Montco on the Move

Speaker 1 0:21

Hello, and welcome to the Montco and the Move podcast. I'm Dr. Jared Brown, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at Montco's Pottstown Campus. Our guest today is a Grammy nominated multi-platinum recording engineer, producer, studio owner, and music business entrepreneur. His name is David Ivory, and he is the director of Montco's Sound Recording and Music Technology Program. He's going to talk about the Sound Recording and Music Technology Program, also known as SRT, what students learn during their time, and the potential jobs available to them after they graduate. Well, Mr. Ivory.

Speaker 2 1:02

Hi, Jared. How are you doing, buddy?

Speaker 1 1:03

Welcome. Thank you. And I have you to thank. Yes. So we're going to start with that real quick before we get into business. You suggested me for the Montco and the Move, so I thank you.

Speaker 2 1:14

My pleasure. During the pandemic, we had to come up with something. And you came up with me. Yes. And I said, Jared Brown, he's the guy who needs to be the moderator of this podcast, and look how long it's been. How many years?

Speaker 1 1:28

So it's been a number of years, but I know we're over a hundred recordings. And I believe we have over 10,000 downloads. Wow. So thanks to you, sir. Hey, man. And your wisdom. I'm very happy. Happy that it's all coming together, believe me. So can you tell our listeners a little bit about David Ivory? Who are you?

Speaker 2 1:48

Oh, who am I? It's a good question. I'm a lot of things. Good things. Yes. David. I'm a lot of things. Well, you know, long story short, I started playing guitar at a very young age in bars uh at around 14, 15 years old, and I kind of some people kind of worry wonder what they're going to do with their lives. I never had that problem. I always knew that music was going to be it in some form or fashion. And of course, when you start out, all you want to be is a rock star.

Speaker 1 2:17

Yeah.

Speaker 2 2:17

So uh I did that for a while and played a lot of great open for Santana and Jay Giles and Blood, Sweat and Tears, and did some big shows at uh, you know, at the the YSP used to have a B in called the B In at up on Fairmount Park, up on the park up there. Okay. And then they used to before um Welcome America, they used to do Super Sundays on the parkway, and it'd be like a hundred thousand people there. So we we opened and did a couple shows on that on the parkway and all that stuff. So anyway, long story short, I uh started playing a lot, and then I got into recording original music, and then that led me to studio, and then that led me to become an engineer, and then that led me, because of my music background, to start producing bands and arranging music and helping bands with writing and singing and all that. And I opened my first studio in 1984 in Royersford. It was a geodesic dome studio by 1989. We won Studio of the Year Award in Philadelphia. Oh, wow. Signed by Joe Tarcia, by the way, the engineering legend in Philadelphia who ran Sigma Sound. Anyway, and then I moved from that facility into Sigma Sound as an independent producer, engineer. So I was basically not an employee, I just basically rented one of their studios and worked out of there. And that's when I started working with the Roots.

Speaker 1 3:36

Yeah.

Speaker 2 3:37

Because they were a live hip-hop band and I was a rock live engineer. So it kind and they we both had the same attorney. So he put us together and we just did five four records for the next 10 years. Did every one of their did their first record. In fact, the first record I did on what they call a spec deal, which is like free. I just did it like in in hopes that they would get a deal and then come back and record. And they did. So that was on Geffen. And then for the next 10 years, I did Erica Badu and Common, I did Sweetback, Shade's backup band, I did Zap Mama and Brazil, a whole bunch of amazing, amazing artists. So uh, and that was for a 10-year run up until 2000.

Speaker 1 4:18

Yeah.

Speaker 2 4:19

2000, I moved out in this area, a mile from this campus, basically, and I started my own studio. And there is when I discovered Hailstorm and got them signed to Atlantic. And same with Silvertide and got them signed to J Records. Clive Davis recently passed away, but Clive, along with a four suburban entourage, four-car suburban entourage, comes down to Manayunk, Clive Davis, watches a set of Silvertide, we're all there, and at the end of the set, he signs them to J Records. So that's a Clive Davis story for you.

Speaker 1 4:54

Well, and I think that Philadelphia offers many things, and this area offers many things, but the music scene in Philadelphia is unbelievable. And you're a part of it, dude.

Speaker 2 5:05

Yeah, yeah. Well, and I'm yeah, I'm lucky to be a part of it, to be honest, because it is, it's it is so amazing. Because the what we don't understand about Philadelphia is and it's it's unfortunate because it is such a rich musical community. And you know, not even just with the Philly sound, but like with classical music, with the early stuff from Cameo Parkway. I mean, the biggest thing American Bandstand was in Philadelphia and started the whole rock scene. And it it's like it's unbelievable what Philly has and still does have to offer as far as great music.

Speaker 1 5:36

Aaron Ross Powell So you've had this experience, this longevity, you're building this wisdom and these connections. How did the SRT program come to be? And how did you get involved? And what is it?

