Higher education promises economic mobility, but for too many students, unmet basic needs stand in the way.
In the latest episode of our podcast, Degrees of Change, our CEO Dr. Su Jin Jez sits down with Dr. Rashida Crutchfield, a researcher and advocate whose work has helped advance the basic needs movement in higher education.
Dr. Crutchfield is a professor in the School of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach, executive director of the Center for Equitable Higher Education, and an advisory board member for California ASPIRES, a coalition California Competes recently launched to streamline public benefits for student success.
In this episode of our anniversary podcast season, Crystal Clear: A Vision for the Future of California Higher Ed, you’ll hear about critical topics, including:
- How the basic needs movement has evolved over two decades, and why rising costs and stubborn misconceptions mean the work is far from over
- Why short-term fixes only go so far, and why cross-sector partnerships are essential to winning deeper investments in student basic needs
- Why housing affordability is quietly shaping who enrolls in college at all
“Nothing happens inside the classroom that’s in isolation from what’s going on with the students in their lives.”
