Student Success Symposium Speakers

Joe Cuseo, Ph.D.

Joe Cuseo holds a doctoral degree in Educational Psychology and Assessment from the University of Iowa and is currently Professor Emeritus of Psychology. He’s a 14-time recipient of the “faculty member of the year award” on his home campus—a student-driven award based on effective teaching and academic advising, a recipient of the “Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award” from the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and a recipient of the “Diamond Honoree Award” from the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) for contributions made to student development and the Student Affairs profession.

Currently, Joe serves as a workshop facilitator and educational consultant for colleges and universities, including AVID for Higher Education—a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the college access and success of underserved student populations. He has delivered hundreds of campus workshops and conference presentations across North America, as well as Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.

Joe has authored numerous articles and books on student learning and development, the most recent of which are:

Student-Faculty Engagement: Research & Practice

Thriving in College and Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success & Personal Development

Humanity, Diversity, & The Liberal Arts: The Foundation of a College Education

Peer-to-Peer Leadership: Transforming Student Culture.

Aaron Thompson, Ph.D.

Aaron Thompson, Ph.D., is the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. He holds a doctorate degree in sociology in the areas of Organizational Behavior/Race and Gender Relations. Previous positions he has held include: Executive Director of the Student Success Institute; Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and University Programs; Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management; Professor of Sociology; and Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.

Dr. Thompson is nationally recognized in the areas of education attainment and academic success. He has researched, taught and/or consulted in areas of diversity, leadership, ethics, multicultural families, race and ethnic relations, student success, first-year students, retention, cultural competence and organizational design throughout his personal career.

He has over 30 publications and numerous research and peer reviewed presentations. Thompson has traveled over the U.S. and has given more than 400 workshops, seminars and invited lectures in areas of race and gender diversity, living an unbiased life, overcoming obstacles to gain success, creating a school environment for academic success, cultural competence, workplace interaction, leadership, organizational goal setting, building relationships, the first-year seminar, and a variety of other topics. He has been or is a consultant to educational institutions (elementary, secondary and postsecondary), corporations, non-profit organizations, police departments, and other governmental agencies. In addition, his research has been cited in popular publications such as Cosmopolitan, Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Tribune, and other.

His latest co-authored books are Thriving in College and Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development; Diversity and the College Experience: Research-Based Strategies for Appreciating Human Differences; Focus on Success and Black Men and Divorce and three other books: Thriving in the Community College & Beyond: Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development; Humanity, Diversity, & the Liberal Arts: The Foundation of a College Education for summer reading programs, and Infusing Diversity into the College Experience.

Michele Campagna, Ed.D.

Dr. Michele Campagna has over 25 years of experience leading campus-wide student success efforts at two-year and four-year institutions. Reporting directly to the Provost, Dr. Campagna manages several grant-funded programs at WCC and leads its retention and completion efforts as the Assistant Dean for Learning Initiatives and Success at Westchester Community College.

Previously Dr. Campagna served as the Executive Director of the Center for Advising and Student Transitions at Montclair State University. She managed an academic advising program for undecided students and those in academic jeopardy and led campus-wide advising initiatives. Additionally, she led the University's academic advisor development program and managed its technical retention tools. Dr. Campagna also provided leadership for enrollment management initiatives, learning communities, peer advising, New Student Seminar, academic honor societies, new student and family orientation, transfer services, veteran programs, and career development.

She is a recipient of the "Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award" from the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Dr. Campagna is a co-author of Thriving in College and Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development. She authored "New Student Experience: A Holistic and Collaborative Approach to First-Year Retention" in Exploring the Evidence: Campus-Wide Initiatives in the First College Year published by The National Resource Center on First-Year Students and Students in Transition. She has presented at numerous statewide and national conferences on student engagement and retention initiatives, strategic planning, assessment, and diversity.

Dr. Campagna has been interviewed by The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times, and other publications about her expertise in higher education and student retention strategies.

Julie McLaughlin

Julie McLaughlin is a Professor and Chair of the First Year Experience (FYE) at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. She also Co-Chairs the FYE Advisory Committee. In the last decade Cincinnati State has built its program from a one credit, non structured FYE course to offering three FYE course options (one, two, and three credits) that are very structured. Retention for students who successfully complete one of the FYE courses is higher than the general student population. Julie assisted in creating all three FYE courses as well as the standardized syllabus and instructor training. Julie is a four-time House-Bruckmann Faculty Excellence Award nominee. She co-authored the book Thriving in the Community College & Beyond: Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development for FYE courses at the community college level. Julie has presented at national conferences for FYE, NACADA (National Academic Advising Association), and N4A (National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics). She has an MA in college student personnel from Eastern Michigan University.

Shane Shope

Shane Shope is Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Program at Morehead State University. Shope earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from Ohio University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum from Miami University. Dr. Shope has over 26 years of experience in K-12 and Higher Education settings, including serving as a high school teacher and district level administrator. Shope has worked as an educational consultant nationally and in the Middle East. His research has focused on College and Career Readiness, school transitions, rural leadership models, social justice issues and community capacity building. He has numerous peer reviewed publications and presentations, including Career Ready: Are You, Addressing Challenges to Postsecondary Transitions K12/Higher Education Collaboration, The Essential 3: University Partnership to Meet the Professional Learning Needs of Rural Schools, Rural Specific Concerns and Strategies in the Budgeting Process and Demographic Changes in Rural America and the Implications for Special Education Programming. He also co-authored the book, Thriving in High School and Beyond: Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development. Shope has traveled extensively throughout the United States, delivering numerous presentations and workshops on community asset mapping and career readiness initiatives. Dr. Shope worked in coordination with the Public Education Evaluation Commission for the Ministry of Education for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and served as a researcher for the Regional Education Lab for Appalachia.

John Roush

John R. “J.R.” Roush is an Assistant Professor of Education at Shawnee State University; Chief Consultant for The JD & R Group, LLC; Independent Contractor/Representative for Southern State Community College’s College Credit Plus (Early College); Owner/Operator of Roush Cattle, Hay and Straw and former; Dean of Core Studies/ Campus Director with Southern State Community College, Ohio; Professor of Educational Leadership at Morehead State University and PK-12 teacher and principal. Over the last 26 years, nearly 23 involved leadership roles in both K-12 and higher education. Roush holds a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Ohio University. Dr. Roush recently co-authored a career and college ready book, “Thriving in High School and Beyond: Strategies for Academic Success and Beyond,” and has published several peer-reviewed articles involving capacity building and successful higher education – high school transition programs. Implementation of the "Collaborating on Economic Success in Appalachia" High School-Higher Education Alignment Project, Educational Assets, Resources, Barriers and Social Capital in a Semi- Isolated Community of Appalachia, Toward a responsive model for educational leadership in rural Appalachia: Merging theory and practice. His areas of academic interest and research include educational leadership, social capital, rural education, capacity building, college access and career readiness. He has presented at numerous state, regional and national conferences and consulted/researched nationally and internationally; including an invitation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to assist in evaluating and making recommendations to their public school system.

Ross Dickie

Ross Dickie is responsible for all aspects of the business at Human eSources. Ross has worked in the online education software space for the last 15 years and leverages his proven leadership skills and 30 years of business experience. Previously, Ross spent time in various sales and marketing executive roles with SRB Education Solutions, Bridges Transitions and XAP Corporation, all within the education space. Ross was previously an owner and managing partner with Northern Computer Inc., having studied computer science before pursuing a business career in the emerging computer industry. In 2014 he was the recipient of StarDyne Technologies Triple Bottom Line Award for his management success in the SRB Education Solutions Organization and in 2015 Ross became a Certified MBTI Professional.