Speaker 2 5:48

Right. Well, while I was still at Sigma, Mike Kelly was working at CCP, and Mike Kelly is a coordinator here. Yep. But he was at CCP in the beginning, and I used to do master classes there. So when he moved out here and he got a job here, and before this beautiful building was built, they didn't really have a studio or working recording studio. Okay. So Mike would bring his business class to my studio down the street. So for like five or six years, he would do that twice a semester. A little field trip. Yeah. For like a mile away. He would almost walk to my house. So they started bringing, and then you know, he said, Why don't you just teach? Because I was pretty busy, but I said, Yeah, sure, why not? So I started as an adjunct in 2009, actually.

Speaker 1 6:29

Wow.

Speaker 2 6:29

Just taught one class, you know, just to kind of get my feet wet or whatever. And then what happened was they built this building, and then I started teaching more. It was like around 2014, I started teaching like war classes. And then around 2015, Celeste and Vicky and a couple other people came and asked about what would you do if you wanted to build a big program. So, of course, the first thing I said is we're gonna have to spend a lot of money. Yes. Yes. And and much to my shock, they said, okay. And I said, I mean, like a lot of money. And they said, okay. So then that's when we started getting gear, and we brought on WSDG, which is Walter Stork Design Group, who helped do all the acoustics. I basically designed the room and I designed it after classic fashion that all the major recording studios are designed. And if you walk into our main room right now, it would be just like you're walking into Electric Lady Land, or if you're walking into Ocean Way in LA, it's the same kind of setup.

Speaker 1 7:26

The first time you gave me a tour of the recording room or lab here, if you will, you played Earth, Wind and Fire, a song, an Earth, Wind and Fire song, and I was just blown away by the technology and the professionalism, and the students just have hands-on experience of the best of the best.

Speaker 2 7:49

Yes. And for a third of any cost, they would go anywhere else in the country.

Speaker 1 7:54

When I meet an alum who leaves Montco with an SRT degree and they go work in the industry, they're like, what what's this? Because the equipment that I have as a student is better. Is way better than what you're asking me to work on, which is a testament to you, but also the college's dedication to ensuring that students at Montco have the best.

Speaker 2 8:23

Yeah. And it really is true. And it was and like again, we're we're literally one of the only colleges that have half of the things that we have. I know. We do we we did a Grammy presentation two summers ago where the Grammy organization flew in some uh engineers and we had a couple come down from New York, and every college in the region was here. Drexel, Temple, Westchester University came to Montco because they didn't have a facility to describe what we were doing.

Speaker 1 8:50

Were they were they drooling a little bit?

Speaker 2 8:52

Yeah, a little bit.

Speaker 1 8:54

So back to the program and the student experience. What are some of the things students can learn as an SRT student?

Speaker 2 9:03

Well, you know, the obviously the basics, learn how to edit all the different digital audio workstations, otherwise known as DAWs, and and basic mic placement and all that. But more importantly, they learn some of the skills that are not really taught in a book, meaning how to interact with people, how to work an artist, how to try to get the best performance out of people, things that are not really short. You gotta know what what that microphone that we're talking into does, what its pickup pattern is, if it's phantom, ribbon, whatever. But what's more important is too, and which is what they do with the in one of the last semesters of the course, is work with other bands. They work with an outside group that they arrange and take all the knowledge. Because besides teaching the technical side, we also teach the arrangement, the musical side. So we do deep dives into the Motown sound, muscle shoals, uh the Memphis sound, why, how it was created, what do the horns do different in the Memphis sound as opposed to Motown? So they're learning all the different kinds of techniques to actually implement into their productions moving forward. And if not, at least they understand it. So say you get a client who wants to do a commercial and hey, I want that Motown sound. Well, maybe a band might not need that, but maybe a media client would love that sound. Right. So then you would know how to create it. And that's even as important as knowing what mic to microphone to use for somebody's voice.

Speaker 1 10:20

Sounds like to me, there there's a strong curriculum, but then there's this strong hands-on organic experience that you just have to navigate to really build those skills and knowledge, which is so important.

Speaker 2 10:34

It's so important because you would be amazed. It's like when you get away from that mouse and you start turning knobs, like literally that sounds kind of weird or whatever. Like it's like, why what's the big deal? But when you start actually touching a knob and seeing where that frequency is and then adding it and turning it besides your mouse, you could you get a different experience, which is really, really important. And that's why we even still record on tape, because we just did that last week. We did a recording both to Pro Tools, a digital station, and then to tape at the same time. And as soon as we played it back, seconds, everybody goes, Wow, I can't believe it because of the sound.

Speaker 1 11:11

Yeah.

Speaker 2 11:12

And but you can't get that in on YouTube. You can't get that on because it has to be A-B. And well, I'm not going to record it on tape. So what does that mean? Well, it means a lot because you know at least what it sounds like. And you know exactly like what people are talking about when they talk about tape and the warmth and the sound of it. So those experiences are are pretty, you know, they're that's really special. And students here are the only students that really have that, because no other studios around even record the tape.

Speaker 1 11:39

A To me, it sounds like it's giving them a foundation.

Speaker 3 11:41

Correct.

