University vs. Community College: What Makes a Good School?

Let’s think back to when you decided to enroll at CCBC: you probably asked yourself some questions prior to enrolling. For example, did you want the full college campus experience? Or were you more interested in the courses available? What about the diversity of students and staff — did that factor into your thoughts? Are you a Baltimore native who wanted to stay local? When choosing a higher education institution, students like yourselves go through a long process of assessing what is right for them and where they can see themselves thriving. 

But what makes a school “good”? That’s what Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies Beth Baunoch decided to explore in her forthcoming podcast, Good School.

Last year, Professor Baunoch received a $40,000 grant to create a production house from the Mellon/ACLS Community College Faculty Fellowship program. She decided to tap into CCBC’s resources and involve students and faculty alike in creating a podcast that was accessible to all. This podcast would not only address issues of interest to current students, it would also give them the opportunity to learn how to produce podcasts and create content through a professional production house.

The first theme that the producers looked at was higher education — more specifically, “What makes a good school?” It’s a question that has been spotlighted recently due to the pandemic and the drop in the number of students applying to community college. Despite the quality of courses available at community colleges and talented faculty members bringing their extensive knowledge to the table, there still seems to be an unfortunate stigma or negative reputation. Enrollment numbers seemed to focus on traditional four-year universities compared to the two-year programs offered at community colleges.

Student producers wanted to explore this and question why this perception surrounding community colleges exists. In order to get and transmit first-hand, authentic answers, the podcast crew turned to their peers on campus. The results were fascinating and diverse, inviting students to wonder why this topic had never really been discussed before, and to this extent. Student producer Oliva Yates shared, “The topic of higher education is so important and it’s a part of everyone’s life, but there are parts of it we haven’t confronted or talked about as a society. That’s one of the main reasons why I always get excited when we have a platform to share what we are working on.” 

Another student, Akira Tisdale, also shared her journey of letting go of past prejudices and finally loving and appreciating the college that she was soon graduating from. She says about CCBC, “I could not have made a better choice.” 

Baunoch hopes that the podcast will help destigmatize community colleges and encourage students to feel proud of where they are studying, instead of looking at their education as “the butt of so many jokes.” The podcast, which will launch in December 2022, will continue to explore eye-opening and important themes for students and faculty alike in the hopes of stirring up conversations and open, honest discussions. Debunking myths, destigmatizing prejudices, and broadening perspectives are what the podcast and its crew seek to do and we’re sure, with the support they’ve received so far, they’re on their way to doing just that.