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Charting the Course is a faculty-focused podcast that highlights the people, programs, and pathways shaping our college. Each episode features engaging conversations with professors who share insights about their courses, degree plans, and the opportunities awaiting students—helping listeners navigate their own academic journey. Go Commodores!
00;00;00;00 - 00;00;21;15
Unknown
Hey there, and welcome to Charting the Course, a podcast all about the people and programs that make Gulf Coast College such a unique place to learn. In each episode, we'll sit down with faculty to hear their stories, their passions, and the pathways they're helping students explore. Whether you're a current student, future Commodore, or just curious about what's happening on campus, you're in the right place.
00;00;21;18 - 00;00;40;08
Unknown
Welcome to Charting the Course. I'm your host, kind of gently tuning you all in to what we've got going on here at Gulf Coast. In the studio with me today. I've got Miss Cara Pattinato when I wish. I don't butcher that. The program coordinator for all things bachelors organizational management here at Gulf Coast State College. Correct? Yes.
00;00;40;08 - 00;00;57;21
Unknown
Good morning. So good morning. All right, so you mentioned you kind of been in the role for like, the last three ish years, right? Kind of presently in it. When I hear organizational management, I'm a little uncertain as to what that may be. And students may share that same, approach. Can you explain to me a little bit about what that org management degree is?
00;00;57;24 - 00;01;24;28
Unknown
Yes. So here Gulf Coast we have the organizational management degree. It is a business degree. And we actually have two concentrations. So we have a health Services Administration concentration. So this is for anyone working in healthcare that's kind of hands on in the field ready to be promoted to a manager of their department. People wanting to work their way up in their field within health care.
00;01;25;00 - 00;01;55;09
Unknown
And then we have a second concentration, which is corporate entrepreneurship. So these are for our small business owners and anyone in a leadership role for a corporation. But what organizational management is, is it's a theory that came about, you know, and really pushed about 15, 20 years ago that managers need to do more than just check the box and hit all the tasks to be a really good manager.
00;01;55;11 - 00;02;20;03
Unknown
They need to be good leaders and great leaders. And there's a difference between that and learning all the aspects of a business helps you become a great leader. So the degree will focus on, different areas of business. So we have two finance classes, two marketing classes, an HR class, a Six Sigma course, and then a couple management leadership courses within the program.
00;02;20;05 - 00;02;43;20
Unknown
And the goal is for our students to walk out with their degree and enter into a managerial role within a business, within any industry. Wow. That's really extensive. What a great option to our students. We did ask. It is a bachelor's degree, right? So that four year degree. Traditionally, yes. Awesome. How are you finding like the turnaround or, you know, seats filled or you having lots of students kind of in and about.
00;02;43;21 - 00;03;15;23
Unknown
Yeah. So it's doing really well. We have over 100 students in the program. About 25 graduated last spring. And it's students from all different backgrounds. So we have students coming straight out of their AA and as directly into the bachelor's to kind of continue that education mindset. We have students within working in the field that are now coming back because to get promoted or to do something additional within their career, they need the other skill sets.
00;03;15;26 - 00;03;43;03
Unknown
And then we also have a lot of military within the program, within the military to move up in rank. You obviously need to continue your education. So it's a mixture of young students, older students, people in various industries, people with various backgrounds. But it's wonderful because they all have different experiences to share. And if you really are going to be a good leader, you have to have a different perspective.
00;03;43;04 - 00;04;05;09
Unknown
So I love that they can share their background with each other. Oh yeah. Absolutely. It's we're all kind of a gentle mosaic of the different perspectives that we learn about, right? And so to be able to be in a classroom setting and to have that, like gentle, controlled environment, right where you get to learn and make mistakes, but also you get to use other people around you as a soundboard to say this is what I'm thinking.
00;04;05;09 - 00;04;20;14
Unknown
This is what I've tried. This is what went well or didn't. And, you know, be able to share that experience is such an awesome opportunity for the students. Yeah. Not too gently step away from my digital media backgrounds, but that very much is a degree that I feel like would be so beneficial to so many people.
00;04;20;16 - 00;04;36;20
Unknown
I almost gently wish I knew about it before I started here. Because it's such a great option. And I think that's going to, like you said, no matter the industry that they step into, the students can have such a well-rounded experience on a set of hard and soft skills that are essential everywhere. So it's really, really great to hear.
00;04;36;21 - 00;04;53;05
Unknown
No, I think it's a great program for any industry really to advance for sure. Thank you. Thinking about some of the coursework that you guys offer, whether it be kind of your general courses or like some of your elective courses. Can you think of one that comes to mind is one that you like really enjoy teaching? Could you tell me about it?
00;04;53;07 - 00;05;25;15
Unknown
So my I have, a dual bachelor's in accounting and finance, and then my MBA has a concentration in HR. But my passion has always been finance. So I love teaching my two finance classes and sharing my experiences with them. I think that if you can understand how money works, not just, you know, that it has a value, but really how to make it work for you, you will be very comfortable financially and successful.
00;05;25;17 - 00;05;48;16
Unknown
So I love that one, of course, but I also love to teach the HR course. I have so many students that have never expected just interviewing someone, and even if you never get to that point, you know, sometimes in larger corporations it's just going to be the talent and acquisition manager that does this. You have to interview, right?
00;05;48;23 - 00;06;22;05
Unknown
So what questions can we legally ask that we shouldn't be asking? Not many people know that it is okay to negotiate a salary or a benefit request. So that class is usually very well liked by everyone. So I enjoy that one. And then we have a couple classes where we do not require students to do an internship, because our program is vastly different between people who work full time and younger students.
