Weekly Wisdom Episode 14: Transcript of Conversation With Daria J. Willis, Everett Community College President

Note: This interview, Episode 14 of the Weekly Wisdom Series, originally aired on July 27, 2020 as part of the University Innovation Alliance’s Innovating Together podcast, appearing live on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Click here to access our summary, along with helpful links and audio from this episode.

Dr. Daria Willis:
We've seen a lot of the protests and the social justice issues that are happening from day to day, but this was going on before George Floyd was unfortunately murdered. And we have several names before unfortunately, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, and so many others that have really come to the forefront of our attention.

Bridget Burns:
Welcome to innovating together, a podcast produced by the University Innovation Alliance. This is the podcast for busy people in higher education who are looking for the best ideas, inspiration, and leaders to help you improve student success. I'm your host Bridget Burns. You're about to watch another episode of Start The Week With Wisdom, which for those of you who are home, if you have not seen this before, these are weekly episodes where we conduct an interview with a sitting college president or chancellor. And we want to talk to them about how they're navigating the challenge of this moment. We're in a really unique time, and we want to focus on their leadership and unpack how they are making decisions, how they are navigating. And hopefully it will leave you with a sense of optimism, a bit inspired, and give you a bit of hope.

Paul Fain:
Hey, I'm Paul Fain, news editor, Inside Higher Ed. This week we're excited to bring you a conversation with the president of Everett Community College, Daria Willis. President Willis has been leading Everett for the last year, having served as provost and E.V.P. of academic affairs at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. Ms. Willis, how are you?

Dr. Daria Willis:
Hey, how y'all doing?

Bridget Burns:
Hanging in there, I think the real question for us is how are you hanging in there?

Dr. Daria Willis:
Well, my daddy used to say I'm hanging, chilling, and holding on, so that's what I'm doing.

Bridget Burns:
That's great. Well, we appreciate you taking the time. We know that right now you have tremendous complexity that you're facing every day. Part of what I would love to talk about today is just what it's like as a community college leader navigating this moment. But I also want to share that part of the reason I reached out to you is that you have been an unusual president. You've been serving for about a year, which I think it's really important for us to talk about what this has been like in your first year. But also I read your blog about a year ago when you first became president, and you shared information that I feel like has always been kept kind of a secret in terms of the costs of becoming a president. And so from that moment on you've been on my radar, and I've really appreciated your candor, especially as we're trying to be more inclusive at the top. We need to talk about things that have not been talked about, and not keep things a trade secret so much. So I appreciate the work that you've done in that respect. And I just saw that you did a blog post this week about the lessons that you've learned in the last year. So I know that for folks who are at home, you might want to check that out.

But all that to say, can you give us a sense of what it's like to be a community college president right now? You're seeing a lot about what's going on, but can you put us in your shoes for a bit? 

Dr. Daria Willis:
So I wear size 11, so we'll see how that works with getting in my shoes today. But thank you for the question, and before I get started, I just really am honored to be part of this broadcast today. And to talk about what we're seeing, and what we're doing, and how we're trying to respond to this crisis. But you know, for a community college president we knew head on that before the pandemic our students were dealing with a pandemic of their own. You know, we've seen a lot of the protests and the social justice issues that are happening from day to day. But this was going on before George Floyd was unfortunately murdered, and we have several names before, unfortunately, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, and so many others that have really come to the forefront of our attention.

But our students at community colleges, they are a very diverse group. Unlike some universities, at least 50 percent of many of our student populations are from underserved backgrounds. They're students of color, and they go through and they live a pandemic each and every day. So as a community college president, it has been interesting to see the uproar that's been happening, but we have been beating this nail on the head from the very beginning. On top of the social justice issues that we see, there is also dealing with our communities. And how do we respond to this crisis? And how do we retool our academic programs so that we can quickly get people back to work? And so, for me, it's a labor of love, although it has been increasingly challenging each day. It has been just a real honor to be in the position to uplift your community. And if each of our community colleges, over 1,100 of us across the country, are doing this, we will be the ones who will rebuild and get this country out of recession, get people back to work, and start talking about these equity conversations that we need to have. Because we've been doing this from the beginning. 

Paul Fain:
Well first of all, really glad to have you here, definitely welcome the community college viewpoint in these times. And for folks watching at home, submit questions on Facebook, LinkedIn, Periscope, and we'll ask them for you. But can you talk, President Willis, just a little bit about the unique struggles that your students have had in the spring and summer, and how is the college working to support students in online programs?

