Hey, hey, hey. This is Lisa A. And you're listening to Who's That Star? On LCC Connect at Lansing Community College. Who's that Star? is a behind the scenes show where I sit down and talk with the employees at the college. This is an inside look at LCC where you will have a chance to learn about their passions, projects, what inspires them both at work and in their personal lives. I'm your host, Lisa Alexander. I'm so excited to get a chance to talk to all the people who make LCC great. This show is for you to get to know the people that work at Lansing Community College a little bit more and see what makes them tick. Are you ready? Okay, let's go see who's today's star. Today's star is a student affairs administrator. He has had several roles in student affairs since he began working at LCC in 2014. He has interests that range in promoting a healthy lifestyle, cycling and other things. He encourages all the people who report to him to get out and take a walk, me included. He loves activity. He's a family man. He loves to take an active role in his son's life. This person believes in giving back to his community by donating time and money to causes he cares about. He's someone who comes onto LCC's campus each day and tries to make a difference with everyone he's encountered. All right, everybody, are you ready to meet today's star? Today's star is Mike McGinnis. Yay. Okay, people, calm down. Calm down. All right, Mike, you see how the audience loves you, clearly.

I love it.

And welcome. Thank you. Who's that star?

Thank you. Thanks for having me.

I'm so glad that you're here and I appreciate you coming. I know you're a busy person. So, Mike, I want to talk to you today about what your role is currently at the college and other roles you have had previously at the college. Great.

Thank you. Currently, I get to serve as the interim associate dean in the center for Academic and Career Pathways at the Student Affairs Division. Previously at LCC, I've been a CRS in the star zone. I've been an academic success coach and I've been a student engagement coordinator. Right now I get the pleasure of leading academic advising, career and employment services, testing services, the academic success coaching team and the student engagement team on the day to day operations. And really the biggest thrill I have is just being around the people.

Yeah, Mike, it sounds like you have a lot of experience in student affairs. It's kind of worked Your way up. And that's a good thing now that you are associate dean, interim associate dean. But you know, all the areas you kind of worked in, most of those areas that you report to, that report to you. So you have an inside look.

Correct. And I try to use that every single day when I'm looking at ways to make the student experience better. I always try to view it through the student lens and think back to those days when I was in the star zone working with a student, getting started at the college. Now fast forwarding to maybe their time with an advisor or their time as they work with someone in career and employment services. How can each piece of that puzzle for the student be a little more seamless? And having a lot of experience in student affairs really gives me that student lens to look through every different angle.

Yeah, I would say that your engagement role that you used to do, you have an idea of all the things that go on in the college and so you can present wherever you go, all the good things about LCC and student services. So I think that's great. Why? What got you excited about having a career in student affairs or working with students in general?

I think the biggest thing was when I was an undergrad student needing help and my process. I was someone who went to college right away from high school, took a little time off, came back as an adult, finished up, but just really needed help and really understood that. Someone who helped me in the academic advising center when I was an undergrad and really put things into perspective for me, kind of laid a foundation of there's going to be college students who need this help throughout the years. And it just kind of led me to studying higher education, but also working in higher education and knowing that a college campus is a great place. There's a lot of different things that happened on all of these various campuses throughout the great state of Michigan. And I just want to be a part of that.

Well, you definitely are a part of it. Have you worked at any other higher ed institutions before coming to LCC?

The majority of my professional work was at Central Michigan University. That was the first job I got out of college. I worked kind of in a hybrid role where I worked in the day to day operations for student finance, the registrar and financial aid. So in addition to that, I worked with the graduate student office, the parking department, athletics, all these various areas, all kind of coming back to money in some sense, working with students and their financial aid and their refunds and advances and things of that nature. And then we relocated downstate And I worked at MSU for maybe eight months or so, and then I ended up here in November of 2014 and have been here since.

Wow, you have. So you have the student affairs experience, but you also have some student finance experience as well. So that makes you a well rounded individual working in higher ed. You're covering all the spots.

