An Interview with Ann Zanders from BRCC

Tony Zanders

This mother’s day weekend, I decided to take the time to interview my mother, Ann Zanders, to learn more about her role in Institutional Advancement at Baton Rouge Community College. Below is the transcript of our chat.

Me: You know this is the first Mother’s Day we’ve been together since I went off to W&J?

Ann: It’s been that long?

Me: So tell me more about your role at BRCC. What’s your title again?

Ann: Executive Director of Institutional Advancement.

Me: That sounds spiffy! But what does that mean?

Ann: Haha. I direct people who bring in money to the school, along with people who collect and report on data make our college better.

Me: While you direct these teams, you also write grants, right?

Ann: Yes. I write proposals.

Me: What’s the largest proposal you’ve written for BRCC?

Ann: A Title III for about $1.6M. It went towards the improvement of our developmental education program, and enhancing our services to developmental ed service.

Me: Are any of your grants written for technology, or social media initiatives on campus?

Ann: Not yet. We’re currently researching grant opportunities for expanding the technology on campus to be used by students, faculty, and staff – mainly to modernize the college experience and enhance skill attainment by students for certain degree programs.

Me: What advice do you have for other community colleges that have to go through the same process to incorporate social media on their campuses?

Ann: Do your research, and get a pulse around campus to see who would support your efforts to incorporate the new technology on campus.

Me: What if people are intimidated by what you’re proposing, as if it’s too new?

Ann: Have a roundtable discussion that involves students, staff, and any faculty who are advocates. Also invite the folks who have questions or objections. If possible, bring in a consultant or speaker who specializes in the area you’re trying to introduce. The value of this could go a long way.