In spring 2020, a dozen Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) students gathered as a crew to virtually discuss topics for a new podcast series project. The project was the brainchild of Beth Baunoch, Associate Professor of Media Studies, who wanted to give her students a broader platform to create new media and learn new skills in the process. To make that happen, she applied for and received a $40,000 Mellon/ACLS Community College Faculty Fellowship stipend.

Choosing one topic to investigate for the podcast series was challenging, but Baunoch wanted her students to come up with a focus on their own. In the end, they settled on a subject that had brought them together in the first place—school.

Students Sam Horn, Ian Kafes, and Akira Tisdale interview CCBC
Collection Development Coordinator and Associate Professor, Elizabeth Godwin

When one of the students mentioned a friend who attended a “good school” during a brainstorming session, the question became, What makes a good school? The students realized they had all felt stigma as community college students, which led to a second question: Would they be getting a better education at a four-year university? To tackle these questions head on, the Good School podcast was born.

“While my friends had decided to go to different four-year schools . . . I found myself having to constantly advocate for my choice to go to CCBC,” said student and crew member Katlyn Drescher. She noted that she had big goals for herself, but was convinced by others that she “couldn’t do it without some kind of prestigious degree.” Ultimately, she “refused to accept that.”

Good School Podcast Hits the Airways

Over nearly two years, slowed at times due to the pandemic, the Good School podcast crew dove deep into producing an audio documentary to investigate the complexities of higher education. To date, 25 students have worked on the podcast project, creating story lines, conducting research, interviewing people, editing audio, developing a marketing plan, and designing a logo.

Their journalism has now hit the airways. Episodes cover the history of higher education, the role of faculty, how colleges are ranked, how students make their college decisions, and the ins and outs of the admissions process. The podcast can be heard on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and Stitcher.

Student and crew member Attia Robinson hopes the podcast will help people think more deeply about where they choose to go to school and why. “When people listen to the podcast, I hope they leave with the ability to analyze their feelings toward higher education and the reasons behind those feelings,” said Robinson, who is working toward an associate degree in biology. “It involves posing questions: Who taught me the things I know about higher education? Why do I think a school is a good school? and, How do all these factors affect how I feel while attending the school?”

Student Katie Roberts interviews CCBC President Sandra Kurtinitis

Crew member Olivia Yates wants the podcast to convey the value of a community college education. “Many people I know went to a community college, and I have seen its remarkable effect on each of their lives,” said Yates, who graduated from CCBC in May 2022 with an associate degree in general studies and is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in policy, politics, and international affairs at University of Baltimore. “Although there is a stigma surrounding community colleges, attending one is an affordable way of getting a great education.”

What the Students Uncovered

The students interviewed an impressive line-up for the podcast episodes, including Sandra Kurtinitis, CCBC President; William “Brit” Kirwan, Chancellor Emeritus of the University System of Maryland; Richard Freeland, former President of Northeastern University; and Jeongeun Kim, Associate Professor of Higher Education at Arizona State University as well as an admissions counselor at Goucher College, a Baltimore City high school guidance counselor, faculty at CCBC, and more.

What the students uncovered in Good School’s first five episodes, Baunoch said, was that higher education is essentially a game that comes down to money and marketing. “We all buy into this idea of prestige. It is a self-perpetuating problem that you have to get into Yale, but yet if Yale won’t let you in, then students’ identities are shredded,” she said. “It’s a very excluding process.”

The student podcast crew does not seem discouraged by what they have uncovered. If anything, producing the podcast reinforced for them that a good school comes down to the individual student and what fits their needs.

According to Yates,

I might like certain things in a college that someone else despises. If larger class sizes, a large student body, and dorm rooms are what a student likes, then that school is good for them. If another student likes a school with small class sizes and more online classes, then that school is also good. For me, a good school is one that presents a lot of internship and career opportunities, has small class sizes, puts students first, and takes into account a student's personal life and the work they have to do outside of the classroom.

Robinson agrees, noting that CCBC’s professors, low tuition, abundance of activities, and diverse student body make CCBC a good school for her. “I’m not sure if I could say CCBC is a good school for everyone,” she stated. “You might not get as much out of it if you don’t share my interests and values. But I can say that I enjoy it here, and if you’re like me, you would too.”

Students Andrea Alvarado Avila, EJ Snyder, and Attia Robinson
at the College Media Association conference in Washington, DC.

Bringing Inclusivity to Podcasting

The students’ hard work on the Good School podcast has already received national recognition. The College Media Association awarded The Faculty episode a third-place prize in the audio documentary category at its Film and Audio Festival in October 2022. According to Baunoch, CCBC was the only community college represented in the contest. The students were also invited to speak at Achieving the Dream’s annual conference in Chicago in February 2023 and presented at the National Scholarship Provider Association’s conference in Las Vegas in September 2023. In addition, they have been featured in Inside Higher Ed, Best Colleges, and a Higher Ed Matters podcast. Click here to see all press.

Aaron Henkin, Senior Producer and Podcast Producer at WYPR, Baltimore’s local NPR station, who has worked with the students and was a special guest at the podcast launch event, stated:

When I listen to your work, I hear the mark of young producers who have learned the nuances of crafting a story, designing a narrative arc. I hear you practicing the art of interviewing and active listening. I hear beautifully executed technical editing. I hear thoughtful pacing. I hear graceful narration written for the listener's ear. What you all have accomplished is a marvel. It's a shining example of bona fide grassroots local journalism. Which I got to say is a precious and increasingly rare thing to find around the country these days. You are playing a critical role right now in amplifying the voices and perspectives of people whose lives and experiences are, as you heard, invisible to much of the world.

One of Baunoch’s goals for the project is to bring more inclusivity to podcasting. The Good School podcast crew has so far met that goal by adding “really new, fresh voices” to the podcasting world and to the topic of higher education, where the perspectives of community college students previously could not be found. In addition to serving on CCBC’s faculty, Baunoch is also Executive Producer of ForReal Media, her podcast production house, which is producing Good School.

According to Baunoch, the students have “only just begun to scratch the surface” on the topic of higher education; season 2 of the podcast will begin soon, pending funding.

Subscribe to the Good School podcast here. The Good School Podcast is Community College of Baltimore County’s 2022-2023 Innovation of the Year Award winner.

Lead Image: The CCBC Podcast Production Crew at their launch event on March 2, 2023. (Photo credit: Mollye Miller Photography)

Jennifer Michael is Content Creator/Editor at Community College of Baltimore County in Baltimore, Maryland.

Opinions expressed in Member Spotlight are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the League for Innovation in the Community College.