Dr. Daria Willis:
Yeah, that's a good one. So I'm going to say this – I'll back up a bit – we know at the community college that a lot of our students can't afford to eat. You know, they don't have adequate food security. They experience homelessness. They don't have the technology to get from point A to point B and to do their classes. That's why we have large computer labs. Our libraries were giving away Wi-Fi hotspots and computers before the pandemic. But once the pandemic came, it exacerbated those issues that we saw. But I was really impressed with my college, really stepping up from the custodial staff all the way up to the executive leaders at the institution.

But more importantly, at E.v.C.C., our students stepped up and gave the institution $175,000 to provide over 700 Chromebooks for our students when we moved online. We also were able to work with T-Mobile to get more Wi-Fi hotspots dispersed onto the campus. We also put a Wi-Fi parking lot in place. And just recently, we were able to respond to those who experienced food insecurity by partnering with a community-based organization called the Volunteers of America. They literally send a huge tractor-trailer truck to the college every Wednesday from around 11 to 2, and they disperse thousands of pounds of food, not only to our faculty, staff, and students, but also to our community members and everybody around in Snohomish County. So, you know, me as a president, yeah, I'm looking out for your academic interests. I want to make sure that students are able to continue their programs, but I am most concerned about who you are and how you're handling this internally as a person. Because if you're not able to handle being able to eat and have a place to sleep, then you won't be worried about what's happening in your classes. Because you need to eat, and you need to do things for your family.

So we've been able to respond quickly, but that's what the community college spirit is about. That's where we are as an institution, and that's who we will forever be. And we are really close to working with our communities to make sure that not only our students, but even our employees – you know, we have some employees who make below the poverty line. Which is unfortunate, but they also experience housing insecurity and food insecurity. And our students before the pandemic had a food pantry, and it's run by them. There are bins set up all across the college, and employees put food in it all the time. And the one thing I found out when I first started here was that we have a lot of employees who access those services as well. So having community partnerships such as the Volunteers of America and others has really helped us to support and just do what we couldn't do before, but now at a much more broader scope.

Bridget Burns:
That's super helpful. I echo that because, you know, in the early weeks of the pandemic, we were trying to raise money for food insecurity and emergency for our students, and it was only then that it started popping up on the radar that actually we were seeing faculty and staff. There just simply weren't, not just resources, but there weren't – campuses sometimes hadn't even thought about that previously. And it was popping up, and there wasn't a process, there wasn't a strategy, and there were donors who were willing to contribute. But we needed to figure out how we were going to adapt what we were doing to serve a different population. So I'm glad to hear you raising that.

I want to ask about just, you know, in the past year a lot has happened, and your community is experiencing very different things when it comes to employment, employers shifting with the pandemic. And it's go to be really challenging to be a president thinking not just about navigating this moment, but figuring how to anticipate the local needs of the employers in your community. Of how you change the programmatic offering, and I mean the rest of us, you know, we can read all the future forecasting stuff we want. But you actually have to live it, and I'm just curious about – I know that you don't have a magic wand to know exactly what's going to happen. But how do you set yourself up as a leader to think about those things, and to make sure that your team is thinking about those things, and playing out, you know, how these different industries are going to evolve, and what you might do differently to serve them?

Dr. Daria Willis:
Well I pull out my crystal ball, and I rub it every Monday morning, and hopefully it tells me what the future is going to say. No, I don't have a crystal ball, I wish I did. A lot of the questions that we get, you know, we wish we had some type of future-telling device that would help me know what direction that we need to go in. But one of the things I've told my staff specifically, and this was before the pandemic started – and I keep saying that because a lot of us thought that we weren't prepared for this pandemic when it happened but we actually were, especially at community colleges because we have been operating on less from the beginning – but when you talk about, how we are going to retool going forward, I asked my staff, "So what do y'all do when you get up in the morning? Like, so you get up at five a.m., what is your daily schedule? And if your daily schedule doesn't include looking at the Chronicle of Higher Ed, Inside Higher Ed, and any other major news source to see what's happening in society, then we've got a problem. Then I don't know you can be on this team. Because you need to have the contextual information that would help you when you're talking to faculty, staff, and students, and moving forward for the college."

