100% Humboldt

#98. Dr. Keith Flamer: College of the Redwoods President, a Community, and the Power Of Service

• scott hammond

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Roses blooming in February changed everything. That’s how Dr. Keith Flamer knew College of the Redwoods would be home—a place where Marine Corps grit and Jesuit heart could fuse into a people-first campus that serves Humboldt with purpose. In a wide-ranging conversation, we trace his path from Chicago’s west side and brand management at Kraft to graduate work at Gonzaga and two decades leading CR through change with transparency, humor, and resolve.

We dive into the big pivot shaping community colleges: meaningful careers that don’t require four-year debt. Dr. Flamer lays out why CR’s future is anchored in healthcare pathways and skilled trades—nursing, allied health, welding, construction technology, aquaculture, and climate resilience. These programs move students into well-paying jobs faster, strengthen the regional workforce, and create stackable on-ramps for first-generation learners and working adults. Along the way, we talk student housing, a new PE and field house, upgraded athletics, creative arts improvements, and the Del Norte healthcare education center—projects designed to turn access into persistence and graduation.

Policy and funding challenges are real, but they’re met with open books and decisive collaboration. Dr. Flamer walks us through balancing budgets without cutting opportunity, building partnerships with local industry and elected leaders, and keeping equity, inclusion, and community engagement at the center. Post-pandemic lessons—flexible online learning, tele-services, smarter scheduling—are now tools for long-term success. And beneath it all is a personal ethic: love people first. That’s the leadership that connects CR to Humboldt’s fabric, sends students seamlessly to Cal Poly Humboldt when it fits, and holds space for respectful disagreement as the community grows.

Come for the story, stay for the playbook: practical steps to build programs that pay, campuses that belong to their neighbors, and a legacy defined by service. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—we read every word.

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SPEAKER_02:

Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, it's me, Scott Hammond with the 100% Humboldt Podcast, and my amazing producer, Nick Flores. But more importantly, my new best friend, Dr. Keith Flamer. Hey, Keith.

SPEAKER_01:

Hey, Scott, how are you?

SPEAKER_02:

I'm doing good. I was going to ask what you what's your deal, but we already joked about that.

SPEAKER_01:

And I would say, I don't know, complex question. What what's your deal? Asking me what my deal is.

SPEAKER_02:

What's the deal behind that deal? So what's your day job? Tell us, introduce us to your uh your career, what you what you're about. Uh I noticed that you had the CR uh I'm I'm sporting my CR softball.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, CR, College of the Redwoods. College of the Redwoods. So what's my day job? Actually, the better question is what's my day job, my nighttime job, my week job, my my my weekend job. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_02:

What's all that? What's your what's that deal?

SPEAKER_01:

I have the opportunity of serving as the president CEO of College of the Redwoods.

SPEAKER_02:

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01:

So it's my 24-7 job.

SPEAKER_02:

I like it. The opportunity.

SPEAKER_01:

Hey, you know what? Some someone asked me how do I like my job? I said I don't. Uh-huh. I love my job. Best job that I've ever had in the world.

SPEAKER_02:

That's good. I like that. Best job. Best job in the world. That was from a movie line that I'll come back to in a minute. Um, that was from Fury with um with um uh Matt not Matt Damon. Who's a good-looking actor that looks like Redford? Brad Pitt. It's Pitt, yeah. Brad Pitt, great movie. Great movie. They go best job of the world.

SPEAKER_01:

Great best job in the world.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, they all were tanking.

SPEAKER_01:

Tough. I don't know about being a tanker, though.

SPEAKER_02:

Tough, tough, tough guys. So uh tell us the Keith story. So where were you where are you from? Where do you hail from, and how'd you get to CR?

SPEAKER_01:

Long. Wow. I I I guess I got to see on a very meandering route, actually. I moved here from Chicago about 20 years ago. Wow. I moved here from from Chi Town. But like South Side or Actually, it was the west side of of Chicago. Okay. I w I worked in higher egg there.

SPEAKER_02:

How far west of the Drake Hotel and Cubs Wrigley Field is that?

SPEAKER_01:

Significantly.

SPEAKER_02:

Is that far west even of Wrigley? Very far west. But Wrigley is west of downtown, right?

SPEAKER_01:

It is. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

My friend David and I landed there and uh we were at a conference. He goes, throw all the crap on the bed. He goes, You want to go to a Cubs game? I go, can we do it? He goes, Yeah. It's terrific. He's from New York. He got on the we got on the L in Chicago and we were It's a great time. Third baseline had a great day. What a what a grubby place it was that day.

SPEAKER_01:

It still is. But yes. But I'll tell you what, I was there. What fun. But I I took took my daughter on the train with me. She goes, Oh my God, Dad, this is great. Can we do this every weekend? I said, sure. So every weekend, we would hop the train and off we go.

SPEAKER_02:

Nice. And just go to a Cubs game.

SPEAKER_01:

Actually, she she just loved going downtown to shop or eat or just see people. It was terrific.

SPEAKER_02:

Downtown's terrific.

SPEAKER_01:

I enjoy it. I love it.

SPEAKER_02:

We went to the steakhouse that had those the big stakes. And then the old gentleman waiters. I don't know what the play. It was it's some some marquee place that's well known.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. That's great.

SPEAKER_02:

Magic magic meat. Oh.

SPEAKER_01:

So good. Man.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Some days I miss it. Yeah. Except in winters. I don't miss winters and summers.

SPEAKER_02:

So I'm from Little Chicago, which is Sioux City, Iowa.

SPEAKER_01:

I've never heard of that.

SPEAKER_02:

Got called that because uh Why is that? Well, all the gangsters came down in the 20s and 30s when the heat was on. And they come down to Sioux City to the stockyards, and I don't know what they what they would do in Sioux City, but it was their getaway.

SPEAKER_01:

I had never heard that story. Never have I heard that.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. It may be true.

SPEAKER_01:

Or maybe it's not.

SPEAKER_02:

Let's check AI. Maybe she'll know.

SPEAKER_01:

Maybe maybe it's not true. But it's a great story.

SPEAKER_02:

School of Chicago?

SPEAKER_01:

No, I just worked there. Oh, cool. Eastern Washington and then the famous Gonzaga University.

SPEAKER_02:

Gonzaga's cool, man.

SPEAKER_01:

Gonzaga's the best school.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I think we talked about that briefly, maybe. He uh quite a basketball program.

SPEAKER_01:

Actually, it started to get very good when I was there, but now it's fantastic.