Speaker 1 11:42

And that's very important. That's a good thing. You have to have a foundation before you jump to the finish line. Correct. So speaking of, what prerequisites are required? And then as someone that might be interested in the SRT program, do I have to have studio, audio, or music recording experience previously, or can I come in like just with interest.

Speaker 2 12:05

Just with interest and a desire. And we will work you right on up. We have amazing tutors. So like if you need extra help, it's so easy. We have an open Tuesday night that any Tuesday night you can pop in.

Speaker 1 12:19

Like a drop-in.

Speaker 2 12:20

Yep. Yep. And and you don't even have to sign up. You can just drop in. Hey, you don't have a problem. We we run that on a weekly basis, and then we have individual t times or you just log in, you can book a time with a tutor. But besides that, as long as you have a desire and you're willing to learn, you can come in here with like zero knowledge of recording and leave here producing a band. Wow. You really can.

Speaker 1 12:43

So Dolby Atmos, what is it? Why do we have it? How does it work? Right.

Speaker 2 12:50

Okay. And that they're all good questions. Uh let's see. Well, most importantly, the the you know, technology changes, right? And like I just talked about tape, and now we're going to talk about Dolby Atmos, which couldn't be further apart .

Speaker 1 13:04

From tape.

Speaker 2 13:05

Exactly. Right. But Dolby Atmos is the future. Like when everything that you've ever heard in your life, you have been in the audience. Think about it. Yeah. Speakers come at you, or even in your headphones, you're like in the audience. That music is being played as if the band's in front of you and then you're listening to it, right? Right. Dolby Atmos puts you on stage. And that experience alone, that listening experience makes it like now you've heard Dolby Atmos in movie theaters when the helicopter comes flying over the top of you and bombs and your chair rocks a little bit. But you've never had heard it just standalone music, right? So think of that movie theater experience where you have things all around you, and that's what Dolby Atmos is. Wow. And once you start mixing in it and listening to it, it's really difficult to go back to stereo because the space alone, it's just you're immersed in the sound. You're not just listening to it, it's a different experience. So Dolby Atmos, I believe, is the future. We teach it here and we expose the students to it so they really understand it. And that's that little box that you see in Apple Music. You see rock, you see hip-hop, and now you'll see immersive audio or spatial audio. And that's what that is. And they're there are Dolby Atmos mixes.

Speaker 1 14:17

So I'm a great student and I successfully complete the sound recording music technology program. What can I do with it? Where can I go?

Speaker 2 14:28

Well, I hope you went to the career day that we just had in April. We had like 15 different companies here that we had a career day where we had a panel of the employers. That is great. And they were able to talk about what they look for in a student. And so I hope hopefully if you were the graduate, you attended that. And besides that, we have every one of our instructors is an in the music business currently. Not 10 years ago, not 20 years ago, but they're currently in the music business, active in the music business. Why is that important? Well, if your instructor owns a studio, that's a perfect spot to start seeing if you can intern there. If your instructor is an amazing keyboard player, well, that's a great opportunity to learn all these complicated keyboards that we have here. Or if your instructor is a live sound engineer, he has a gate for you next Tuesday, right? So those are the kind of things that when when instructors are in the business, they have connections.

Speaker 1 15:26

Right.

Speaker 2 15:26

And those connections can help you. So we bring people in, we recommend different students to different places. Now, again, I always tell everybody you know, you have to have some entrepreneurial skills. Like you just can't stand there and somebody pick you, right? You have to kind of be, you know, forward thinking and put yourself out there and present yourself.

Speaker 1 15:46

So, David, I always say, you don't ask, you don't get.

Speaker 2 15:49

Right. Exactly correct.

Speaker 1 15:50

So you have to network and put yourself out.

Speaker 2 15:52

And I kind of know what other employers are looking for because you know, obviously I have a studio for 30 some years. So we try to get them in their portfolio well rounded. So when they leave here, your portfolio will have several podcasts. You'll be having several songs that you recorded with different bands. You'll probably have some of your own songs. You'll have some music to the film. So and you might even have an audio book in your in your in your repertoire. So that way when you go to an employer, it's like here, I do audiobooks, I do bands, I do all that stuff. And here's my resume. So that's what we really focus on here, too, is to prepare your resume, your digital portfolio, so that you can forward that to somebody or be part of the conversation and be proud of it.

Speaker 1 16:35

So if I don't go towards music, production or recording or what have you, where else could I go with an SRT degree?

Speaker 2 16:44

Well, I mean, you could get into forensic audio. What's that? Well, you have a a lawyer who has a f a conversation that he can't quite hear all the all the words on that's a tape recording. Wow. You can go in there and clean that up with all the skills you know, and I think that job pays maybe $200 an hour. I don't know. Wow. So uh there's there's that. There's uh you could work at any music store, obviously. You could be a uh a manager at a store like that, because you'll already know the gear.

Speaker 1 17:10

Right.

Speaker 2 17:10

Uh cruise ships. There's you know, there's like anywhere from 15 to 30 engineers, audio engineers on a cruise ship. Think about it. There's six stages, they go all night.

