What do faculty really think about transfer students and transfer policies? This episode explores that question through anonymous responses from nearly 4,000 CUNY faculty surveyed in 2021. Dr. Lexa Logue, who led the research, joins host Heather Adams and Emily Kittrell from NISTS to unpack what faculty said when given anonymity to speak candidly. Volunteer readers share direct quotes—some affirming, some negative, and some offering solutions. We examine the data honestly to identify where the system needs to change. Content note: This episode includes blunt language and deficit framing about community college faculty and students.

Special note:
Please help us send a huge THANK YOU to all the amazing volunteers who contributed their time and voices to this episode. You're awesome, and your clips sound fantastic! We couldn't have completed this special project without you. 💙💚💛

Want to read the quotes for yourself?
You can access a PDF of the episode transcript or dive into the full response database linked below.
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For more information about the publications and resources mentioned during this episode, visit:

• Logue, A. W., Rabinowitz, V., Oka, Y., Yoo, N., Torres, R., Gentsch, K., & Wutchiett, D. (2025). Faculty characteristics and views: Implications for vertical transfer. Journal of Postsecondary Student Success, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.33009/fsop_jpss138304
• Faculty Quotes Dataset (includes all responses to the open-ended questions to the faculty survey)
• CUNY Transfer Explorer (T-Rex)
• National Transfer Explorer
• Related CUNY A2B (Associate’s to Bachelor’s Degree Transfer) research publications
• Dr. Logue’s website

Show Credits
Host | Dr. Heather Adams
Producers | Rhian Waterberg, Emily Kittrell
Sound Editing | Abraham Urias

Keep talking with Transfer Nation
IG: @WeAreTransferNation
LinkedIn: Transfer Nation Page
TikTok: @TransferNation
FB Group: Transfer Nation
Email: WeAreTransferNation@gmail.com

Talk soon!
#TransferPride #TransferSuccess #TransferChampion #TNTalks #TransferNation

Math requirements create persistent barriers on the transfer path, but how exactly do they block student progress? In this episode, we explore "A Complex Equation: Confronting Math Obstacles on the Transfer Path," a new report from Just Equations.

Authors Pamela Burdman, Robin Hale, and Jenn BeVard join host Heather Adams to discuss their research revealing how math anxiety, complex requirements, and scheduling challenges create a "Gate, Maze, and Pace" that particularly impacts STEM transfer students. The conversation explores why these barriers persist despite good intentions, examines fundamental policy tensions that make reform difficult, and offers practical recommendations for improving transfer success.

Click the links to learn more!

• Just Equations
  
  
• Read the "Complex Equation" Report
  
  
• Meet the Authors:
  • Pamela Burdman, Executive Director
  • Alexis Robin Hale, Research Fellow
  • Jenn BeVard, Director of Operations and Programs

Show Credits
Host | Dr. Heather Adams
Producers | Rhian Waterberg, Emily Kittrell
Sound Editing | Abraham Urias

Keep talking with Transfer Nation
IG: @WeAreTransferNation
LinkedIn: Transfer Nation Page
TikTok: @TransferNation
FB Group: Transfer Nation
Email: WeAreTransferNation@gmail.com

Talk soon!
#TransferPride #TransferSuccess #TransferChampion #TNTalks #TransferNation

As fall term launches across the country, transfer students are once again navigating the complex journey from one institution to another. But what if our current approaches to supporting these transitions are too narrow?

In this timely episode, host Heather Adams sits down with Drs. Dallin George Young (University of Georgia) and Bryce D. Bunting (Brigham Young University), authors of Rethinking Student Transitions: How Community, Participation, and Becoming Can Help Higher Education Deliver on its Promise. Both transfer students themselves, these researchers challenge the traditional "adjustment" model that places the burden of transition squarely on students' shoulders.

Instead, they introduce a powerful new framework centered on three key concepts: Community, Participation, and Becoming. The approach offers both theoretical grounding and practical insights for reimagining how we design experiences, policies, and support systems that honor transfer students' complexity and potential.

The conversation spans everything from rethinking "checklist" engagement models to designing meaningful classroom experiences that draw on transfer students' rich backgrounds. Dallin and Bryce share thought-provoking perspectives on academic advising conversations, faculty development, and collaboration between sending and receiving institutions—all through the lens of seeing transitions as opportunities for growth rather than problems to be managed.

This episode offers fresh perspectives for anyone working with transfer students, challenging listeners to transform how they think about transitions from problems to be solved into opportunities for profound growth and becoming.

Perfect timing for the start of term, this conversation will reshape how you approach every transfer student walking through your doors this fall.

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Additional Links:

Buy the Rethinking Transitions book!

Watch Dallin and Bryce's Lunch & Learn webinar with the National Resource Center to learn more about community, participation, and becoming!

Show Credits
Host | Dr. Heather Adams
Producers | Rhian Waterberg, Emily Kittrell
Sound Editing | Abraham Urias

Keep talking with Transfer Nation
IG: @WeAreTransferNation
LinkedIn: Transfer Nation Page
TikTok: @TransferNation
FB Group: Transfer Nation
Email: WeAreTransferNation@gmail.com

Talk soon!
#TransferPride #TransferSuccess #TransferChampion #TNTalks #TransferNation