SPEAKER_02:

It's D1 all the way, right? All the way. Will they be good this year? Well, they're good every year, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, actually they're good ever everywhere, but the question is, will they make the f the the final four? Trevor Burrus Right, right. And I bet on them every year.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Ross Powell Oh, I it's great.

SPEAKER_01:

Is it a Catholic school? Jesuit.

SPEAKER_02:

Jesuits are qualified as Catholics, I think.

SPEAKER_01:

They are now. But when I went there, there was a separation.

SPEAKER_02:

Really?

SPEAKER_01:

But now they are very much Catholic. More radical Catholics? Which is why I went there. I love those fathers. Oh my gosh. Were they cool guys? They were radical guys.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Yeah, very much. Aaron Powell It's funny. Nessie Wade was my last guest. She's a big thing. Oh, I know Nessie. Nezie's homeless advocate. Yes. And she went to Jesuit school down in Bakersfield. Oh, I didn't know that about her. And um just loved loved what they taught and loved people. And, you know, for the least of these, she's gone out and taking care of them.

SPEAKER_01:

I learned a lot from from those guys.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

That's cool. And the nuns, by the way. Nuns there too. Learned a lot from those.

SPEAKER_02:

How big is Gonzaga?

SPEAKER_01:

I don't know anymore, actually. It's been almost 30 years since I've been in Gonzalez. It is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Huh. And that's in Spokane, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Spokane, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. They got a decent we went to a hockey game there once.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, did you really? I've been uh I've been to one of those or twice.

SPEAKER_02:

We went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.

SPEAKER_01:

You know what? That's the only part of hockey I understand.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, it's great. It's the fighting. Oh, San Diego Gulls, man. The Gulls used to have a team in when I was a kid growing up in San Diego, and they um you know, every five minutes there's like there's equipment and fighting and like a melee. I love it. This is great. This is better than roller derby.

SPEAKER_01:

Actually, I love roller derby too.

SPEAKER_02:

Roller Derby. Do you go to the ones that are?

SPEAKER_01:

I do, yeah. Cool. Yeah. Well, the red Redwood Acres?

SPEAKER_02:

Mm-hmm. I'm sorry, CR Redwood Acres. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Actually, I got some CR people that actually participate. Oh, is that right? Oh, I do. It's wonderful to watch.

SPEAKER_02:

Is it all women? Or is there no men team?

SPEAKER_01:

No, I have not seen one. No.

SPEAKER_02:

We used to be the LAT Birds. Oh, come on. Down in San Diego, they'd come and they'd go against the San Francisco Bay Bombers. And who else? There was a Phoenix team, maybe, and somebody Oh, I love watching it. And it was just, it was uh WWF before there was one.

SPEAKER_01:

Ah skates.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, dude.

SPEAKER_01:

They were It was fantastic. I love watching them. And I and I'd take my granddaughter. The coach would love it.

SPEAKER_02:

The coach would have a uh like a briefcase. Yeah. And he would just like, here it comes. He's just and there's nothing in it. It's probably air. He's just like pounding on the opposition team just every time they'd go by. And then he'd get it, and then they'd all get in trouble, and then there'd be another meeting.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my god, I love that.

SPEAKER_02:

It was funny.

SPEAKER_00:

I had no idea it was that bad, but funny.

SPEAKER_01:

It's fun to watch.

SPEAKER_02:

So what did you study at Eastern Washington?

SPEAKER_01:

I had um I had a math degree, but also history. Oh. Both degrees were there.

SPEAKER_02:

How about that? Where's it's because I couldn't pull in it.

SPEAKER_01:

Because I couldn't decide what to do. Where's where's Eastern Washington? Spokane in Chini, Washington.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, it is.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Yeah.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Did you ever go over the border to um Court d'Alene? Oh, of course. Pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Of course, you know, I was when I was in college, young man and the drinking age in Idaho was less. Oh, I see. So off we went. Oh.

SPEAKER_00:

Pray tell. No, that that's about it. The booze was cheap. Booze was cheap and I could buy it. And I could buy it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

Send the 18-year-old in there and stuck up. Off we went. That's funny. Yeah, I think Iowa was that when I was really younger. I was too young to drink, but um I think they had a a really young drinking age, or South Dakota did. South Dakota and get fireworks.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

For, you know, next to free.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my God. Oh, I miss those days. Carefree. Didn't have to didn't have to worry about much.

SPEAKER_02:

You know? But it was in fireworks. What what could possibly go wrong? A lot. A lot. Wait, what are you talking about? That finger I don't have anymore. So what what'd you study at Gonzaga? Educational leadership. Huh. Wow. So that was that a career path to a college presidency or admin of some sort.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell It really, really was. Yeah. Because I knew back then that the coin of the realm in higher ed was to get a PhD. Especially a man of color. Yeah. You really had to do that. And plus, um I I I followed my father there. So my father got his PhD at Gonzaga. Wow. So I said, hmm. So I I made a bet with him. I said, What I can beat you on my GPA. Whoa. And thank God I did because he would never let me live that one down.

SPEAKER_02:

Never stop hearing about it.

SPEAKER_00:

I said, Dad, I beat you again. Got you again.

SPEAKER_02:

I bet he was proud that you got him.

SPEAKER_01:

That's good. He was very proud and he Yeah. He's very proud of the D.

SPEAKER_02:

Why did he study it?

SPEAKER_01:

Same thing. Oh.

SPEAKER_02:

Same thing. What was his career?

SPEAKER_01:

Actually, he was uh career Air Force. How about that? When I when I got out of the Air Force, then he went into higher education as well. So he had two two two uh careers. And he was in higher ed at Eastern Washington as well as Florida AM. Wow. Up to the vice president level.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Ross Powell Wow. That's a good sized school.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, that's a gr yeah, it's a great sized school.

SPEAKER_02:

You ever been to Texas AM?

SPEAKER_01:

No.

SPEAKER_02:

Pretty big school.

SPEAKER_01:

Is that where you went?

SPEAKER_02:

No. I went to Humboldt, Humboldt State. Not Cal Poly, but Humboldt. Oh, Humboldt St. Humboldt State for the record. State. Humboldt State. Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

I got it. I'm with you.

SPEAKER_02:

I gotta make sure that's understood here. Cal Poly's fine. They're doing a good job, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I I really love Cal Poly.

SPEAKER_02:

You like the new guy?

SPEAKER_01:

I have not met the new guy yet. Huh. I just know Spanya. Pretty new, right? He hasn't even started the job yet.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, he hasn't. Okay. Okay, so the interim guy is still there.

