've explored it, and maybe it's not something I want to do moving forward. So I think it's really being able to, one, I think, accepting students where they are, because our students are at a wider range of steps and various stages within their life when they come and see us within the Career and Life Design Center.

I think it's one helping them recognize that like and accepting, hey, we know where you are, this is where you are at this moment, but how do we help you get to that next step and that next moment in your life? And then being able to use those design thinking principles to help them do that. And I think that's what the Life Design Framework is all about and what it does.

But in addition to life design, I think there's also that career readiness element. You still have to help students put together their resumes and their cover letters and get prepared for interviews and virtual interviews and all of those things, and even just help them job search in general. I think that's where life design and career readiness is just a beautiful blend of those two things. And that's what we get to do every single day with the students that come into our center.

 

Alex 

This beautiful blend you speak of… is this something that students start thinking about you all more towards the end of their college career like junior senior level, or do they come in and freshman year and meet with you?  How does that work?

 

Amber 

Yeah, mean, ideally, we want them to come in freshman year. Like I, you know, I think it's very important for students to come and see us sooner rather than later. Building those relationships, I think is so key, not only with our staff, but also our coaches. The more we get to know you, the more we get to understand you, I think the better we can help you. And so building those relationships early and often, I think is so pivotal and so key to basically student success.

And I really wish that folks would just do it sooner and earlier and more often. I think that's really important. But we've definitely had those seniors that have come in and waited to the last minute and we're definitely going to do our best to try to help them as well. But I think in terms of helping students be successful, really utilizing our resource all the time and as much as you can and take advantage of everything that we have to offer is really key.

Alex 

Do students typically change majors? Or is there a percentage that you know of who start saying, I'm to be a business admin person, and then by the end, they're maybe in education or something?

 

Amber 

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's very common. I mean, I think about myself. I came in as a social work major and then I changed my major several times. And then folks that I was connected to on the bowling team, I had a good friend of mine that I bowled with a lot before I even came to college. She changed her major to business and I was like, that sounds good. I'll do that too. And I just stuck with it.

Now I did finally find my way. I did learn that business and leadership and management was something that I really did enjoy studying, but it was happenstance in how I got there. It's not where I started and I had many other majors in between there. So yeah, I think that's very common. And I think what's also tricky with certain majors is that majors can be pretty broad. And a lot of times you may love what you're studying, but you may not know all the options you can do with it.

And the reality is that 76% of people beyond college won't work in a major or won't work in a career that's directly connected to their major. And I think sometimes that kind of gets a bad rap. I mean, that's okay, right? I think that that's what life design's all about too, is helping folks develop those meaningful and purposeful lives and that.

 

Alex 

Wow.

 

Amber 

…doesn't necessarily mean it might directly relate to your major, but it's those skill sets that you're learning from college and from your major and within your coursework that's going to carry with you no matter where you go beyond your time in education. And so, I think it's, yeah, I think that's very common, and I think that's where life design can help students kind of figure out what those different majors might look like for them and what are the things that they're curious about and that they're interested in potentially pursuing.

 

Alex 

Right. Well, you know, UCM boasts an impressive 94% first destination success rate. That doesn't just mean finding employment. They can also find continuing education, maybe go into a graduate program or engage in service opportunities. And then another little quick stat is 97% of UCM graduates have reported feeling prepared for success in their careers. That is huge.

I work with students quite a bit and I've got a daughter who's going to be heading to college in a couple of years. And I think that's the whole thing as a parent and I bet that's the whole thing as a student. Are we prepared? Would you say that that's the biggest lump in the throat that a lot of students have as they come to you? They're like, I just want to make sure I know what I'm doing.

 

Amber 

Yeah, I think they think they have to have it all figured out. You know, and I think the reality is, is that you're going to change. I mean, I think I am probably…I think about my parents, for instance, right? My parents were what I would say boomers. My dad, neither one of my parents had a college degree. My dad started out in the mail room at Allstate and worked his way up and then stayed there 36 years.