Speaker 1 17:21

I would think any place with a stadium or any place with a concert venue.

Speaker 2 17:26

Think of how many churches there are. I have get I get calls literally, maybe twice a month, inquiries about students who engineers at churches, because what do they do? They buy all this equipment, but nobody at the church knows how to use it. And then it feeds back and it's all that stuff. So like it's amazing the the amount of work and stuff that's out there. If you just you know, everybody thinks, okay, well, I'm gonna try to produce Beyonce, but that's really not there's so many other jobs out there that's unbelievable. One of our students works for Hinckles and McCoy, which is a construction company. Wow and he does all their videos and all their instructional videos. So like for training. Yeah. And he puts the music, he does music with it too. It's like crazy. He's got health insurance, he makes, you know. So it's like, you know, you don't know where these jobs can lead.

Speaker 1 18:15

So the industries out there, like hotels, conferences,

Speaker 2 18:21

think about it.

Speaker 1 18:22

Cruise ships, all of those things, our program here could take you into the direction,

Speaker 2 18:28

totally prepare you for any one of those jobs without moving forward. Now, if you do want to move forward and get a bachelor's, sure. And we have uh specific, only specific colleges like Millersville, Lebanon Valley, and we're about to bring on West Chester University. And these are all of our transfer agreements. Correct. Okay. And the reason for that is we can't do it, we can't even do it with Temple right now because of their facilities, it would be a step down for our students. So we pick the four-year colleges that would be an equivalent to the experience that the students would get. And we like Millersville because they have a lot of live sound and music disciplines that they can continue with. But West Chester does a lot of gaming. So if you're into game music or if you're into sound effects and gaming, West Chester University might be where you want to go. Now, if you want to end up ultimately being a publisher or maybe a a business manager, then Lebanon Valley is a great way for you. They still have a program, but they're they're more on a business track. They have a conference, they have a record label, all that stuff.

Speaker 1 19:32

Dave, you've created with your peers, because I know it's there it takes many to ensure our students need to get to where they need to get to, but you've created these opportunities for we're going to give you the knowledge and skills to either go in the workforce or if you want to continue on your education, here's the paths that we've created for you, which is phenomenal.

Speaker 2 19:56

Here's a great story. Uh we also have an articulation agreement with Berkeley Online, right? So one of our former students who's now an instructor here just got his master's at Berkeley. He is featured in Berkeley's music magazine, and he's speaking at graduation. I think I know who you're talking about. Yes, Colin Foley. So he's doing really well, and he was one of our students. I just, you know, I remember him having an interview with me before he even started. Hey, what's this program about? Do you think I can do something in this business? You know, the whole thing.

Speaker 1 20:27

Shout out to Colin for teaching SRT at Pottstown.

Speaker 2 20:31

Yes, at Pottstown. And remember, as you said before, which I don't think I quite answered, you don't need any prerequisite.

Speaker 1 20:38

No prerequisites.

Speaker 2 20:38

You can just start, you know, you need a prerequisite to keep going in our but to start, you don't need anything.

Speaker 1 20:45

That's great to know. Well, you've shared a lot. And the last thing I'm going to ask you, I promise if someone is interested in learning more about the SRT program or registering in the fall for SRT, where would they go? What's the best place for them to start?

Speaker 2 21:02

Well, I think to look at the program first, you would go to mc3.edu forward slash SRT. So we have our own URL for our program. Very nice. So which is great. There you will see our two divisions, basically live sound and recording sound, because live sound right now is a huge job opportunity. So we provide a great live sound experience. And then the best thing though is to hook up with an advisor and get the ball rolling. If you have any questions, you can always email me at d ivory at mc3.edu.

Speaker 1 21:33

That's awesome. Well, David, it's always a pleasure. Always and thank you for tapping me and seeing the potential in me to uh lead for now the the the uh Montco on Move the podcast. I really appreciate all that you do here at the college for our students and more importantly, also for the industry locally and in Philadelphia. You've really contributed a lot, and I always learn something from you when we chat. So that's good. That's good. You know, so thank you for being here.

Speaker 2 22:06

I appreciate being here, and uh and you you've been great, and uh I'm so happy that this is what over a hundred?

Speaker 1 22:13

Over a hundred episodes and over ten thousand downloads.

Speaker 2 22:16

That's that's something to say every every broadcast.

Speaker 1 22:19

Thanks to you, dude.

Speaker 2 22:21

Thanks to you.

Speaker 1 22:22

All right. Well, thank you, David, and I would also like to send a special shout out, and I think you know some of these individuals, to some sound recording and music technology students, Isabel Schweitzer, Nick Cadis, and Bath McGyver for being here today and producing the show. They're gonna use this great podcast as part of their portfolio. And I thank everyone for listening to the Montco and the Move podcast. Check back soon to hear more stories from our Montco family. Until next time, I'm Jared Brown. Thanks again for listening.