SPEAKER_01:

Michael Spagna.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And his deal I love that guy. What's his deal? His deal is that the next one is a good idea. Yeah, he came into the deal knowing it was a temporary assignment. Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Of course, I love Tom Jackson. Yeah. And I love Spany. Yeah. I'd have been really happy if Spanya stayed.

SPEAKER_02:

Is Tom still teaching there?

SPEAKER_01:

No, he's not. Oh wow. No.

SPEAKER_02:

I thought he took a job teaching or something.

SPEAKER_01:

I think he was supposed to teach there, but I I don't think you I don't know if he's going to do that.

SPEAKER_02:

It's cool that you follow in your dad's footsteps because my father was a uh P-51 fighter pilot.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my God. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And he um so you and I have a little similar trajectory. He was an insurance agent on Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base.

SPEAKER_01:

I've been there, of course.

SPEAKER_02:

Oceanside California. I was stationed in Oceanside. Oh, you were you a Marine?

SPEAKER_01:

I was. And that's where I did depart from my father. Is he went to career Air Force.

SPEAKER_02:

And you went to Marine Corps. Marines. How about that?

SPEAKER_01:

I said, dad, come on. I can't follow your footsteps all the time. And then I and then and I ended up doing it. Same same career.

SPEAKER_02:

Trevor Burrus How about that? So how long were you at Pendleton?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh four years of Pendleton. Is that right? Yep.

SPEAKER_02:

Huh. Yeah, my dad sold life insurance. Oh my God. And I grew up in San Diego. So I'd go out and visit in the summer and go surfing and smoke weed, do all the hippie feral. You didn't do that. Come on. Oh, I sure did. Oh, hippie feral child. I would never have met. I had long hair at one time.

SPEAKER_01:

Really? Beautiful hair. Me too. Yeah. I had a big fro with a pick in it. Didn't we all? Back in the day.

SPEAKER_02:

So he would uh bring me on base and the Marines would all go, hey Bob, who's your daughter? Because I had really no, I'm talking I'm talking. Nick I had beautiful hair. It was so long. Flowing and gorgeous with and in the summer it had blonde streaks because I was flowing and gorgeous. And gorgeous.

SPEAKER_00:

Scott, I can I can't I can't picture it.

SPEAKER_02:

But he was very proud of me. And I was I thought, insurance, well, that's stupid. That's for chumps like my dad. And then and then one day you go. Then one day the man drank all the red Kool-Aid and became just like his dad about uh 12 years ago.

SPEAKER_01:

So oh, for twelve twelve years you've been doing that.

SPEAKER_02:

I just had a new career at 53.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow.

SPEAKER_02:

And um I just wish he would have been alive to see it. He died in 04 and I became an agent in 13.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh 14.

SPEAKER_02:

But so anyway, he um um he modeled a lot of good things. It's good to have a good dad.

SPEAKER_01:

It is a wonderful thing to have a good father.

SPEAKER_02:

I got to share Jesus with my father, which was really unusual because I came back. Uh, you know, you go to I you come to Humboldt for a lot of reasons. Yeah. It's not usually sobriety.

SPEAKER_01:

So that's a very valid point.

SPEAKER_02:

So at 19, I was already burnt out on everything and uh came to Humboldt, met Joni, met Jesus, met sobriety, and met a degree at Humboldt in recreation administration, I'll have you know. Really? Yeah, be student. Way to go. It's okay. It's good. It's free, dude. It was there was What do you mean it's free? It's free. I was Jimmy Carter years. I I think I I think I came out because we were broke. My mom had no money from the hood. Um wait, whose interview is this? This is uh we're talking about you. This is good. So I came from nothing and and ke came up and made something at Humboldt and met Joni nine kids later and eleven grandkids, and here we are sit with you.

SPEAKER_01:

So how many kids do you have?

SPEAKER_02:

Nine.

SPEAKER_01:

You have nine children. I now I know we've talked about your son once or twice before.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I think we do worked at government, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So um yeah, he was he worked down at um Monterey Naval Postgrad Academy. Oh, he really what do they call that? The one at the school down at the college.

SPEAKER_01:

Monterey post post postgrad, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. He liked that. He worked about two years.

SPEAKER_01:

Really?

SPEAKER_02:

And they moved to Netherlands for a couple years, and now they're heading to Seoul, South Korea. She she worked for Nike and now she's going to work for Samsung.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02:

Who actually runs South Korea?

SPEAKER_01:

What a life. What a trouble.

SPEAKER_02:

He's quite he's quite a guy, anyway. So uh nine ch Nine children, only. Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_00:

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

Who are these people? I Good for you. Where am I? Good for you. Yeah, no, it's great. Yeah. My dad said you married up, Scott. I go, yeah. I go, what about me? He goes, he got this look on his face. He goes, You were smart enough to marry Joni. I said, thank you. Oh, thanks, Father. Thanks, Father. Thanks, Dad. Okay, I got it. Mode of confidence from dad. So take me from Gonzaga. How would you so where did you work prior to CR?

SPEAKER_01:

Wow, I had different careers, actually. Um I'm gonna go backwards. After I got got out out of the Marines, then I worked for Kraft Foods and Mobile Oil. Oh, wow. Brand management for many years. And then I said, you know what, I want to get into higher ed. So then I went to Eastern Washington and worked my way up through the ranks there.

SPEAKER_02:

How old were you then? Oh my gosh. Yep. Wow. That's late late schooling.

SPEAKER_01:

It was late schooling. But of course, I don't think I was ready to get a master's degree. I was chasing money with business at the time.

SPEAKER_02:

Sure.

SPEAKER_01:

And then I just went back to school and worked my way from college to college up to here.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Powell So Kraft Foods in Southern California?

SPEAKER_01:

No, Kraft Foods in Chicago.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, you went back to Glenview. Wow, okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I was at the headquarters met m managing the operations of new products.

SPEAKER_02:

Home of Velveeta. Cheese. Product.

SPEAKER_00:

It's the product. It's a product. It's not a cheese, actually. It is a cheese. It's not a cheese. You have no idea what's in Velveeta. You don't want to know.

SPEAKER_02:

You don't want to know what's in Velveeta. Same stuff that's in sausage and hot dogs.

SPEAKER_01:

You don't want to know how it's made, just as long as it tastes good. It tastes great. It tastes great.

SPEAKER_02:

I was raised on that stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

I was too. And it melts really well. That's what the claim to fame would be.

