How Did Your Local Grocery Store Pivot During the Pandemic?

One of my favorite grocery stores is H-E-B. Seriously, after our major grocery store in Carthage, Texas (a very rural area in East Texas) left a sizable gap in the strip center between Wal-Mart and Eckerd's (CVS Pharmacy), we were pleased when H-E-B moved into the grocery store space that was vacant for 10+ years. It opened in the late 1990s and the city has shown their love for H-E-B since that time. It greatly contributes to the health of the region.

One of my cousins works for H-E-B and she absolutely loves the company. Even when she travels, she is all about visiting the nearest H-E-B store. Talk about H-E-B-based travel, that is her favorite thing!

H-E-B, like other stores, had to pivot during the pandemic. In fact, our local H-E-B store in Carthage, Texas was very proactive in implementing measures to keep their team members and shoppers safe. They enabled only a certain amount of people to enter the store at one time, etc.

Earlier this month, I saw this amazing webinar focused on how the H-E-B organization reflected on how they changed procedures during the pandemic and other aspects of their store.

So, take a BIG bite of this webinar and reflect in the comment box below about how your local grocery stores pivoted (or did not pivot) during the pandemic.

Thanks for visiting! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Professor of Communication

Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute & Rural Communication Institute

***

Check out my book - Retaining College Students Using Technology: A Guidebook for Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Professionals.

Remember to order copies for your team as well!

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success and Retention Institute - Learning Community on Facebook!

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Resource Alert: A Health Check-In for Meeting and Classrooms - Team Color Check-In Tool

Throughout the past few years we have definitely been part of a Zoom and Microsoft Team centric world. As we meet with teams and individuals, we have to account for the life that is happening on the other side of the screen. Through Zoom we have a unique opportunity to gain a glimpse into another person's life to which we would normally not have access.

This means that we have a moral and ethnical responsibility as peers and as leaders to genuinely care about the people to which we are communicate with on Zoom. Here's a great resource from the Collective Impact Forum (http://www.collectiveimpactforum.org). 

The Team Color Check-In Tool is a communication tool to help people in virtual and face-to-face conversations have a check-in. The colors range from:

Red

Orange

Yellow

Green

Blue

Gray

If you are wondering how to apply this for your teams or classrooms, I would definitely recommend the following:

#1 - Utilize it when you meet with individuals one-on-one (BEFORE) the meeting.

#2 - Utilize it in Zoom via an anonymous poll to gauge how their audience is feeling BEFORE the meeting and providing resources at the end of the meeting (or in a follow-up email).

#3 - Send the check-in tool to your team/organization at the beginning of the week and provide workshops and support throughout the week for the team. 

Respond Below - How would you use the resource?  Do you think teams would benefit from this resource? How would you modify it? 

Thanks for reading!  

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Professor of Communication

Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute & Rural Communication Institute

***

Check out my book - Retaining College Students Using Technology: A Guidebook for Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Professionals.

Remember to order copies for your team as well!

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success and Retention Institute - Learning Community on Facebook!

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

When Driving Through a Rural Area, Do You Think "How Far is the Local Hospital"?

As a lifelong rural resident, I think about the proximity of my home and my work to a local hospital. Actually, I always think about my proximity to a Level I hospital when traveling in a rural area or visiting a relative.

Many rural sections of our Texas interstates are located far from a Level I hospital. This means that when I am traveling to another location in Texas, I have to be very careful to practice defensive driving because I do not want to end up in a situation when I have to be transported to a high level hospital from a rural area.

As a result, I looked forward to this live session from the Texas Tribune for weeks. This panel highlighted the perils that many of our rural residents encounter everyday. In many of our rural Texas counties, you cannot deliver a baby in a hospital, because there is not a labor and delivery unit. Also, some of our rural counties like Shelby County, TX, do not have a rural hospital any longer.

Which part of the video stands out to you? 

Thanks for visiting! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Professor of Communication

Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute & Rural Communication Institute

***

Check out my book - Retaining College Students Using Technology: A Guidebook for Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Professionals.

Remember to order copies for your team as well!

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success and Retention Institute - Learning Community on Facebook!

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

A Review of Complete College America's ACT Conference (June 2022)

In June 2022, I was very excited to attend Complete College America’s ACT: Policy & Action Summit in Louisville, Kentucky. This was my first time visiting Kentucky and everything was beautiful! 

Apparently, this conference is "where the magic happens. Where ideas come to life, decisions are made, and plans for impact take shape" and this was definitely true. Usually, when I attend a higher education summit, it is just focused on current information and best practices, but this conference took a different turn. It was all about action and implementation.

Several of the key groups from the Complete College were able to come together and to take action. These groups included: state teams of higher education leaders and policymakers came together. 

Texas community colleges have been funded at the same rate that was established over 50 years ago. Dr. Stephanie Murphy @Commit2Dallas @SMirandaMurphy #CCAAction #highered #HigherEducation #retention #edu #StudentSuccess pic.twitter.com/4xhJeYR1nJ

— Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards (@drjtedwards) June 8, 2022

The content was amazing and the conversations were even better.  Our conversations focused on Time to Degree, Corequisite Support, Guided Pathways, and more.