Speaker 22:57

Thanks for listening to Montco on the Move. Students at Montgomery County Community College working in the Sound Recording and Music Technology program, record, edit, and produce this podcast. Check out mc3.edu forward slash on the move to listen to our latest episode or download our podcast on your favorite podcast app. You can also learn about the latest episodes by following us on social media. Have a guest in mind you think would be great for the podcast? Email Eric Devlin at edevlin at mc3.edu or Diane Van Dyke at dvandyke at mc3.edu. And come back next time to find out more about what's happening at your community college and catch our Montco momentum.

114: Speaker 2 0:15

Hello and welcome to the Monco and the Mood podcast. I'm Dr. Jared Brown, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at Monco's Potstown campus. To mark its 61st Founders' Day, Montgomery County Community College announced the launch of the Monco PA Legacy Fund and inaugural board of directors. The Legacy Fund is Monco's official and only Monco-affiliated philanthropic arm established to advance Monco's mission and our strategic priorities. The Legacy Fund will enable Monco to continue to put students first by providing the resources they need to thrive, strengthening our academic programs, expanding faculty development, and enhancing campus initiatives that improve the quality and accessibility of higher education for all. These investments ensure every student has the support and opportunities to excel in college and beyond. Joining us today on the show is Sarah Rudich. She is the Senior Director of Institutional Advancement here at Monco and a great friend. She's going to talk more about the Monco PA Legacy Fund, how it ensures the continued success of the college, and even better and more importantly, how you can support the college financially by making a donation. I'm so excited to have you back on the podcast.

Speaker 1 1:42

I'm thrilled to be here, Dr. Brown.

Speaker 2 1:44

You know, it's always a pleasure, even though we don't get to see each other too much.

Speaker 1 1:49

We don't, and that's so unfortunate for me. I love seeing you when you pop in through Bluebell and you have wonderful charisma and energy every time I see you.

Speaker 2 1:58

Same friend, same friend. And I appreciate the work that you do. I think sometimes we don't always know what institutional advancement is doing. But I do know that you're out in the community making very important partnerships with the goal of supporting what we do here at Monco. Absolutely. So I know that you're doing that. Yes. Thank you. You always have something going on, which I do appreciate. We do. So before we dive in, why don't you share a little bit about yourself and your connection with our beautiful college.

Speaker 1 2:32

Wonderful, yes. And thank you again for having me on today, as always. It is a pleasure to see you again. And I am thrilled to be on this podcast. It's been a couple times I've been on the podcast show here, which is great. And my connection to the college goes way, way back. I am a Monco graduate. We love it.

Speaker 2 2:50

A Mustang for Life.

Speaker 1 2:51

Mustang for life. That's right. So I graduated from Cheltenham High School, came here in fall of 98, graduated from here in May of 2000. So I've just dated myself there.

Speaker 2 3:02

I was like, you were 12. Right? Were you 12 years old taking some classes?

Speaker 1 3:07

Yes. Wonderful. And while I was here, I was actually part of a pilot program that was in operation at the time. Monco was partnering with Temple University to try something they were calling a dual admissions program or a dual enrollment type program. Yeah. And this was if you came to Monco and received your associate's degree, you could transfer directly to Temple with all your credits and go directly in as a junior.

Speaker 2 3:31

And see, that was very innovative at the time. At the time.

Speaker 1 3:35

It was.

Speaker 2 3:44

Yeah. To ensure the success of our students. So that's incredible that you were part of that pilot program.

Speaker 1 3:50

Aaron Ross Powell It was fabulous. And it's now led to we have, I think, over 37 partner institutions where our students can do that. And probably more than that every year, exactly. So I'm thrilled to have been a part of that guinea pig project that really has taken off and has been wonderful. And as the oldest of four kids, it was really scary thinking of student loan costs when I would graduate from college and not knowing how to pay it back. So Monco gave me that pathway. And when I finished at Temple, I had a bachelor's degree in history and I went right into the museum field for about 17 years. Wow, I did not know this.

Speaker 2 4:22

Look at these little nuggets of information you're sharing.

Speaker 1 4:26

So history nerd at heart here.

Speaker 2 4:28

But really How about history experts?

Speaker 1 4:30

Oh, that's an even better way. But I don't mind the nerd component to it either. But yes, it was a wonderful pathway that Monco and Temple gave me into the nonprofit field, working in the museum area. And I did the nonprofit administration fundraising, development work, board work for about 17 years. And then an opportunity popped up in spring of 2019 where the college was looking to fill a position within their advancement office.

Speaker 2 4:56

See, we started around the same time I was fall 2019.

Speaker 1 4:59

Yes, yes. So we yeah, I'm coming up on my seventh year this July crazy happy.

Speaker 2 5:05

It's like, wow, this will be your seventh graduation ceremony.

Speaker 1 5:11

So it's wonderful to come back and work for the college and help promote what the college does for the community and our students. And I'm a walking billboard of that, having been a graduate of that early on, and I get to go and talk to potential donors and tell them how wonderful the programs are that we have and how they can help support the students in those programs. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Speaker 2 5:31

If I could have a wish, it would be that every student start their career at a community college, but more importantly at Monco because the value of the experience that you're gonna gain. I mean, I've spoken to so many students that they will finish with us and go to a four-year and they'll say, I miss Monco. This is so different. This is not what I expected it will be.