That's not the norm anymore, right? Like these generations of students, they're going to change careers a lot from the time they graduate to the time that they retire. And that's going to look like a lot of different things for them. And I think what's interesting is, we have to prepare them for that, right? Like we must be able to prepare them for what that can look like. And I think that's where life design can help with that because

There's going to be, you never know where your life's going to take you. And you never know when you're going to feel stuck. And you're never going to know when those times are going to be. But if you have the tools and resources of how to get unstuck, then whether you're at that mid-year career or you're getting ready to retire or you're in your entry level career, you're going to have the tools in the toolbox to help you succeed. And I think that's what it's all about.

And I think what is great for our grads is that when they leave here, they get good jobs and they're doing good things. They're doing amazing things. And our university helps prepare them and they are very satisfied and very happy with their program when they leave here. Our data shows that, but that's not going to be their forever job, right? Like probably not, you know? So, it's a great snapshot of what they're doing at that six-month mark.

But they're going to continue, think, looking at what I think is very interesting data to look at is even where our alumni are five and 10 years down the road. I was one of those, you and I think about when I graduated, where when I first started after my education, I started as an office professional for the Missouri Center for Career Education. Within two years of that, I was like, hey, I'm really doing a lot of event planning. Is there any way that my job can be looked at or rewritten?

 

Alex 

Right.

 

Amber

I had a fabulous boss that helped me do that. And so I moved into an event coordinator role. And then from there, I had the opportunity to move into career services. you know, I think being, having those conversations with, especially as students join your staff of how you can help them continue to develop and grow, that's what's been able to keep me here at the institution.

 

Alex

How do you and your team keep up with the perception different generations of students have about it? Or maybe the question's not even right. Maybe the students generally have a similar mindset, and you can just pivot slightly. But could you give us a little thinking about or talk about how your thinking works when you're trying to strategize the best ways to help every generation of students that comes through?

 

Amber

Yeah, I think always keeping that at the forefront, mean, our students are the end user. I think we have to be thinking about what are their needs and how do we help them with their needs, you know? And I think as we think about the institutional shift of our students, you know, that's an important piece of it.

You know, I've actually within the last several weeks have been talking with my staff and sharing some different articles and resources of you know, how can our center be better as it relates to adult learners? How can it be better with transfer and online and international? So I think you have to keep in mind those various populations and try to find ways to help them because they all have different needs. And I think again, kind of going back to design thinking, that's what it's all about is really understanding your end user.

And then what is the problem for those end users? And then how do we brainstorm and come up with ideas that is going to help us be able to best serve those populations of individuals. So I will say that's, think, a pivotal moment in our office. I mean, again, I keep talking about life design and referring to life design, but it literally was a change for us. I mean, from December 2020 into now, it has really changed the way we think, it's changed the way we operate within our center, it's allowed us to really brainstorm in ways that we have never done before to solve problems that we're facing.

And so it's just been such a time of chaos when COVID was just like crazy, you know, we would get comments around campus about, you know, ‘what's going on in the Career and Life Design Center? Why are you all so happy?’ And it was just like, this is what brought that to us. I mean, I think in a time where there was a lot of disruption and there was a lot of chaos.

Life Design brought that to us to kind of reframe our mindset of how we could innovate and how we had to. I mean, you think about how fast we had to make decisions and how fast we had to change. Life Design helped us do that.

 

Alex 

You know, UCM is, I think, respected as a workforce development leader in higher education. At Missouri, I think it bears out that we do a fantastic job with that. And you're right, we're the tip of the spear for that in a lot of ways. So it sounds to me like you're constantly adapting your approaches. You're constantly looking at the job market and what's out there. Is there a way that you go about this that's different than say Brand X down the road. Can you give us an idea about that?

 

Amber 

Yeah, sure. Yeah, I mean, I think, again, think life design is what makes us unique. I mean, there's other schools in Missouri that have gone through the training. But when you think about where we were in December of 2020 to now, I mean, we've gone through a name change. So we added that life design piece into our name. We've infused it in people's job descriptions and the work that they're doing every single day.

In 2021 we brought two new services into our center or two new big changes to our center, again, in the middle of COVID, right? So we opened our professional clothing studio, which is a great resource for our students, probably the number one way students get connected to us and then they get to learn about all the other things that we do. But the professional clothing studio is just an amazing resource for our students here at UCM.

And then moving to a career studio model. So we opened up WISE, our walk-in studio experience in spring of 21 as well. And that was being able to pivot from that traditional career services model where our advisors were in back-to-back -to-back appointments with students all day, every day by shifting to the career studio model we could now offer peer-to-peer support.