SPEAKER_02:

Dodges, yeah. Oh, perfect. Oh my God.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, and I wouldn't mind a little Velveeta right about now. I don't see any. Nick?

SPEAKER_00:

Where's the where's the Velveeta? Where's the Velve? Oh, Scott, I don't think you want to partake in that Velveeta display. It'd probably kill me. It'll it'll it'll harden your heart.

SPEAKER_02:

It'll kill my digestion. It would. So uh then you got the the doctorate? Yep. Got you got your first job in education somewhere.

SPEAKER_01:

In Chicago.

SPEAKER_02:

So you've been back to Chicago a couple of times.

SPEAKER_01:

A couple times, yeah. So actually I was at Eastern Washington working.

SPEAKER_02:

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01:

And that's when I got my master's and my doctorate. Then once I got my doctorate, then I left Spokane. Okay. To work at Mc McHenry County College. Where's that? In Chicago, right just outside Chicago. Crystal Lake.

SPEAKER_02:

Is it a JC or it sure is.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. I really wanted to work in a community college system.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

Versus the baccalaureate. How many students? At that time it was probably about 3,000. Great. It was a nice size.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's a great size.

SPEAKER_01:

It was a perfect school to learn from.

SPEAKER_02:

You ever heard of Morningside College in uh uh Sioux City? No. Father went there, small Methodist school. Same idea, two or three thousand kids.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I I love that size school.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, coach coach George Allen uh hailed from there.

unknown:

Really?

SPEAKER_02:

Coach coach there. Redskins coach. Yeah, yeah, an NFL guy. Oh, is that right? Well, Midwest school. I thought I didn't know that. It would be fun to go back and live in the Midwest to do a year or two of school.

SPEAKER_01:

Just to really like the Midwest.

SPEAKER_02:

Study something. Oh, it was great.

SPEAKER_01:

I love the people in the Midwest.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. They're amazing. I went back to Sioux City. Trevor Burrus, Jr. I'm walking through the campus and people are like greeting me. Oh, is this what we do here? Hey, hi.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I love the people in the Midwest. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02:

Midwest.

SPEAKER_01:

The only thing I didn't like in the Midwest is January.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And part of February.

SPEAKER_01:

And part of February and half of March, and then it got into springtime. It was great.

SPEAKER_02:

I never forget we buried my mom in 1991 in February in Sioux City, Iowa, and it was a wind chill factor of, you know, negative 10. And but I do remember how kind people were. Just, you know, I haven't seen Wanda in 20 years, Scott, but I want you to know. I drove out from the farm 200 miles to say pay my respects. And I go, Oh my God, that's I am not in San Diego.

SPEAKER_01:

You don't see that here.

SPEAKER_02:

This is a different quality of personality.

SPEAKER_01:

Different quality of people. I love to hear that. Absolutely right.

SPEAKER_02:

So if you're just joining us, lucky for you and for me, I got Dr. Keith Flamer here, my new best friend. We're talking about uh his life, his background, and we're getting closer to his career at CR here on the timeline. Okay, gotcha. We're working up to it. All right. So you went back to Chicago and then you took the job there.

SPEAKER_01:

Took the job there, worked there for several years teaching as well as administrator.

SPEAKER_02:

And the name of that college again?

SPEAKER_01:

McHenry County College. Okay. And then for some reason, I was driving down from Rockford, Illinois to Crystal Lake. Dead of winter, I said, I've got to find another job.

SPEAKER_02:

It's too darn cold here.

SPEAKER_01:

So I so I tell you, I went home, applied for some jobs in California, and interviewed here at College College of Redwoods as the vice president for student services. Wow. Came came out, interviewed, and of course, in February in Chicago, you know what the hawk is like. It's cold. And I came here, walked on campus, the roses were blooming. I said, offer me the job.

SPEAKER_02:

Early spring.

SPEAKER_01:

And I said, sure. I'll you bet I'll be there.

SPEAKER_02:

I'll be with bells on.

SPEAKER_01:

Without any question. Is that right? And I only actually I wanted to only be here for three years.

SPEAKER_02:

So they offered you on the spot or?

SPEAKER_01:

No, it took took about a day. Okay. So you were still in town. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Huh.

SPEAKER_01:

And I said, hey, I'll be here for three years. And Scott, it's been almost 21.

SPEAKER_02:

Is that right? Huh.

SPEAKER_01:

It's gone fast.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Ross Powell We haven't talked about family. I don't not even clear if you're married or have kids. I am, yeah. Are you?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

How long have you been married? All told?

SPEAKER_01:

Almost all the years combined? Absolutely. All the years combined, about uh 35 years, probably. Wow, that boy, good. I've been a couple times. When I get asked.

SPEAKER_02:

How long have you been? Yeah. How long have you been? Okay, I get it. You got it? I get the answer. When they ask me how long you've been married to Joni, I go, not long enough.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. And she cringes, and I know that she likes it. Oh, you think.

SPEAKER_01:

I think that's a perfect answer.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I think that's quite long enough.

SPEAKER_02:

We're working on we'll be 45 years in uh June.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, congratulations. Hi, Joni. That's great.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Yeah, my better half.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell I would agree with that, Scott.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You haven't even met her.

SPEAKER_00:

I know, but I know you, so it's okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's okay. And then, of course, I I do believe your father said that you married up.

SPEAKER_02:

So I'll take that answer. There's some witnesses to the crime here. Well, hey, uh lucky for you. So you 21 years.

SPEAKER_01:

Almost 21 years.

SPEAKER_02:

And you made a couple of changes there. What what are you proud of that you've done with CR in 21 years? Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01:

Scott, it is really hard to even talk about all the things that I think have been very good. I I don't think there's any I do I think the list would be way too long. I I think it's changed a lot. Yeah. I think it's changed a lot. Just just not the physical appearance of the campus, but just the people, the culture, how we see each other. Really, what I'm most proud of is how close the college is to our community. Yeah. I I that's something that I'll probably always remember. I really will. And all and all the students that I remember. Yeah. You know, that say, hey, thank you.

SPEAKER_02:

That's cool. So 21 years, you're seeing kids and grandkids now, probably if students, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you. That's what I was like, I said, yeah. I was born when you started working.

SPEAKER_02:

What are you like 40? 45.

SPEAKER_01:

You gotta be kidding me. You were born in 2007?

SPEAKER_02:

That's funny.

SPEAKER_01:

I came here in 2006.

SPEAKER_02:

That's funny. No, it's it's amazing. So generational.