00;06;22;07 - 00;06;48;22
Unknown
So when you're working full time, you physically cannot be in two places at once. But three of our classes require students to go out and work with nonprofits, and so they have to create a marketing campaign for them. And various other things. So that's how we kind of get that hands on experience. So I always love coaching them through those projects because they're real and they're happening right now.
00;06;48;24 - 00;07;06;19
Unknown
And then hearing how they turn out. So little bit a mix. Yeah. That's great. I think that students really if you give them the opportunity to flourish and kind of a hands on approach, right where they the work that they're doing goes outside of the textbook and goes outside of the unit that they're learning in. But they get to really put hands on something.
00;07;06;19 - 00;07;29;01
Unknown
And then not only is there like the invested interest, but also it's the personal stake of, I got to work on this and I did something tangible that is going to impact so many people. Yeah, that Buy-In is invaluable for the students to be able to present them that opportunity. So it's really cool that you get to do that, and it teaches them to be comfortable in network, and it gives them a little bit of ability to actually be the leader on the project.
00;07;29;03 - 00;07;49;15
Unknown
Sure. Yeah. That's a great segue. One of the questions that I really wanted to ask, especially considering, like your background in our community and also knowing that the students get this hands on experience, when the students are working their transition between in the classroom, right, in that controlled environment to out into the community where it is a little bit of a free for all post-grad, right?
00;07;49;22 - 00;08;11;02
Unknown
Because you've accomplished the paper, you have the degree, and now it's, well, where am I going with it? That's the question that many graduates face. Have you found that there's a specific industry, or can you share any stories of a graduate that you may have had and some work that they've applied straight out the gate? Yes. So we had a really great, great group of graduates this past spring, some more military.
00;08;11;02 - 00;08;37;01
Unknown
So they stayed within that, but they advanced in rank. And actually two of them advanced like the following day, like as soon as they received their diploma. So that was pretty exciting. They sent me a little message. I've actually had one student switch from finance to an HR career. So different industry. He found his passion when we did the air class and I've had two students recently open their own business.
00;08;37;03 - 00;09;04;06
Unknown
So one went from a food truck to a brick and mortar, which is just amazing and so much hard work. And then another student opened a online business and he is doing extremely well. So it's very rewarding for them to see. But they have found jobs in whatever fulfills their passion. And one of the classes we talk about, to be a great leader, you have to have passion.
00;09;04;08 - 00;09;24;23
Unknown
And if you don't have a passion in the industry or working in or the product that you're selling it, you're you're missing out, right? So, like, you can't be that great because you don't care that much. So within our graduates, where you kind of see them going multiple ways, post-graduation. That's really awesome to hear. You're absolutely right.
00;09;24;24 - 00;09;40;02
Unknown
It's it's led by. And for the students, it's if I'm going to spend the time and effort to work towards something, I might as well be interested in what it is that I'm doing. Because if I'm not doing it for anybody else, I might as well be doing it for myself. Right? And that's that. That personal stake that I think is really important.
00;09;40;02 - 00;09;58;01
Unknown
And I love that you're kind of honing that with them so that when they take it beyond the classroom, they still have that in mind. You know, gently cutting my teeth in the teaching industry, it's one of those where the question is always like, why is it that we're doing this? Or you hear stories about people who've been teaching for ten, 15 years and have committed to that career?
00;09;58;01 - 00;10;19;29
Unknown
And it's like, why are they still here doing it? It's exactly that. It's to see the students grow in that way. And that's such a cool thing to see. It fills your heart. Oh my gosh. Yeah, absolutely. What would you say outside of the obviously tangible end result? Right. The certificate or the degree? The very physical thing that they get to take out into the world and present.
00;10;20;01 - 00;10;38;15
Unknown
What would you say is the thing that you hope students take most from your program? So I hope that they take, you know, not just the knowledge but the experience. So they do usually come back and said they love working with the non-profits and all the projects. And I know that's something that we provide to them to have hands on experience.
00;10;38;16 - 00;11;03;19
Unknown
It also helps their resume. I've seen a lot of friendships blossom, but from a knowledge sharing perspective, I hope that they can take from the program that they stay kind of true to who they are. Right. Because we know great leaders need to be comfortable within themselves, have the passion which we mentioned, and most importantly, be able to adapt.
00;11;03;19 - 00;11;28;27
Unknown
So we focus on being able to adapt within multiple of our lesson plans. It crosses every class. If you can adapt and be proactive, you're going to be here for many years and you're going to be successful. So just kind of taking those, you know, I don't want to call them skills or trades, but always continuing to embrace those things and let them lead you forward.
00;11;29;04 - 00;11;54;15
Unknown
If you are interested, of course, I'm going to flag it. If you're interested in joining the organizational management program, please either come see me. I'm here on campus in the, Charles Hilton Center, or you head online to Gulf Coast that edu and look up. There are bachelor's degrees under organizational management. You can start spring, summer or fall, and there is never a right or wrong time to start.
00;11;54;17 - 00;12;13;27
Unknown
But I will tell you that once you start, you can finish the program. Ultimately, I have some students finish within a year and a half, some two. We could do it online if you'd like. So we will make that schedule work for you. And once you graduate, no one's ever going to take that degree away from you.
00;12;13;27 - 00;12;33;28
Unknown
It's only going to further your career and your success. Absolutely. Well-Said. Thank you so much. And thank you for joining me today. Thank you. I've had a great time here. Yeah. Thanks for joining us on Charting the Course. Big shout out to the talented digital media students who put this episode together. You'll hear their work in every edit.
00;12;34;00 - 00;12;53;29
Unknown
If you want to dive into podcasting or other creative projects yourself, be sure to check out center for Student Medium.com. Or if your needs are more educational, please visit Gulf coast.edu/digital media. Until next time, go Commodores.