Students didn't have to wait three weeks to get on an advisor's calendar. I mean, if they need career help, they need it now. If I have an interview tomorrow or Monday, I can't wait three weeks for advice on interviewing, right? And so changing to that career studio model freed up our advisors now to do more classroom presentations, to teach. We teach lots of courses through our center, both on the career readiness side of things, as well as life design and then just freed them up for programming, being able to bring new initiatives to our university and really start to think more holistically about how we can embed career and life into the university culture, the university brand, and into the academics here at UCM.

 

Alex 

It's so fantastic--you nailed it, right? I mean, you get called for an interview and they usually want to see you in a couple of days. It begs the question, what are we here for? We're here to get these folks there on their career path. So I love that you're so student success oriented here.

I want to kind of now focus though a little bit about behind the scenes. We've talked about the great program you're doing, but as a leader of this department, you've got to keep it fresh with your team. And what strategies do you use to inspire and motivate your team in creating all these meaningful and frankly transformative experience for our students?

 

Amber 

Sure. I mean, well, first I have to say like, I have an amazing team. Myself and our office cannot do what we do without the people that are in it. And to be quite honest, like they're rock stars. And most of the time I'll tell them, like, I think about myself, like, I think what I bring to the table, right, is that leadership and helping to guide them and helping to be there for them and support them.

But the ideas that my team brings to the table of how to support students and the different ways to support students, I mean, they impress me all day, every day with what that looks like. And I think how do I lead and motivate? I think it's that innovation piece. I will tell you one thing, I'm a very team -centered leader. I really respect my team and I really want their ideas and feedback and I want them to be able to share and give their opinions.

I give them a lot of autonomy and I trust them a lot. And that's really important for me because I think it gets them invested in their work and it gives them ownership over their work. And it's not me telling them what to do and how to do it. That's not how I operate. And I think my staff has really appreciated that. And I think that's what keeps them here and I think that what keeps them motivated and why they enjoy doing what they do.

They know they can always brainstorm with me and share their ideas with me and I'll be there to help them. And I also will say as a leader, like I think it's really important to be in the trenches with your team. I'm not going to ask them to do something I'm not willing to do. If they need my help, I'm right there with them. I think that's important as a leader is to be in it with them.

And I think those things, hopefully, is what motivates them and keeps them here. You know, I've been very fortunate to keep folks and keep folks for a long amount of time. And so, you know, I think just being able to really work well with them and work alongside them and give them a voice makes all the difference.

 

Alex 

Well, you really are offering them a partial ownership of the success of the team. Is this something that was modeled earlier in your career by somebody else that you saw or was it more of a reaction to you didn't necessarily have that you thought ‘if I ever get in that chair, we're going to do this’?

 

Amber

Yeah, I mean, think it would kind of be more the latter, you know? I mean, I've had, you know, off and on, I would say I've definitely had really good bosses that have displayed that as well. But I think because my personality type, I'm just a very team-focused person. That's just really important to me. It's what brings me to work every single day. I have to be working with people I enjoy and working with people that are here for the right reasons and people that I can truly have that good team -centered environment.

And so, yeah, I think it's just something that's just really important to me that I knew if I ever had the opportunity to get into a leadership role, that that would be a focus of mine. That I would really look to hiring the right people, hiring people that I know want to work with students that wanted that are here for students and really helping students with their career and life education and really just helping build that synergy with everyone. I mean, we all truly enjoy each other, which I think is important. I know my staff has said this, right? Like I spend more time with them than I do necessarily my own friends and family, right? So we've got to enjoy each other. We've got to have fun.

I will say I didn't always, know, it's just so interesting because I would say early on in my career, I kind of wanted those two things to be separate. I didn't really want work and personal to blend. But I think it's as I have found the right team and kind of found and built the right team, I'm okay with those kind of blending more and more. And so that's been just kind of an interesting change for me even personally of, you know, kind of navigating that. But I think it is like for me just finding those right people and being able to connect with those right people and trust. Trust, I think, is huge. I trust my team wholeheartedly. And I think that's key.

 

Alex

Well, you know, it's essentially my own career and I'm relatively new to UCM, but my lengthy career here is that I think when a leader shows security in who they are and their role, they're not insecure when people on their staff do well. They take the win and say, ‘that's a team member of mine and look what they did and look at this creative stuff!’