SPEAKER_01:

It is. And it's really good. There's very little that I can say I did not enjoy. It's been hard at times. Oh, sure. But I tell you, it's the best job, best place I've ever been.

SPEAKER_02:

There's something magic about this community.

SPEAKER_01:

I agree. And that that's why I said I really, after three years, I fell in love with the place. That's why I said I'll never leave.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Well, you're proving your point your point.

SPEAKER_01:

I just I just love the community. I love the calling.

SPEAKER_02:

You showed up for work today? That's 21 plus.

SPEAKER_01:

I show up to work every day. Monday through Sunday. I'm always working.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep. No, I under as a state forum agent, I get it. Hey, well, uh, we're getting close to uh two features of the show that you're really gonna like. Oh, will I? So let's uh we'll do the quiz and then you can earn a uh special prize. Oh black fig, Dick Taylor, 100%. Dick Taylor. Do you like Dick Taylor? I do. Does your wife like Dick Taylor?

SPEAKER_01:

I don't know. It never got home enough for her to try it.

SPEAKER_02:

Now there's witnesses. 72% Tanzania. That's the uh dark chocolate uh black fig. Um by the way, the show is brought to you by Dick Taylor Chocolate. And right now, quality body works in our in Eureka. Ah, the creatures, yes. Oh, the creatures. Hey Ross, what's up? Hey Dave. Hey Dave and Ross. Oh man. Great, great people. And uh they do great work and they're just you know part of the phone.

SPEAKER_01:

They are they're terrific humans.

SPEAKER_02:

Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

Great humans.

SPEAKER_02:

And it's cool. What's cool about Humboldt is it's got so many businesses that are really part of the fabric of the community.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, they really are.

SPEAKER_02:

Including these two in a big way. So hey, let's let's just do the quiz. You ready?

SPEAKER_01:

Maybe.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Question number one. For part of a Dick Taylor chocolate bar.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. For part of it.

SPEAKER_02:

Who's gonna have the other part, but okay, go for it. Um what what's your best day? What is my best day? What's been your best day in your life?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my god, I have to choose one day. One of them. One of the best days. Wow. I would I would say one of the best days I have is when when when my grandkids when I see them, they run up to me and give me hugs and say, I love e-pops.

SPEAKER_02:

Whoa. Love that.

SPEAKER_01:

That is the best feeling in the world.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

It's just make it makes my heart just melt every time I see it.

SPEAKER_02:

Some dopamine and endorphins in the whole nine on that one.

SPEAKER_01:

They they they say, I love you. How are you doing? I missed you so much. And by the way, do you have any cash? Right.

SPEAKER_02:

I go to Boise and see the grandkids.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, do you and Boise? Can I go get ice cream? Oh, I love it. And I, of course, my answer is always yes. Sure.

SPEAKER_02:

What can what time can we leave?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_02:

I'm ice cream grandpa.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I like it.

SPEAKER_02:

And we go to the thrift store and you could buy one item up to a dollar. Thrift store in Boise. Giant ones. So the Mormons have the Desert Deseret Industries. And that it's a chain of thrift stores. Okay. They employ all kinds of special needs and people. And so it's the size of a Kmart. And uh I think I got this shirt there. In fact, it's a nice shirt. It's it's a it's a pretty cool fabric. It's uh it's a lovely shirt. Let me just show you my shirt. And it actually it breathes. I can see that it breathes. Yeah, it's got some cotton. So, you know, I'm there buying my eight hundred dollar sport coat for eight bucks and loving it. And so it's just a visit. So we take the kid, the grandkids there, and they can pick out one to you'll let us yeah, one. Okay, grandpa, cool.

SPEAKER_01:

I I know Boise because I bought a horse in Boise once.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, is that right?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, in Appaloosa.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, yeah. Seems like a song coming up. Big time country person. Oh, so you're you're a horse guy. Yeah, whole family is. We've had horses for more years I can count. Still? Still.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow, that's that's inexpensive. Right now we have nine horses. Man, you're rad. Oh, I love horses. You're a horse guy. I am. What depict you for a horse guy? Most certainly am. Wow, you're not horsing around. Oh, nice job. Yeah. Did you hear the what about the horse?

SPEAKER_00:

Nice job.

SPEAKER_01:

The horse that goes into the bar.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So why the long face? Yeah. Question let's get on with that. Okay, gotcha. Question number two. Worst day. Worst day? That's one of the worst days you've had.

SPEAKER_01:

I would say the worst day I've ever had was probably last January. It was probably one of the worst days.

SPEAKER_02:

How so?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh. When the Department of Ed started coming down on higher education. And that is when we had to scramble to figure out how we're gonna save the college without getting into trouble with the Fed federal government. Wow. I think that was probably the hardest day. Not the worst, but it was a part of the hardest day to maneuver and take care of people.

SPEAKER_02:

In one day, or you had to make some decisions.

SPEAKER_01:

We really did.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

And it I had to start planning from day one. How do we take care of our employees and our students when higher rate is under attack by the federal government?

SPEAKER_02:

Wow. Wow, good for you, man.

SPEAKER_01:

But it was that was probably the hardest.

SPEAKER_02:

Fight the good fight.

SPEAKER_01:

Always. Every day I wake up thinking, what positive work am I going to do today? Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_02:

That's kind of a Marine Corps thing, huh?

SPEAKER_01:

It's a Marine Corps thing, but it it's a Jesuit thing. I learned that from the Jesuits.

SPEAKER_02:

Good combo.

SPEAKER_01:

Actually, I learned a lot from both from both places. I got it. Got it.

SPEAKER_02:

That's probably a good combo in the minute. I was like absolutely that's good. That balances out perfectly. I love it. Uh here we go. Okay, second one. What do you find fulfilling in your life? Or should say most fulfilling.

SPEAKER_01:

Most full fulfilling? Take taking care of my family. Taking care of my family.

SPEAKER_02:

Including the horses?

SPEAKER_01:

The horses, the dogs, and the chickens.

SPEAKER_02:

So we have nine kids and you have nine horses.

SPEAKER_01:

Nine horses, and I think we have seven dogs on the place. Wow. Chickens. I think making sure that everyone is taken care of.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

That makes me smile.

SPEAKER_02:

That's cool. So you're a steward over this whole zoo ranch.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my God. But you know what? But but they give me so much I'm going to give back.