And one of the things with my team, we have weekly meetings, about three to four hours each week. We sit down, and we discuss what's happening. We also have the jobs report that we look at, that comes out from our Snohomish County labor region. And then we also take a look at and discuss these opportunities with just regular community members, you know, "What are you seeing, what are you hearing? How can we be of support?" And then we get feedback from students all the time. They say, "Well, I lost my job over here. But I'm trying to go to work over there, and I heard that they had these opportunities." And even with the employers, small as well as our large employers – You know, Everett Community College, we are right next to Boeing, and a lot of our training goes towards them. But now that we've had this pandemic, Boeing has had some really massive layoffs. And we are at the table with some of those folks that are getting laid off, unfortunately, offering them opportunities and programs that will get them quickly retrained so they can go back into society. So a lot of it is taking a chance, taking a gamble, doing your best bet to know who your community is and listening to them. And making sure that you're retooling for the future, but it's also not allowing the pandemic to keep you down.

You have to keep moving forward. You know that the sun is going to come up again on another day. That day hasn't come yet, but doggone it, if it's going to be dark and we have to work in the dark, that's what we'll do until the light comes. So it's been really a good opportunity for us to take a look at who we are as an institution. Because we have this core arm of the college called Corporate and Workforce Training, and from the very beginning, they have been involved in being at the table when people are laid off at their local businesses. We have local advisory boards with our small business development partners that we talk to and say, "Hey, what are you seeing? What do our graduates need to have when they come to you?" So now it's about using a lot of that information that we were getting before the pandemic, and implementing it now so that we can better retool our communities for the future.

Bridget Burns:
You know, you all and Washington State were in this crisis earlier than the rest of us in this country. I remember searching your website as you all were making decisions about what to do this spring. I can only imagine what that was like, but given that you've been in this for a while, and we all have now too, from a student perspective how will the fall be different from the spring? What are some of the lessons you all learned that you can apply or that you are applying to the student experience?

Dr. Daria Willis:
Yeah, you know, the first days of the pandemic were like drinking out of a fire hose. You didn't know where information was coming from, what was accurate, what wasn't, and you just really couldn't wait. Sometimes you just had to make a decision and go with it, right or wrong. And when we look at the student experience from the spring quarter and what we're heading into for the fall, I'll be honest, it was a point of where we knew that a lot of our faculty probably weren't ready to move to online education. You know, when we look at faculty in general from a higher ed perspective across the country, a lot of them are older. And they didn't have to use computers and email systems and Blackboard and Canvas, and whatever learning management system is out there.

So we knew that we had to provide extra support so that the student experience could be at its optimal level. But fortunately, we've been able to use some of our CARES Act funding this summer, and getting faculty retooled in our Innovations Academy. Because what we're going to do is offer some sort of a hybrid schedule, where at least 99 percent of our classes will be online. And the other courses in our prof-tech programs and our science-based lab based classes, they will be face to face using strict social distancing measures. They will have masks on, all of that you see with the C.D.C. But I'm proud of our faculty for stepping up and saying, "Hey, Dr. Willis, we really would like to have more professional development. We want more training. Because we want to be able to offer what our students need," and I know that they are taking advantage of this opportunity.

Because like you say, it's about that student experience, but if students can't feel the closeness of the camaraderie-ship, the cohort base with their peers in this online world, then we'll lose them. And we don't want to lose our students. Because the message that I've been giving them is, "Anything worth having is worth fighting for. And you're going to have to fight through this pandemic. OK, yep, you don't want to take your classes all online, uh-huh. But you know what? It'll make you a better person in the future 'cause you're going to get those scrapes and bruises and scars through this process. And then when you get out of this you'll be able to say that you earned your degree during a pandemic. There is absolutely nothing that you can't do after that."

So our student life organization, they are doing a fantastic job. They have these little weekly do-it-yourself programs that they would have out on Zoom. And it was some interesting things, like how do you retool your Sopa? Things that I can't do, I'm not a hands-based, hands-on person. But it was some really cool things. And we even had a drag show online. I remember when I first started at Everett in June of last year, right before I started, I came in and they had this drag show. And I said, "Well, what's the drag show?" And they said, "Oh yeah, these people come and dance." I went in and I had the best time. I screamed like I was, you know, partying like it was 1999. And we just had fun, and the students took that same concept and moved it online. And I think they had record level attendance. So we had to make some quick decisions in the spring. Based on how we're going to offer our courses, but now that we have more time and we know what the fall will look like and even in the winter, and through January, February, and March, probably through the spring of next year we're getting people trained. We're offering the professional development. We're retooling our own instructors, making sure they have the technology so that the student experience can be in its optimal level for fall. 

