Robert Pearl Starks

Robert Pearl Starks

Location: phoenix, arizona

About me

Robert Starks Jr. is a Performance Consultant for MaxKnowledge, Inc. Robert has 10 years of experience in higher education and has led teams responsible for career services and alumni relations programming, as well as community outreach and public relations initiatives. Robert was recognized for his leadership and exceptional results by Career Education Corporation (CEC) with the "Above and Beyond" award for developing his institution's first alumni relations program in its 32 year history. Under Robert's leadership, his former career services team was recognized with four consecutive Best Placement Practice Awards from the Arizona Private School Association (APSA) among its 56+ member schools in the state which contributed to his institution also being recognized as School of the Year by APSA in 2008 and 2012. Additionally, the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges (FAPSC) recognized Robert in 2013 with the Associate Member of the Year award. 

Robert holds a Master of Science in Management, a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, and a minor in Sociology. Robert currently serves on the board for the Arizona Private School Association. Robert is the former Director of Media & Technology and former Membership Chair for the Arizona Career Development Association (ACDA). Additionally, Robert is the founder and publisher of Careertipster.com and serves on the Arizona Program Committee of the national non-profit, Boys Hope Girls Hope.

Interests

social media, career development, training, higher education, web 2.0/3.0, career services, leadership, marketing

Skills

social media, marketing, training, consulting, management, strategic planning

Activity

Discussion Comment
Hello Amy, The challenge you describe is shared among others. Your approach to build strong supportive relationships and to help connect students with job opportunities prior to graduation is spot on! What tactics do you use to build these relationships with students prior to graduation? How might you incorporate the use of social media to help augment your existing strategy? Robert Starks Jr.

Editor Kevin Kuzma leads the third in a four-part series of interviews with George Boggs, President and CEO Emeritus of the American Association of Community Colleges and Superintendent President Emeritus of Palomar College. George talks with Kevin about the new and exciting changes at community colleges across the country. 

It’s December, which typically means many employees are beginning to think of their end-of-year performance evaluations.  Are the goals you set at the beginning of the year on track for success?

 

Sometimes, we get so wrapped up in the craziness of our day-to-day tasks, that at some point in the year, our goals start to look more like burdensome “to-do list” items rather than meaningful objectives with personal significance we set out to achieve knowing they would benefit ourselves and consequently, the organization and the students we serve.  As you reflect on 2013, you might find that you accomplished… >>>

George Boggs, President and CEO Emeritus of the American Association of Community Colleges, visits with Career College Central about whether or not colleges and universities need to do a better job of advising students on the programs they take.

What is the most difficult obstacle to overcome in building an institutional culture which supports employment outcomes at every instance of the students tenure?
In thinking about your relationships with hiring employers, what do you feel is the key motivator for them to hire your graduates? Is it their relationship with a trusted career services rep or the quality of the graduate? How do you know?
There was a recent article http://finance.yahoo.com/news/employers-skills-gap-not-problem-100000789.html in the news which said that employers don't feel that it's their job to "fix" the skills gap that exists today. What role, in your opinion, do employers have in addressing this problem and is this something your institution is addressing?

Today’s Job seekers have never been more empowered as they are today. The sheer amount of tools, advice and sites they have at their disposal is large. This is especially true when it comes to using social networking sites like Facebook and Linkedin.

Although each of these sites are used for different purposes (personal vs professional), they do have something in common to aid the job search. They both tell jobseekers what company their friends currently work at. A relatively new tool called Jobs With Friends helps jobseekers leverage that important data so they can more easily get referred.

When… >>>

Editor Kevin Kuzma leads the second in a four-part series of interviews with George Boggs, President and CEO Emeritus of the American Association of Community Colleges and Superintendent President Emeritus of Palomar College. George talks with Kevin about the differences between the various sectors of higher education. 

Higher education in the U.S. has a problem: More students are getting into college, but they're not finishing. One community college in Maryland has developed a program aimed at getting students to graduation day. This video is embedded from the Wall Street Journal site.

Higher Education's Lost Generation 

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