I bet you we could name 10 people off top of our head we've known around campus who just aren't maybe necessarily department heads, but they shine. There are so many folks like that. And I think that's a really great thing is that I think UCM is not only a fantastic university, but it's kind of an incubator for staff and faculty, because not everybody's going to stay with us their whole career.

 

Amber 

Yeah.

 

Alex 

…but they're going to get a great experience here and pick up some learning. And of course we want to keep all those really great folks.

What, what, what aspects of your role, what, aspects of, of just work, what, what challenges you the most and how do you maintain your passion for the work in the midst of--come on, it's not always fun to do X, Y, and Z--but just tell us what you think.

 

Amber

Yeah, 100%. Sure. I mean, honestly, I think for me and what challenges me the most is honestly, probably myself. My team will tell you this and that I can overthink things.

I tend to overthink things quite a bit. I think you kind of mentioned it about the insecurity piece, right? I've been in career services since 2008 and I will question myself every single day as it relates to the work that we do in terms of serving students around career and life. I wouldn't say that that's what I went to school for, right? I mean, I feel like I'm maybe somewhat of an expert, right? I've been doing this for a long time.

 

Alex 

Right.

 

Amber 

But I still have my own insecurities around that, right? And that's where I know, I watch my team do things that I'm like, man, I wish I could do that. Man, I wish I could think that way, right? And so I think that sometimes is a challenge for me is just my own insecurity about, am I good enough? Like I tend to feel that sometimes. And so that's kind of more, think me personally, but I think what maintains my passion for the work is, you know, seeing our students be successful, seeing those pivotal moments when maybe they are thinking about all the different options that they can do with their degree and watching them create multiple versions of their life and getting excited about those different versions.

And then having, I hate to say backup plans, but having multiple plans where it's like, hey, if plan A doesn't work out, I've got these other things.

That's what excites me because I think that's kind of what I wish I would have had 20 years ago, right? I didn't have that plan and somebody took a chance on me and it worked out. But I will tell you those first four-to-six years were hard because I didn't know:

Am I doing the right thing? Am I in the right place? Am I in the right career field? Am I making a difference?

You know, I have a college degree, maybe I'm not quite where I want to be or think I should be after earning that degree. I had those same exact thoughts 20 years ago. But transitioning into career services and then being able to work through a variety of roles, I will say in 2012, I do feel like I am where I wanted to be when I had the opportunity to move into the interim director role. And being there since, I do feel like I can say I am in a life I love, and I am doing things that I feel like are strengths of mine, that I can be able to better lead the team and do the things that I'm doing in the role that I'm in today. And then I have great staff that are able to be awesome in their roles and I get to watch and see them grow and develop.

And I'm all about, like you said, trying to keep folks, right? Like you're trying to, I have good folks, how do I keep them here? How do I motivate them? How do I help them with their career development? How do I help them get to where they want to be? If we can keep them within the department, awesome. If it means that they have to go do something else, that's okay too. Because I think that's what we want to do as well, is be able to be here for our people and help develop them.

 

Alex 

I'm inferring this, but I'm going to say it anyway, that you, you use the tenets of life design in your very own life and career. And I assume your staff do as well because you're not only modeling that behavior for the client, the students, but you're doing it for yourselves as well. And I love this because I, what I'm hearing so much here, Amber, is this energy and this excitement about what you do.

And it's contagious. It's absolutely contagious. So speaking of that, you've already kind of given some great advice, but is there any other advice you would give to those right here within our UCM family of staff who are aspiring to lead and innovate in their own areas?

 

Amber 

Yeah, absolutely. think my biggest piece of advice would be don't be afraid to try something new. You know, we can get stuck in the day to day. We can get stuck in doing things the way we've always done things, right? Don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. Don't be afraid to do something new that you've been wanting to try, but maybe you're afraid to try, or maybe you're like, well, what if it doesn't work? If it fails, that's okay. Like we learn a lot from failure.

We learn a lot from things that maybe don't go as planned. And I think that's something that we have definitely embraced within our center. I think being able to apply various brainstorming techniques to help you get ideas of how to move forward is really important. I think sometimes we can get stuck in the sit around the table, let's have a meeting and whoever talks, talks and that's the idea we go with, but is that the best idea?

