In this episode of Visionary Voices: The College President’s Playbook, Dr. Bryan Gross hosts Joe Ross, President of Reach University, and Dr. Eric Dunker, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of the National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree. They explore how Reach University is transforming higher education by offering a unique apprenticeship degree model that empowers students to earn degrees while working in their communities. Joe and Eric dive into the university’s mission to provide accessible, debt-free education through workplace-based learning. They discuss the benefits of apprenticeship degrees, how Reach University collaborates with employers to upskill workers, and why this model is particularly successful in rural and underserved areas. The episode highlights Reach University’s affordable approach, employer partnerships, and the importance of innovation in higher education. Ross and Dunker also provide advice for college leaders on how to implement similar models at other institutions.
In this episode of Visionary Voices: The College President’s Playbook, Dr. Bryan Gross hosts Joe Ross, President of Reach University, and Dr. Eric Dunker, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of the National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree. They explore how Reach University is transforming higher education by offering a unique apprenticeship degree model that empowers students to earn degrees while working in their communities. Joe and Eric dive into the university’s mission to provide accessible, debt-free education through workplace-based learning. They discuss the benefits of apprenticeship degrees, how Reach University collaborates with employers to upskill workers, and why this model is particularly successful in rural and underserved areas. The episode highlights Reach University’s affordable approach, employer partnerships, and the importance of innovation in higher education. Ross and Dunker also provide advice for college leaders on how to implement similar models at other institutions.
Guest Names:
President Joe Edelheit Ross, Reach University
Dr. Eric Dunker, Reach University's NCAD
Guest Socials:
President Joe Edelheit Ross - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeross/
Dr. Eric Dunker - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-dunker-ph-d-1463758/
Guest Bios:
President Joe Edelheit Ross, Reach University - Joe Edelheit Ross is President and CEO of Reach University, the nonprofit university advancing fully job-embedded Apprenticeship Degrees. Joe previously led a statewide education advocacy association, California County Boards of Education, and served for over ten years as an elected trustee of the San Mateo County Board of Education. Earlier in his career, he served on active duty in the U.S. Navy, and later as a deputy district attorney. The son of a U.S. Postal Service labor custodian, Joe received his B.A. from Yale College and his J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he was President of the Stanford Law Review. Ross has been published in Inside Higher Education, Work Shift, the San Jose Mercury News, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, and Forbes.
Dr. Eric Dunker is co-founder and Chief Executive of Reach University's National Center for the Apprenticeship Degree (NCAD). Eric joined Reach from Arapahoe Community College in Colorado, where he served as the vice president for Workforce and Economic Development for over five years. There he led the launch of two new campuses, cultivated $30 million in philanthropy and grants, co-created innovative apprenticeships in health care, technology, and business, and co-created responsive career-ready programs for displaced workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior, Eric served as regional director for Oregon State University. Eric currently serves on the Colorado state apprenticeship board. At Reach, he co-founded and launched NCAD, the university’s center dedicated to technical assistance and collective impact advancing adoption of the apprenticeship degree across the United States.