Speaker 1 5:57

Absolutely.

Speaker 2 5:57

But they figure it out. You know, that's the transition. They're used to the community college studying and where there's ton of resources, there's a ton of support.

Speaker 1 6:05

And there's faculty though. I mean, that's another part. The faculty and the staff are at a whole other caliber.

Speaker 2 6:10

We're in it to win it.

Speaker 1 6:11

It's really that Monco family feeling when you're here on the campus. Yeah.

Speaker 2 6:15

But starting here and then working here, you're an example of that.

Speaker 1 6:19

I love it. It's great.

Speaker 2 6:21

It's a great story. All right. So let's talk about the reason you're here is to learn more about the Monco PA Legacy Fund. So what is it? Why is it important?

Speaker 1 6:32

Well, thank you. And again, just the opportunity to be able to talk to prospective donors about how they can help support our students and the programs here. My office, the Institutional Advancement Office, supports the Monco PA Legacy Fund board of directors. And we are the sole philanthropic arm to help support the college in student need, community initiatives, and faculty and staff development. And that's very important this time. Coming out of COVID, higher education has seen a lot of volatility within its fundraising, traditional and typical fundraising methods have really had to change. Adjust. Adjust. That's a great way, not to use the word innovate even more. But the college coming out of its 60th year anniversary, the leadership took a look at going forward for the next strategic vision and strategic planning to be able to do that. Always thinking forward. They are, absolutely. It was vital for there to be a philanthropic arm that could help support the college in its next 61 years. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Speaker 2 7:31

Well, and what I like about the three areas where the financial support will go, they're all intertwined, Sarah. They're all they sort of all need each other in order to thrive and move forward and be successful. So I'm glad that the fund is really focused on those three areas.

Speaker 1 7:51

And that was in very important because it's not just scholarships that students need. They need a holistic support network. And we have an amazing wellness center here that supports our students not just in food pantry, personal hygiene, mental health, emergency need, transportation support. And it was important for the philanthropic arm of the college to be able to work in that space as well. So that broader support outside of just scholarships.

Speaker 2 8:18

So I'm a very action-oriented person. So what are some of the actionable outcomes that this fund is going to produce? What's the fund's intention and the board? What do they hope to do or provide?

Speaker 1 8:32

Trevor Burrus Sure, they hope still to continue to provide scholarships for students that need that. Absolutely, that's not going to change. But besides that, there are areas that our students need additional support with. So for an example, because I am thinking coming out of the lunch hour, I'm going to think about the culinary and hospitality area here at the college. So our students that are enrolled in our culinary programs, part of what they need to be successful is they need to have the equipment, not just the scholarships to help pay their tuition, but the equipment for them to be successful in that lab space in the culinary institute. And that equipment would be a knife set, a chef's jacket.

Speaker 2 9:08

Well, and what I have found with equipment here and tools, Monco is not one to choose the sale items, if you will. We want the best, the state of the art. And I don't know if you've heard this from students, but they'll be in our experiential labs all across the campus. And then they go into the workforce and they're like, wait a second. We're more advanced. We have better tools at Monco than we do at the workplace or at the four-year institution where I transfer to. Yes. It's very interesting. So they're getting the cream of the crop.

Speaker 1 9:46

Yes, they are.

Speaker 2 9:46

And then they sort of, not always, but sometimes they have to backpedal a little bit of like these tools are not what I'm used to because of my Monco experience. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Speaker 1 9:56

And that's why I think Monco is so such a standout institution, because they're not just wanting the students to be able to meet that standard. They want them to be able to excel. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Speaker 2 10:05

And be like, I use these tools.

Speaker 1 10:07

Absolutely. And just because you're coming to a community college doesn't mean you shouldn't have the same access and ability to have technology and innovation at your fingertips the way maybe a four-year institution would have that. Yeah. Exactly. So the legacy fund is set up to help with those auxiliary needs outside of just that classroom tuition fees. It's to help with that. It's also community initiatives. The campus itself is more than just the students that are enrolled here. We have programs, we have the ability for retirees to come and take classes here and audit the classes. We also have facilities here that people utilize between the child care center. We have the athletic areas with the tennis courts or pickleball courts now. There's township use as well. And also at our Potstown campus, there's recreation that we have out there.

Speaker 2 11:00

Oh, and the art displays high schools. Yes. I love walking into North Hall and seeing the fantastic art from not only the community, but our high school shows. It is, I'm like, oh my gosh, I can't even draw a circle. And these students are like phenomenal.

Speaker 1 11:19

The talent just flows absolutely.

Speaker 2 11:22

So again, another prime example of where the community comes in and really takes access, has access to their community college, which is what we are. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Speaker 1 11:33

And that's what the legacy fund will be looking to help support those community initiatives and the growth to allow the community to utilize the campus even further in new ways. And then the last area is I mentioned before, our faculty and our staff are so incredible here. And a way for us to be able to help support their growth and development and skilling up in a way, that's another part that the legacy fund is going to be able to help with is provide that resource to advance the faculty and the staff here so we can continue to give our students the best experience in the classroom.