SPEAKER_02:

That's cool. You must have killer feed bills. Nielsen Company loves you.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, they do. Somebody. The hay and all the dog food and the cat food. Oh, yeah. Oh, God. But you know what? I I don't I couldn't imagine life without all of these things in my life.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Our daughters rode horses up at Field of Dreams and a little farm up in West Haven. Yeah. Never had to buy a horse.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I'm not sure how you got around that one.

SPEAKER_02:

I don't want to want to talk about it anymore.

SPEAKER_01:

Anymore. I just did.

SPEAKER_02:

They still love horses. Number three or four. Uh what's crushing to you? What's what's soul crushing?

SPEAKER_01:

I have never I have not. Well, the soul crushing is when when when my son died.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, you lost a kid.

SPEAKER_01:

I did.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01:

A few years ago. That was probably the very worst day my soul has ever had.

SPEAKER_02:

I bet. How old was he?

SPEAKER_01:

He was thirty-five. Wow. Younger. Maybe maybe thirty-eight.

SPEAKER_02:

What was his name? What is his name?

SPEAKER_01:

What is his name? Uh Brendan. Brendan. Brendan Sean.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Just died a few years ago here.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow. Sorry to hear that. Yeah, that would be tough. I don't think I'm gonna dig at that one much. I'm just gonna go. That would be so snatching and crushing. It really was. I've had many friends that have lost uh kids, including my good friend Ron, and yeah, just really hard.

SPEAKER_01:

That that that is not a club I want anyone to join.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Yeah, no. Really. And I wonder with nine kids if I'm uh, you know, maybe in line, but I d I hope I pray not.

SPEAKER_01:

I pray that you don't pray to go home first. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

Um Hey, so here last question. Yeah. Who are you and what do you want?

SPEAKER_01:

Who am I? I'm a child of God. Good. Good start. Yeah.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And really that is it. And that's what I reach for every day.

SPEAKER_02:

That's cool. What's that mean for you? I I'll dig at that one just for a second.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, certainly. It's the thing that I bring to my job. That is the love of people.

SPEAKER_03:

Good.

SPEAKER_01:

And the love of the students and my colleagues. I don't think that I can be a president or any president could do his his or her job unless you love people, not the institution. Right. And not the machinations that you go through to be a president. But but you don't show up for for the job for the paycheck, because it's not very much. Right. But you show up because you love what you do. You love the people that you serve. It's and it's a it's it's a job of service.

SPEAKER_02:

That's right.

SPEAKER_01:

And I love that part. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_02:

I think I was th thinking service servant leadership while you were talking.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely true. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_02:

Just that connection with people. You know, um my dad was an amazing sales guy. He he came to a sales meeting here at uh where I worked at a newspaper, and we we were the ad sales guys. And oh, you were the newspaper. Yeah. So proud of my father. It's called the Tri-City Weekly. It was I don't know if it was still alive when you were here. It was a shopper. Oh, okay. Like a penny saver type of deal. Remember San Diego thing. Yeah, I remember those. And so I'm so proud of my dad. Dad's here, and he's gonna he's gonna give the sales seminar today. And and I go, take it away, Bob Hammond. And he and he sat there, kind of a smirk on his face. And I don't think he was on the spot. He goes, I'll tell you what, if you're in sales or any career for the money, you're only about half paid.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, absolutely. He's right on. He is that's wise.

SPEAKER_02:

And I thought of that, and I I had to think about it for the last 25 years. Yeah. And I said, where's the other hour? You know, 20, give me another 10 minutes, something. Tommy Hopkins, give me some motivation. Yeah, yeah. You know, Tony Robbins. Yeah. And he goes, I'm finished here. He goes, if you're if you're in business for the money, you're you're half paid. Yeah. Because it's about people. It's about people. And the love of you nailed it, the love of people. Yeah. And so uh who that's who you are. What do you want? What would you like to see happen in in Humboldt? Or at CR.

SPEAKER_01:

Here's what I would love to see at CR and at Humboldt in itself. At CR, I would love for the college to remain as stable as it is. Because I know I'm not going to be here forever. Sure. Right. And I don't want the college to repeat past mistakes. Right. Uh we have worked really hard to survive and to thrive. We can't afford to go backwards. So that's what I want for CR for for the for the our community. Remain close. Okay. Remain connected. Uh the only thing that would hurt us is if we remain divided. That we have to learn to communicate. Yeah. And that we may not agree, and that's okay. But we have to learn to respect and love each other enough to say, I understand. And how do we move forward?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

We've lost that. We've got to get that back.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Powell Yeah. That's a good word. Trevor Burrus, Jr.: So this is 97, 98 episodes of me with others. And that's a common theme. Is that right? The division needing to be repaired.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh. I l that is that I believe that.

SPEAKER_02:

And the other is it's it's Cal Poly, Humboldt Scott. I don't want to bring those guys up. That's Brand X up the highway.

SPEAKER_00:

I would never correct you on that. That's fine.

SPEAKER_02:

So you probably send send a few kids up that way after I was you I I've been Oh absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I uh as you presented at Rotary, there's a big percentage of kids from Humboldt County that attend CR. Yes. And there's a big chunk, yeah. And there's a chunk that you send north to Calvin Aaron.

SPEAKER_01:

I would say maybe Cal Poly, HSU. I would say probably 35 percent of our students go there. Wow. And I and I have been on record by saying I'd want 100% of our students to go to Cal Poly.

SPEAKER_02:

Love it.

SPEAKER_01:

Humboldt, not Cal Poly anywhere else.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Because we are so close as institutions.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

We share students, we share faculty, we share staff. There's very little that we don't have in common. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that reciprocal relationship. Absolutely. Trevor Burrus And in terms of grades and classes and their convertible units and all that.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

I love that. The other thing you guys are really good at is all the trade the trades and the trade programs, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Trevor Burrus, Jr. Well, not not just trades, but also healthcare.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. So we'll talk about that.

SPEAKER_01:

Sure. We have, of course, as a as a college in California, we have to do both. We have to be transfer institution as well as w uh career education. I have often said, and I will continue to say, that CR's future is in healthcare pathways and the and our trades. Right. Because that's where the college is going to grow. And I think that's where our community needs us the most. You know, it's not not just nursing. That's big for us. But we have to start putting other healthcare programs out there. And all the trades, welding, construction tech, um, aqua farm, all those things we have to keep pushing. And anything and and also in climate resilience. That's where the jobs are, right? That's where the jobs will continue to be. Because what we've seen is that students are now questioning whether they really want a bachelor's degree. And they would rather have a trade degree, career education, because number one, they get out to work faster and they make more money. If I was a start over, I'd go into welding. They make a lot of money.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, my son wants to be electrician.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, they Scott.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_02:

Bank. It's hard work, but you didn't have to go to med school and accrue eight eight hundred thousand in medium. Debt. Exactly. I went to school and became in debt forever. Exactly. So I'm on uh uh my first board ever after nine kids uh and destination humble with uh St. Joseph Providence. St. Joseph Providence. And so what we do is we bring doctors here.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I know that program, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

And then pay their med bills incrementally. I think there's a whole agreement and all of them but probably you know um individualists.