Here was the schedule:

Day 1

Welcome from the CCA President: Dr. Yolanda Watson-Spiva

Bringing in Those Left Behind in the College Completion Movement

Continued Progress and New Frontiers

No Middle Ground - Advancing Equity Through Practice

ACT I - Start, Stop, Continue

Day 2

The Politics of Equitable College Completion

Equity and Public University Funding

No Middle Ground - Advancing Equity in All States

ACT II & III - Policy Recommendation and Development

Innovation in Systems Change

New Opportunities for Your Complete College Alliance Team

I learned so much through this summit and the networking was great. One of the aspects of the conference that served as a highlight for me was the placement of several flags around the room to represent the institutions of each Complete College America member/partner.

This was evidence of intentional support and success.

The sponsors for this event included: The Lumina Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ascendium, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Barr Foundation

***

Check out my book - Retaining College Students Using Technology: A Guidebook for Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Professionals.

Remember to order copies for your team as well!

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success and Retention Institute - Learning Community on Facebook!

Thanks for visiting! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Professor of Communication

Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute & Rural Communication Institute

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

Learning How to Curb Inflation with a Garden - Resources from Agrilife and Facebook

I love gardening. Whether my gardening takes place in a container, in an urban area, or in a rural area, I am all about it! This year, my daughter decided that she wanted to become a mini-gardener as well.

As a result, we are growing...tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, watermelon, and lettuce. I teach her to watch the prices as they continue to increase. My daughter and I talk about innovative ways to counteract the increasing prices. Our strategy is gardening!

I am part of a wealth of gardening groups. My favorites are "Black Girls Garden" and Black girl container gardening groups on Facebook. These groups give me inspiration and ideas to garden for my family and for the community. One thing that I like the most is the emphasis on sharing seeds and supporting one another. I also work with our community garden group as well.

This summer, I have been very fortunate to learn even more gardening skills from the local Agrilife Extension agent in Panola County, Clarissa Moon. She is an excellent teacher and she provides so much educational outreach for the community.

Another resource that I absolutely love is the USDA, which has great resources for gardening as well. I subscribe to their blog, "Farmers.gov Blog" and it has some incredible tips for gardening. It also features several other sections on their website that  feature articles. These categories are:

1 - Loans and Grants

2 - Disaster Planning and Assistance

3 - Conversation

4 - Ag Business

5 - Farm Life

Of course, my favorite is Farm Life! I love the "Friday's on the Farm" series.

Check them out! What is your favorite part?

Thanks for visiting! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Professor of Communication

Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute & Rural Communication Institute

***

Check out my book - Retaining College Students Using Technology: A Guidebook for Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Professionals.

Remember to order copies for your team as well!

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success and Retention Institute - Learning Community on Facebook!

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com

COVID-19 Outreach in Rural Areas - Reflection of Outreach in North East Texas

Over the past few months, our Rural Communication Institute (RCI) team (Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards, Dr. Subi Gandhi, and Dr. LaShondra Manning) has been tirelessly providing education and outreach for the rural areas of East Texas. This outreach has been both challenging and rewarding since the pediatric vaccine was approved by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).

Educating parents about the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. As a parent, I am always very excited to share health information, but especially this information has been very important for me.

Here's a workshop that we were very excited to view from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services. This workshop was focused on "What About the Children: Changing the Landscape on Rural Vaccine Coverage". It focused on health in rural areas, especially for our youngest populations.

Here's the link - https://www.dshs.texas.gov/immunize/covid19/COVID-19-Recruitment.pdf

Also, we have been fortunate to receive funding for travel for our outreach events, shirts, and giveaways. Here's a special shout out to the Episcopal Health Foundation in Texas, because they provided so much support for our project.

At first, we partnered with existing vaccination clinics and these were not very well attended, but THEN we decided to venture out on our own and to create our own clinics with the health of the Texas Department of State Health Services. We have been experimenting with the best time and date for our clinics as well all content for the clinics.

We decided a "Summer Fun and Health Clinic" approach has been the best outreach strategy for reaching the community. The mid-day clinics (before 5pm) were not as well attended for some audiences (i.e. - parents), but other times had much better attendance (after 5pm).

Also, we partnered with Agrilife (Mrs. Clarissa Moon) and Above Average Health Care and House Calls. Agrilife provided educational outreach sessions and Above Average Health Care and House Calls offered health checks and interpretations of lab results.

Do you have any suggestions for us? We are so thankful for our partners!

***

Check out my book - Retaining College Students Using Technology: A Guidebook for Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Professionals.

Remember to order copies for your team as well!

Interested in a specific student success topic or do you need a speaker for an upcoming conference? Contact me via direct message on Twitter or join our Student Success and Retention Institute - Learning Community on Facebook!

Thanks for visiting! 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Professor of Communication

Executive Director of the Texas Social Media Research Institute & Rural Communication Institute

My Social Media Channels!
Remember to Follow Me on Twitter! @drjtedwards
I Always Post Higher Education Videos on YouTube
Find Me on Instagram
Engage with Me on Facebook!
Watch My Videos on Twitter Live - http://www.periscope.com/drjtedwards/
Email Me! I am PR Friendly! - jennifertedwards@gmail.com