Bridget Burns:
So the way I'm looking at this is I just keep seeing so much progress, and so much creativity that's coming out of higher ed. And I feel like a lot of the narrative out there is very negative, but from my perspective and hearing faculty saying that they are becoming better teachers because of this, because there isn't the distance of the classroom, the student is right here, and they're able to know when their content needs to, you know, pick it up. And students are, their resilience is on full display. We're seeing and understanding just what they're going through in a way that is different. And I'm also seeing leaders lead and be just their best selves that I've seen. I'm just wondering, how do we hang onto the creativity of this moment? I feel like there were things that we should have never been able to do that we did in a matter of two weeks.

Things that were never going to happen in higher ed. And we're so focused on what's bad, and what we can't control. But what I'm interested in is how do we channel this energy of, you know what? The story about why I couldn't do this, it's not real. And like we're figuring it out, we're working together, bootstraps, I want to make sure that we leverage that kind of creative engine that we've tapped into when we're back together. And I don't know if you have any thoughts about that, but I'm just curious about how we don't lose that momentum. 

Dr. Daria Willis:
Yeah, that's a good one. I remember when I made the decision to move online I called my former boss back at Onondaga and I said, "Guess what I just did. I did what a lot of colleges couldn't do for 20 years. I moved my whole college online in a day." But it speaks to your point that a lot of the conversations that we had in the beginning – we can't offer this class online, or students can't learn without being in the classroom for 50 minutes three days a week, we have to go through all 30 chapters of that textbook – a lot of those questions, and comments, and concerns are to me nonexistent. And one thing that I'm going to do at the college starting in our new academic year, we're going to start our new strategic plan. This is the perfect time to plan what you're going to do as an institution for the years to come. Why wait? This is the best time to do it, and you never want to waste a crisis. I know you probably heard this phrase 20 times before, but if we're able to move our classes online, science labs are done in an online environment, we're able to offer student services opportunities for students online, why would we give that up now?

And even take it a little step further: What's work going to look like? You know, we always thought that we had to get in a car and drive 30 minutes or an hour to get to the job, get out, walk up the steps, come in your office. You wasted a whole hour of your life in traffic during the commute. And then you have to do it five days a week. But is the standard of work going to be the same? And as community colleges and higher education institutions in general, we have to prepare students for the future. And I argue that the future of work will be different. We'll go back to some sort of normalcy at this point, but to be honest, these last six or seven months – maybe I'm exaggerating a bit with the months – but time has been a distant thing for me at this point. I've been a president from the comfort of my own home. Never thought that that would be how I'm able to do the job, but I'm able to do that. 

Students are able to learn from home. Faculty are able to teach from home. Student services staff are able to do that from home. So we are going to really start asking ourselves some serious questions, not about the past, but how do we hold onto the innovative things that we've been doing? And I'm not just talking about technology; innovation is not all in technology and the latest iPad or Apple phone or whatever device that has come out. It's about how we do things differently and redefine what learning really means during this stage. And I'd argue that by asking those questions up front, and having open, transparent, and honest conversations, institutions should be able to flip and move with the times. And not even move with the times, but I'd also say get ahead of the times. You know, this has really taught a lot of us what we need to be thinking about, and I'm excited. And that's what gives me hope as I move into year two of the presidency, is that I'm able to sit down with my college, and we'll have a strategic planning process to where we're talking about the now, and we're talking about the future, and how education has to change. We can't keep doing it the same way we always have, and it's a really exciting moment, even in the midst of a pandemic. 

Paul Fain:
So to go back to where you began, the overlap with the racial and social justice moment we're having, obviously the impacts the pandemic disproportionately felt by people of color, lower income folks, a lot of the demographics your sector serves. But beyond the specific impacts of job loss and other families who have been impacted by the disease itself, some of the polling we've seen is just the uncertainty is felt more profoundly by first-generation college students. You know, you're not sure about college, you don't have someone to lean on in your family about how it works, you're not sure about the finances of it. And then you don't know whether or not you're going to be going in person for some time, what sort of programs can lead to what jobs in this economy. Does that resonate with what you're feeling on your campus, that the emotional piece here of just uncertainty is a huge potential impediment to students? 

Dr. Daria Willis:
Yeah, absolutely. You can't deny that. I mean, this is a tough time for everyone. It's even tough for me, as a president. I'm supposed to put my clothes on, and get my makeup, my war paint on my face, and step out like nothing is bothering me today. When in all actuality I'm just as uncertain about our future as anyone else. But I think I'll take it back to what I said previously, that anything worth having is worth fighting for. You can't give up now. I mean my story as a single parent raising a daughter at 19 years old, first generation student to college, all the way in Tallahassee, Florida at a H.B.C.U. has really helped prepare me for this moment in time. And so if you don't have something that you have to deal with the blood, sweat, and tears about, I don't know what to say about you as a person going forward. But everybody has got to work for something, and although there is an emotional toll that we're all dealing with, find what it is that makes you tick. 