SPEAKER_01:

That's an innovative program.

SPEAKER_02:

It's cool. It's they brought a lot of people. My primary care before tuna, Dr. Dan Hain. Hey Dan. Shout out to Dan. Um great guy. And you know, we'd uh we were up in Arcade with Chris Lee for 40 years and he retired. And here's Joni and I, 65. Yeah. No healthcare. You know, no primary. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Man, if I got sick, I don't know what we'd do, but these guys have uh put it together. It's pretty cool. So let's let's do the AI portion of the show. I I should ring a bell for that. By the way, you did you did win the Dick Taylor, and I'll be presenting that shortly.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh okay. I guess I'll share it now. I'd have to share it.

SPEAKER_02:

It's quite good, especially with some red wine. It becomes a pairing that you'll blow your mind. So let's let's see. The the A AI says um assume leadership with a mandate to revitalize institution amid evolving educational demands and regional challenges. Basically true. Very true. Okay. Yeah. Leadership style. I kind of like this because it speaks to how I think you might be.

unknown:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

How how you've implied things.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh a blend of decisiveness and collaboration.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely true.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Powell That's a pretty cool. You know, AI, every once in a while she comes through and says something nice about us.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. I that's true.

SPEAKER_02:

I'll go for that one. I like that because collaboration, you know, some guys some guys never make a decision. Yeah. And okay, we collaborated. Now we're going to make a damn decision. Yeah. And I and I think, you know, thank goodness for that. Um encourages open dialogue with faculty, staff, and students, fostering a culture of transparency and shared purpose. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. That's a good mission. I don't like to hide anything. Yeah. I don't hide anything because then then we can't make a decision when you're hiding information. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_02:

Right. You're holding back and people are going. What's the whole story with this guy?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Wait.

SPEAKER_00:

Actually, I'm so transparent, Scott.

SPEAKER_01:

You can ask me about just about anything.

SPEAKER_00:

That's good. So the question is, what's your deal? My deal is whatever you want that deal to be. How's that?

SPEAKER_02:

What deal do you have in mind? So uh strategic initiatives that and I'll just go high level on this. Enhancing student success by improving retention and graduate graduation rates. Yep. That's cool. Advancing equity and inclusion, um, importance of an inclusive campus climate, uh, equity-focused policies. Okay. Yep. Uh strengthening community engagement. You guys do that.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. We do that.

SPEAKER_02:

Sports programs, trades.

SPEAKER_01:

Everything.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Yeah. Um, that that uh partnerships with local industries, government agencies, and nonprofits. And then promoting sustainability.

SPEAKER_01:

All true.

SPEAKER_02:

I like it.

SPEAKER_01:

Wow. AI got this right.

SPEAKER_02:

I know, man. I don't know what what's going on here. Sometimes you know, it has you born in, you know, England.

SPEAKER_01:

Actually, I was born in Japan, but okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

Military? Military. Okay, that makes sense. So enrollment and retention, campus climate and inclusion, sure. Economic and workforce outcomes. Okay. Cool. Um And then the challenge here's three challenges that were thrown in here that I caught my attention. Financial constraints faced budget limitations exacerbated by fluctuating state and federal and uh funding and enrollment pressure. Trevor Burrus, Jr. Absolutely right. Yeah. So that's got to be the dance, right? Because how who's gonna fund the program?

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell Yeah. It's the dance. We have two levers, revenue and expenditures, without suffering uh students not having access. So you're right. There's always that balance you have to do.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Always.

SPEAKER_02:

So you guys have have to do with the dance and how to navigate government stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell We do. State as well as federal. And folks. And county in some ways, but yes.

SPEAKER_02:

So you have other advocates that come alongside, I'm sure, whether it's Congressman Huffman or whoever.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, Huffman, Maguire, Wood when he was when Wood was here.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Ross Powell So these are guys that you're definitely connected to.

SPEAKER_01:

Very, very much.

SPEAKER_02:

Trevor Burrus It's a it's a phone call. Hey, you gotta help me on this deal.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell Phone call, email. Nora nounce from from uh uh McGuire's office that is here. Yeah, she's really nice. She's very good.

SPEAKER_02:

Like her. Yeah. Sharp. Nora and get Mike on the show, man. We're waiting. I gotta call her. Thank you. I gotta call Nora. Uh pandemic, uh COVID-19 and the pandemic probably created havoc uh everywhere, including Well, you know what?

SPEAKER_01:

It created havoc, but it also created opportunity. Significant opportunity for us. For for education itself.

SPEAKER_02:

Telemedicine, zooming, zoom calls.

SPEAKER_01:

Zoom class, online classes.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

The leftover of COVID that I like. What's that? Everybody's got outdoor dining now. Ah, I never thought of that. Out into the street at weird Glendora.

SPEAKER_01:

Because you know, I I never have time to go out. Yeah. I'm always working for the college.

SPEAKER_02:

You're busy.

SPEAKER_01:

But you feel sorry for me yet today.

SPEAKER_00:

Not really. Your choices, man.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh my God. You do you. I I love it. Yeah, I work hard. So that's my deal. Whatever that's your whatever brings you joy, my friend. There we go. Addressing long-term institutional needs, um, modernization infrastructure. Let's talk about that.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. Um Well, actually, so Access Humboldt has to leave that building. They're going they're are they going to stay it on campus or you know, we're I've offered to try to find some space, but they they have to figure out what they want to do. But that building, that old admi administration forum building, that has to come down this summer.

SPEAKER_02:

Is that right? Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

I have to bring that down. But we're building new PE complex. We just got done creative arts. Yeah. We're about to break ground and new student uh student housing, affordable housing for students.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, you really got it going.

SPEAKER_01:

And oh, and also I can't can't forget what we're doing on our Dell Nord campus. Oh, okay. Right. Because we're building a new healthcare center there, education center. And renovating that bit that that building there.

SPEAKER_02:

Where's that located?

