patti wilson's blog

Hire a Success Coach to Follow the Yellow Brick Road to College Graduation

Inside Track posted a job description for acollege success coach recently. Apparently this is not a new title or company having been in business since about 2002. However, I found the mechanics of this coaching model interesting because it appears that universities hire InsideTrack to keep their enrollment up especially with first year students and in costly professional development/extension programs. Inside Track provides a "success coach" to hand-hold the student.

The company, Inside Track, says that they are: "enabling partner colleges to increase retention, enrollment, revenue and graduation rates". Presumably this coaching service also keeps state funding and/or raises a school's profile in US News & World Report's lists as well.

The success coach is tasked to removing roadblocks to success. Does this relieve Baby Boomer parent angst? Sure, because this is what Inside Track says on their website:

"It can be stressful for parents when their children start their post-secondary studies. Knowing that their children are receiving dedicated, regular guidance brings parents real peace of mind".

Peace of mind costs about $125 per month on top of tuition, room and board or at least that is one fee I saw on the website. These Baby Boomer kids get coached in the following: 

 "Commitment to Graduation, Finances, School Community, Academics, Effectiveness, and Health &
Support"

I can see the cost benefit/ROI of a school paying coaches to improve retention as well as how parents are relieved of the worry that their children will not find gainful employment upon graduation and come
home to roost forever. However, this certainly can inculcate in a young adult, much like handing them a credit card upon arrival in their freshman year, the notion of needing a coach just to succeed,
as in needing credit to consume.

Does this model imply that we are raising a non-empowered, non-responsible generation who can't successfully function on the planet without being coached to do it? Or does it also speak to the lack of efficacy of the current tenured professorial system who lack their own performance-based metrics on learning?

Does it also point to a broader broken socio-economic system that hands out credit cards to freshman then offers finance coaching so they don't drive themselves into debt? School concessions sell fast food while booze/drugs are easily accessible and then students are coached on health? Is there something wrong with this picture or is it just me?

Frankly, I find this coaching model disempowering to young adults unless they are from a high risk population where retention support would be desirable.  If that is then the case, unfortunately, with Inside Track that support comes from a coach with no in-depth training, expertise, or even knowledge to bring to the table in terms of academic advising, or career development aside from the cursory training delivered by the company.

No certification seems to be required of a success coach beyond a BA degree. In fact they promote this as a learning and growth employment position for the coach which I could translate to mean "we pay you squat". From their job description requirements, one could equally qualify for a customer service position at Enterprise Rent a Car.

The many that have persevered more than 20 years to require a California State license to lend crediblity to title of Counselor have got to find this new coaching twist, well, disconcerting.  Seems to me that the
whole coaching industry needs regulation, and oversight more than counselors need licensure. 

 But I do get it.

Wallace Steigner Country Where is the Wasatch Recession?

After spending the past week in Salt Lake City, an interesting hiatus from Silicon Valley, I have come to realize that the notion of a financial crisis is not absolute but relative to a commonly held baseline view of security. The banner headiine in the local paper, on the day of my arrival, screamed "Utah Joblessness Nears 5%", which apparently was considered a near calamity. Nears? Ironically, on the same day unemployment in California reached 10% .

During multiple business trips to Salt Lake City over the past few years, I fell into the habit of staying at one particular hotel in the suburbs close to a variety of restaurants and I-15. Over the years and seasons, this hotel has been packed with skiers, conventioneers, and contract workers building Micron and Intel plants. I fully expected it to be empty this trip. It was devoid of skiers who according to the folks behind the counter at Hertz weren't coming in for weeks at a time anymore but rather long weekends. Since the conventioneers didn't arrive until warmer days, I expected my pick of rooms with views of the  incredibly stunning Wasatch Mountains whose sharp  white peaks rise up from  the city.

But to my utter amazement, the construction guys packed the parking lot with their big SUVs and pickups.  Obviously the massive building spree that had been going on for a couple of years hadn't ended. Well, at least there won't be a line at my favorite Moroccan restaurant. Think again. I needed reservations. Hear tell from the wait staff, Valentines Day was booked for days in advance. The shopping centers' parking lots were full too.

The final straw was a flyer posted in the lobby warning guests that "in these desperate times" please don't leave any stuff visible on the seat of your car in the parking lot.  From my perspective, things actually looked pretty jolly compared to the strum und drang I left in California. Yes, real estate has lost value, about 11%, there are some foreclosures, and layoffs are are enough to move unemployment from 3.5% to 5%. But, golly, the state budget is balanced, there are no deficits, and communities are frantically organizing collecting donations of food, clothes and resources in case of darker days ahead.

From pioneer days, people here have struggled to build an economy and a community in the middle of nowhere next to a salty lake full of brine shrimp. Today there is a Hummer dealership, another Nordstroms is being built and IKEA is down the road, but where is the recession?  From a Californian's perspective, they are doing something right here and we could learn a lot, if we put aside our high tech/venture/startup/risk taking hubris.

Wallace Steigner,  the great environmentalist and famous author was appointed to Stanford University's Creative Writing Chair, teaching the likes of Ken Kesey in the 1960's. But he was raised in Salt Lake City where he sank his roots deep and learned well what it takes to stay true to one's core values.  They say there is nowhere to move to in this recession because it is everywhere. I'd say that depends on your perspective.