Find what it is to get all of that noise out. For me, I'm a Peloton addict – I'm a member of the cult, yes. I got on my Peloton this morning, I did three bike rides, and I was like, "Phew, I'm ready for this conversation today," right? And whatever it is for you, walking, jogging, meditation, praying, whatever that is, do that. Because this too shall pass, and we'll get by. But I have to say you need those scrapes, those bruises, to be that person that you want to be, so don't give up. Just keep going. 

Bridget Burns:
Love it, that's so great. And I feel like you're such a fantastic model, that's really helping us understand why leadership matters, and also leadership that people can relate to, and that has actually experienced similar experiences and similar circumstances. So you can actually help the institution navigate. So I just want to talk to you as a leader, if there have been any kind of books, anything, I don't know, maybe a particular Peloton ride, that has in this time really helped you? I want to make sure that we're thinking about our audience, and leaving them the breadcrumbs to help navigate and lead in their own space? Have there been any things, whether it's a book or movie, or anything out there that you've referenced during this time that has helped you stay focused and really draw deep on your courage?

Dr. Daria Willis:
So this might sound weird because I'm supposed to be all highly academic, and I've got my Ph.D., and I'm supposed to reading 50 books. But I'm going to be honest, y'all. I'm not reading nothing right now. I did read, well, listen to the audio version of Michelle Obama's Becoming. I thought that was very uplifting, I would listen to that as I did my walks in the morning. But I have to say, for me it's really been my Peloton, because I love the sense of community that it brings. And being a president at a community college, that's what we're all about is being together. We are a team, and we have to move forward. So I find that I've never been the one to go to the gym and work out in a class with a whole bunch of other people, because I talk to people all day, anyway. So I just figure when I found the Peloton and I got on it, I didn't have to necessarily talk to you, but I could send you a high five, and we could sweat together virtually, and I don't have to feel your sweat and smell your breath, and you don't have to smell mine, and all that good stuff.

Then I was good to go, but you know, I joke about it. But I say that it has really helped me tremendously to sweat out my frustrations, think about things, and now that they've expanded their repertoire to meditations and walking and jogging, I can just pick what I need for the day and get my mind together. And I also have to say though that I'm a woman of faith, raised in the Baptist church in Georgia. And I try my best to stay up with my weekly Bible plans. I talk to my mom a lot. We have religious conversations every now and again, and that's helpful. So I can't give you all a book that I have read. I probably should, that's probably the most embarrassing thing that a president can come on here and say. "Nope, I haven't really read anything since my dissertation."

Bridget Burns:
I don't think anyone is reading right now, to be honest.

Dr. Daria Willis:
Kind of boring right now, but yeah, I love the sense of community on Peloton, and meditating, and praying, and spending time with my family. That's been the best part of it all. 

Bridget Burns:
Well, I would like Peloton to sponsor this show, just want to give a shout out. I don't know if you tried the Greatest Showman Ride. But I argue it is the best ride on Peloton. I give that gift to you, ever time I have a big speech I do the Greatest Showman Ride.

Dr. Daria Willis:
Well, my gift to you, I did Alex's Little Wayne Ride this week. It'll bring the ratchet out, the ratchet that you have in places, it'll bring that out.

Bridget Burns:
Awesome, yeah, best purchase ever, especially right before the pandemic, yeah. Well thank you so much, this has been really a wonderful conversation. And we're so grateful for the way that you've been, like I said, just a candid, transparent leader who is helping pave the way, and make it so that other people can actually ascend to the presidency with success. So we're just really, we appreciate you and pouring into the community, and being as real and open as you are. It's just it helps create the model that people don't need to be these wooden figures that people often think presidency to be, which is totally unrealistic. And it makes people not want to be presidents, because if I have to be a fake, weird, wooden thing, why would I want to be one of those? So thank you so much.

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Weekly Wisdom is an event series that happens live on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. It also becomes a podcast episode. Every week, we join forces with Inside Higher Ed and talk with a sitting college president or chancellor about how they're specifically navigating the challenges of this moment. These conversations will be filled with practicable things you can do right now by unpacking how and why college leaders are making decisions within higher education. Hopefully, these episodes will also leave you with a sense of optimism and a bit of inspiration.

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