SPEAKER_01:

In Crescent City on Washington. Just off Washington. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Is it back up by the high school up that way? Actually, it's Cross Street from the high school. Oh, it's okay. Yeah.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. That's cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. It's really really cool.

SPEAKER_02:

And you guys are down at Fort Bragg as well, right?

SPEAKER_01:

No.

SPEAKER_02:

No?

SPEAKER_01:

No. We transferred that years ago. Oh, I'm sorry. To Mendocino College.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Yeah. So they take care of Fort Bragg now. They do. Which makes way more sense. Just closer.

SPEAKER_01:

It is.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, no.

SPEAKER_01:

Took us about five hours to get there and back. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So this is uh designed to be is this a gotcha question? No, this is I'm just going to make a statement. Okay. I think you're going to love it. It's kind of encouraging. Keith Flamer's presidency at College of the Redwoods is defined by a study, purposeful commitment to enhancing educational quality, equity, and community relevance.

SPEAKER_01:

And I didn't even write that myself. That's cool, man. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I love it. Okay. I'll give this to you. You can have it. His pragmatic yet visionary leadership has guided the college through complex challenges with resilience and focus. I love this. By fostering collaboration, championing student-centered act initiatives, strengthening community ties, Flamers positioned the institution for sustainable growth and continued impact in the years ahead.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my God.

SPEAKER_02:

My dad would say it like this not too shabby. That's pretty good.

SPEAKER_01:

I'd say that's pretty good.

SPEAKER_02:

That's a pretty good little report on you, man. That's I don't know about how to respond. This is my best one so far.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my God. I don't know how to respond, but thank you. Nailed it. Wow.

SPEAKER_02:

Perfect. Good job. So uh usually at the end of the show here, um I ask about legacy and what you want to be remembered for. So I'll ask you, um when it comes to being thought about in the hereafter well, when we're here and you're after.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I gotcha.

SPEAKER_02:

And your your celebration of life and your tombstone. How do you how do you s how how does that set with you? What are you thinking? What would you like to be remembered for?

SPEAKER_01:

I think about this every morning when I wake up. That if this is my last day, I want people to say he was a great human and he tried his best every day.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

That's what I want folks to do.

SPEAKER_02:

You could actually fit that on a tombstone, I think.

SPEAKER_01:

If I I I figure if I keep saying it, folks will remember to put that on my tombstone. And try to dress the biggest thing. And he was a great human.

SPEAKER_02:

And and at the end of the day, that's all you you and I could ask for from anybody. It is. Including ourselves.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

Shout out to you. Uh any how do we get a hold of you, the campus? How do we go? What's the website? How do we get a catalog? How do we enroll? Uh spring semester coming right up.

SPEAKER_01:

Spring semester. People are enrolling in the right.

SPEAKER_02:

How do we get a hold of CR?

SPEAKER_01:

W.redwoods.edu. Go to the website. You could reach us anywhere. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_02:

Is that Redwood or Redwoods? Red Woods plural. Plural. Okay. And just start there.

SPEAKER_01:

And if you want to talk to me, send me an email. Love talking to people.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, you're a pretty available guy.

SPEAKER_01:

I am.

SPEAKER_02:

I love people. Let's go back to the campus real quick. So all the changes there.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

The botanical gardens just to the north, do you have much to do with that?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my God. We we have a strong partnership with them.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, they're great.

SPEAKER_01:

I love matter of fact, we're talking about how we can expand them into the land where the old creative arts building used to stand. Okay. So they could grow a little bit into that area. It'd be nice for us to do that. I'd like to get that done soon.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Powell So they're owned they're owned by their own trust or whatever.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Ross Powell And we have a long-term lease with them.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Ross Powell Yeah. So that's that's cordial.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Ross Powell Oh, actually, our faculty use them in classes. Aaron Ross Powell Oh, is that right? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Ross Powell So they go up on onto the gardens and do botanical things.

SPEAKER_01:

Trevor Burrus Do what they do. Do their own deals up there. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

They're doing they're doing uh school. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I I have to be careful. They're actually not doing deals there. Yeah, correction. Yeah, they're fine.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. I I love going up there. It's just like uh every time we've been there, it's for fundraisers or just taking a walk. It's very peaceful.

SPEAKER_01:

It's very, very peaceful.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, the the whole the that they have a little trail system.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Our our whole campus is changing.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

It's wonderful.

SPEAKER_02:

Let's review that one more time, real quick.edu. Aaron Powell Okay. And uh one could walk on campus, get a tour?

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. Any anytime.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Powell And your new projects are housing, the PE complex?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, PE slash field house. Okay. But also our our field our football field track. So we're just about done with that project.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Powell That's gorgeous. I think I saw that.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, it's gorgeous wonderful.

SPEAKER_02:

Aaron Ross Powell So as a pickleball player, will I be able to play in tur inside of the field house? Or is it all outside the tennis courts?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, right now it's all outside.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

But you will be able to play indoors.

SPEAKER_02:

That's been my home court down there.

SPEAKER_01:

I did not know that.

SPEAKER_02:

Bunch of nice people.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So so we were building the field house that will be able to house indoor.

SPEAKER_02:

You know how to you know how to tell the difference between a bunch of tennis players you can't see versus pickleball players you can't see on the other side of the courts? No huh. Laughter. We're just in Ohio, California. And I go, hear that? That's pickleball, Joni. You know, I I watch them. They're competitive. Oh my god. They get pretty rap. They do. It gets pretty out of control.

SPEAKER_01:

They do. It's like, ooh.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, hey, Keith, appreciate you coming. Thanks for the invite. I loved it. What a delight you are.

SPEAKER_01:

I love talking to you.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you. Back at you. Oh, before I forget. Oh, Dick Daily. I gotta get I gotta award this. This is 72% Tanzania. And you know what they have in this? They only have three ingredients cacao, cane sugar, and black mission figs. Those are actually my favorite. For you, my friend. Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

Enjoy that. Love it.

SPEAKER_02:

And thank you, uh Ross Creech and uh Quality Body Works for being part of our uh our cadre of uh friends here. And uh if you'd like to uh support us, uh love us, make comments on us, sus subscribe. Uh I'm we're all over uh YouTube. We're gonna be an Access Humboldt. Go ahead. This will be probably I bet Jashura will put this up pretty quick. And then uh, of course, all the podcast platforms. With that, uh Scott Hammond, 100% Humboldt, saying uh thanks for uh being here. Keith, thank you for being here.

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Scott Hammond

Host