Speaker 2 12:05

So how will the legacy fund operations be supported? Who are the players in ensuring that this fund is not only funded but successful? Like who are those individuals?

Speaker 1 12:17

Aaron Ross Powell Yes, wonderful. So we have not just a fantastic staff in our institutional advancement office, but we have a wonderful core of six that helps support our fantastic legacy fund board, which is a board of seven. And our board is well diverse between business, entrepreneurial, community, tourism. It's a board that represents leaders in all of the areas that our college students are going into, whether it's workforce or degree. So that was very important to be able to do that. Again, thinking ahead and thinking forward. We also have college leadership on there. So it was important for the college to have that leadership piece on the board to be able to help share what are the priorities that the college is facing and what are the needs the college has so that the legacy board can work closely with the college to meet those three pillars. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Speaker 2 13:03

So, Sarah, can you tell us a little bit about the board of directors for the legacy fund? Who are they and how will they be leading this initiative for the college?

Speaker 1 13:12

Absolutely. So, Jared, we're so thrilled to be able to have the board led by our board chair, which is Dr. Celeste Schwartz.

Speaker 2 13:19

Aaron Ross Powell A Legacy in herself.

Speaker 1 13:21

She is. She has been over 50 plus years connected to the college.

Speaker 2 13:24

As a student.

Speaker 1 13:25

As a student and an employee, retiree, and a supporter as a donor as well. So she just checks all those boxes.

Speaker 2 13:32

Sort of supervised me a bit. And I will say she was phenomenal as a leader and a supervisor.

Speaker 1 13:38

Well, you'll be seeing a lot of her around as she is now chair of our legacy board, which is wonderful. We also have our vice chair of the legacy board, Suzanne Ryan. Suzanne comes to us from PICO, so she not only herself very well connected with the college and has known the college for many, many years, but she also, through her role with PICO, PICO itself has supported our students through scholarship, grants, and hiring out of our workforce programs.

Speaker 2 14:03

I know many have transitioned from the college to working at PICO, and I think it's a phenomenal partnership.

Speaker 1 14:10

Yep, absolutely. We also have Dr. Victoria Bestecki Perez. Our leader. Our leader, the sixth president of Montgomery County Community College. Absolutely. Absolutely. I think she's coming up on her 30-year anniversary this year.

Speaker 2 14:27

And her son graduated from Mongo.

Speaker 1 14:30

Yes, yep. So we're we're thrilled to have thrilled to have her on our board, obviously. And we have a new VP of finance, Bill McDonald.

Speaker 2 14:39

I met him at Potstown. He was delightful, and I'm excited to see what he can bring to the college.

Speaker 1 14:45

Wonderful experience in his role. And it would be great to work directly with him on the legacy board, in addition to our department also reporting up to him. That's great. Then we have Vijay Katani. So VJ is wonderful, he's an entrepreneurial individual that has such personal connections to the region. But what I've also learned from him is he is a big traveler and also in the culinary area. So we had a fantastic conversation recently that he was able to participate in two Michelin star level restaurants for dinner in Mexico City. Within two hours apart from those reservations, he went to two of those at once. So what he brings to the board is his experience both as an entrepreneurial individual but also local to the area. Good. And his travel. So we're thrilled for that. We also have trustee Don Lyons on our board.

Speaker 2 15:35

Trustee Lyons has been on the podcast, a delight and really student focus, which I appreciate.

Speaker 1 15:42

Absolutely. And he himself graduating from a community college, not Monco, but from a community college. He himself recognizing how important community colleges are. Yeah. And then last we have Jake Marzon. So Jake comes to us from Valley Forge. Valley Forge also a longtime partner of the college. Absolutely. Supports us with student scholarships and program support, but also hires out of our employment. Employment, yeah. Yeah. So we're thrilled to have the legacy board members supported by our institutional advancement staff.

Speaker 2 16:11

Aaron Ross Powell You have a lot of leadership, which I'm excited about, and I think you have a lot of individuals on this board that are goal-minded, initiative, and will get things done.

Speaker 1 16:23

So I can tell you that's my team. Absolutely. You got it.

Speaker 2 16:26

Trevor Burrus, yeah. So what about those in the institutional and advancement office? Who is the incredible staff? Can you give them a shout out? I certainly will. Because they'll be, I'm sure, supporting this legacy fund as well in their own position and roles.

Speaker 1 16:41

They will, absolutely. We have a fantastic staff in our office, and some of them have been with us for many years, and some of them are recent hires, which is fantastic. So I'm going to give a shout-out to each one of them. We have our major gift and plan giving officer. His name is John Santa Barbara. We also have our assistant director of annual giving, which is Brendan Harvey. We have our manager of donor relations, which is Janine Perry. We have a position that may not be familiar to people, institutional advancement. And what that means is that role is important for all of the gift processing. Sure. And they make sure compliance is done. And we have a wonderful individual, Natalie Green, in that role. And then the one that holds us all together, the mother of the department for us, is our administrative assistant Shelby Kirchner. So we have a fantastic team. Some of them are new, and some of them have been with us for a little while, and we're all excited to be working with this new board.