 

Alex 

Right.

 

Amber 

And I will tell you as someone who's an introvert, a lot of times in meetings, I can be quiet. And it's not because I don't have anything to say, it's because I'm processing. It's because I'm taking all the information in. And so a lot of times in the moment, I may not have an idea to share, but down the road, I might be able to share it better. And so I think giving your team and giving the people you work with that autonomy and that option of being able to provide ideas beyond just the traditional meeting space.

…and think about how you can do meetings differently to give everybody a voice. That was one big change we made in our office in that we do a lot of radical collaboration, we do a lot of different brainstorming techniques because sometimes if you sit around the table, not everybody's going to speak up. And so being able to think about how do you let those extroverts give their ideas, but also how do you let the introverts give their ideas and really make sure you're getting ideas from everyone around the table.

 

Alex

Wow.

 

Amber

…so that you can find the idea that's going to be the best one to try and move forward with.

 

Alex 

Amber, I think you might start getting some calls and emails from department heads saying, what are these mystical tricks you use to make meetings better? (laughs) I'll have to talk to you again about that and say more about that because we're all trying to find innovative ways to let everybody have a voice. And that sounds like that's a really a priority for you, which is probably another reason why your department is so successful.

Well, that's some great advice. And I'm going to put a link in the show notes for anybody who wants to go to your page on the website and I'm sure you're available to chat with people.

Okay…it's the last, it's not even really a question. It kind of is, but it isn't. It's called the final fun fact. So the final fun fact, this is Amber Goreham. You're in the hot seat. Tell us something fun about you.

 

Amber

Well, know, I think I told you this before that this was actually really kind of hard for me. It's not that I don't think I'm fun. It's just that like, I don't know, I've got a lot going on and maybe I don't, maybe this was kind of that reality for me of like, I need to have more fun in my life. But so the thing that I think's interesting, I don't know that a lot of people would realize or know about me. And I actually joke about this with my staff a little bit is I love casinos and I like going to casinos.

 

Alex 

Ooh.

 

Amber 

It is something that, so again, growing up bowling, right? Every Christmas, we would go to a tournament called the Las Vegas Invitational. And it was always in, know, so I watched my mom and dad, they'd always had, and we weren't, they weren't huge gamblers by any means, but they would have fun playing the slots, you know? And then when I turned 21, it was just something that my mom and I would do. And I mean, we have had some moments where we've spent 12 to 15 hours in a casino.

And in one case, ended, we like started in Omaha because my husband's family is from Nebraska, started in Omaha and then ended up in Kansas City with the casinos and so kind of hit them along the way. And then my mom lived in Mississippi for some time. And so of course Vicksburg, there's casinos in Vicksburg. So something I don't think a lot of people would know about me is that I do like to go to casinos.

And man, the time just flies when I'm in a casino. think it just lets, again, it's just kind of that, you know, I can let my mind go and just have fun playing different slot machines. And there's just nothing about the atmosphere. And I've spent a lot of time in Las Vegas through bowling. So, and a lot of bowling centers are in casinos. So here we are.

 

Alex 

So from rolling the bowling ball to rolling the dice, ladies and gentlemen, Amber Goreham.

Amber, you are a treat. Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences with us today. You know, really your passion for innovation and leadership and student success, it clearly drives the impactful work that the Career and Life Design Center does. you know, you're not just preparing UCM students and alumni for immediate success, but like we discussed, you're equipping them for lifelong adaptability in their careers, which is, that's the greatest thing, right?

I so appreciate your time and I look forward to seeing the continued success you're going to have serving our students at UCM. Amber Goreham, thank you so much for joining us on the first episode of Central Speaks.

 

Amber 

I think you. Yep, yep. Thank you so much. I was so honored to be asked to do this. And so this was such a great experience, and I just can't tell you how much I appreciate the opportunity.

 

Alex 

You bet. And listeners, thank you for listening to the inaugural episode of Central Speaks. We'll be back soon with another conversation about ways the UCM team redefines what's possible every day.

Make sure to follow the show on Spotify, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. Check the show notes for links as well as a transcript of our discussion and keep an eye out for email announcements about future episodes.

I'm Alex Greenwood and I look forward to speaking with another UCM changemaker very soon on the next episode of Central Speaks.

 

 

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