Speaker 2 17:32

I have no doubt that they'll be instrumental in supporting the goals and the meeting the goals of the legacy fund. So if a community member, a recent grad, if someone wanted to support the legacy fund, what is a great way to go about that? Like do you have to be an ultra-wealthy donor? Absolutely not. Or can I say I'm fresh out of my job, I'm making a little money, but Monco meant the world to me and I want to figure out how I can give a little bit back.

Speaker 1 18:03

Absolutely. Absolutely. And there's really no cap, no minimum, no maximum as well, but no minimum on a gift. Every gift can help our students. So even if you're looking to make a dollar, a dollar a week, it's $52 a year, that can help support filling the personal hygiene product shelves in our wellness center, which is so vital. And that's something that the college has taken on a couple years ago to make sure that those hygiene products are dispersed between both Bluebell and Potstown equally and available in all of the restrooms for our students to use. So a dollar a week, $52 a year can help support the shelves staying stocked with those hygiene products. You can also do myself included, I do this. It's $83 for uh twice a month. I do it through payroll deduction here at the college, which is another opportunity for our faculty and staff to support. But I do a payroll deduction, $83 through that goes to support a student scholarship. So our average student full-time tuition is just about $6,000 a year. And a student may have need that comes out to about $1,000. Well, if you're doing $83 per month, you're looking at covering that student's remaining $1,000 need. Absolutely. And donors can set it up where they can give one-time. They can also give monthly, they can give quarterly, so we can work with them no matter what it is they're looking at. And I did mention payroll deduction is another opportunity for internally our staff and faculty to support. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Speaker 2 19:24

So you covered this a little bit. You talked about how the fund will support like a knife kit in the culinary arts or hospitality institute, maybe support students in the tourism and hospitality management if they have to travel. What are some other ways that the fund is hoping to meet some needs of our student and faculty?

Speaker 1 19:46

So absolutely. And um an example is our students in our cultural center building that we have here on the Bluebell campus. We have students that are in the music and dance program, and so they put on performances each year. Well, they need things, costumes for those performances. They're going to need equipment for those performances. And so the legacy fund will be able to help support those needs. And so it's not coming from the individual students' pockets if they're needing that support. We also, in addition to the support for our students financially, we also love to hear from our alums and their stories because we love to showcase where our alums are and especially if they receive support when they were here. Right. We love to hear how that support has helped them to support. I talked about my start here and going into the museum field. So if there are alums out there that would like to connect with us in our office to talk with us about how they were supported at Malco, we would love to be able to get that story from them.

Speaker 2 20:41

Well, Sarah, I have to say I am so thankful that this fund is here at the college and will support so many different areas that are integral to each other and will support each other. But if a listener wanted to support either a dollar or more, what is the best way for them to get a hold of your fantastic staff or go about that?

Speaker 1 21:08

Absolutely. So the best and easiest way, because they can get all of the information on how they can make a gift, whether one time or multiple times, they can go right to mc3.edu backslash legacy fund. They can also give a call to our office directly, and that is 215 641 6350. And if they do wish to connect with us a little bit further and they feel more comfortable in sending an email, then they can email us at legacy fund all one word at mc three dot edu.

Speaker 2 21:43

Sarah, thank you so much for sharing this important opportunity for our faculty, staff, community members, alums, those in industry to really give back to the great things we do here as the communities college in Montgomery County. I know how hard you work to build relationships, but also share your own personal journey as a student, I think is so important because you're a product of Monco and here you are giving back and ensuring that other students have opportunities and being supported not only through our faculty and staff, but also through financial and need to ensure that they have the journey that they should have. So thank you for all that you do and your team. And I look forward to learning more and hearing more about the Monco PA Legacy Fund. And I encourage anyone listening to give a dollar or more to this amazing fund that will support our faculty, students, and of course the college overall.

Speaker 1 22:43

Thank you so much.

Speaker 2 22:44

Yep. So let's close it out. Thank you so much for joining us today on the podcast. Special thanks goes out to our Sound and Recording Music Technology alumnus, Quincenta, and student Hutchbreck, who produced today's show. And thank you again for listening to the Monco on the Move podcast. Check back soon to hear more stories from our Monco family. Until next time, I'm Jared Brown. Thanks again for listening.

Speaker 23:08

Thanks for listening to Monco on the Move. Students at Montgomery County Community College working in the sound recording and music technology program record, edit, and produce this podcast. Check out mc3.edu forward slash on the move to listen to our latest episode or download our podcast on your favorite podcast app. You can also learn about the latest episodes by following us on social media. Have a guest in mind you think would be great for the podcast? Email Eric Devlin at edevlin at mc3.edu or Diane van Dyke at dvandyke at mc3.edu. And come back next time to find out more about what's happening at your community college and catch our Mont co Momentum.