That's right. And I can tell you money's a hot thing on campus. People need their refunds, especially at bigger schools. They have rent to pay, they have payments to make. And I could share with you some numbers on the amount of refunds we gave out, but it'd blow your mind. It's crazy.

But yeah, that is important. I remember as a college student looking at those refunds and how I had to manage my money. And I think all the students find that that's something that they're excited about, but they also have to be mindful for.

And just the amount of money it costs to go to some of these four year schools. You know, I remember working with a student at orientation who once came in and said, you know, my parents sent me here to pay my bill and handed me their checkbook, but they didn't understand that there was checks in there they had to write out to the college to give me.

Right.

And some of these students who are under that understanding are able to just cut checks for 7, 8, 10, $12,000. Kind of scary. Kind of scary to have those people out there who don't really know what they're doing, but have that much money available to them at times.

And that's why we need the type of people like you, and I'd say myself, that student focus. And we'll make sure that the students get what they need and we inform and teach them along the way.

Absolutely.

And I hear your passion and I wanted to know how do you find your passion and advocacy playing a role in your positions here at LCC?

Well, I think the biggest thing I try to do is understand that not everyone can use their voice. Maybe they're afraid to, maybe they just don't know how to use it. I think one thing that myself and many others within student affairs kind of learn over time and experience is sometimes we know what a student wants to ask when that student doesn't ask it. And we have to understand that not all of our students come from the same background, don't have an understanding of how money works, how time works, how grades work, what a transcript really means to them, things like that. So we need to understand that not every student is Coming in with a level playing field in terms of their background, their history, etc.

Exactly.

So we need to know when to speak on behalf of those students who be the voice of the voiceless. Maybe they grew up in a culture or in a system where they don't ask questions because they shouldn't have to, is what they're taught. But I think for me it's just knowing that every student here is different, has a different background. But that shouldn't change the way we operate because we should do things that are open and available to all students of all backgrounds.

I definitely agree with you and I think that that is a major role for student affair employees is the advocacy piece and making sure that we are the voice for those students. And so I definitely agree with that. I don't know if people know, but Mike is my immediate supervisor. And so if this interview sounds like I'm trying to be on my best behavior, you know, why?

Well, it's, you know, we. Prior to me taking on this role in December, we go way back. We do, you know, since, since pretty much the beginning we have. And you know, I think that's the beauty of working in student affairs is even if you don't work for or with a specific person, you're around them enough and you're involved in enough projects that you kind of get to know everybody within the area.

Yeah, you're right. And that it makes it easier to transition to jobs. If you are in student affairs, you still have those connections. And I think, you know, you're a prime example. You worked your way up and that's a wonderful thing. And you have a good insight into a lot of the areas that you supervise.

Yeah. I really hope people can look at me as an example as well as many other members of the college who have started out maybe as a student employee, maybe as a part time student, and just slowly made their way up and here's where they are. And we can be that example for people.

Exactly. It's an investment into LCC. I think once we invest in it, LCC invests in us. And so you can definitely find your goal here for sure. So I want to talk about a little bit outside of LCC.

Okay.

I want to talk about what are some of your hobbies and passions outside of your workouts?

Well, I always tell people that working on a college campus is the second best job I'll ever have because being a dad is by far the best. I have a 10 year old son who's in 4th grade, takes up a Lot of my time, most of my energy and effort. Yeah, he's very into. He loves sports, he loves games, he loves video games. He loves, you know, going to. We go to a lot of sporting events and, you know, concerts and being out and doing stuff. But I'm also just really engaged in, you know, bringing the benefit of where we are to people. You know, I have the luxury of having a household of East Lansing High School students who live next to me. And I always say, hey, why aren't you taking a class with us? What are you doing?

Right?

And being able to have those connections. I care a lot about where I live and what's around me and want to get involved in things, but also I just want to make sure that there's always opportunities around me, whether it's for me, my wife, my son, my neighbors, my employees, my co workers, whoever, you know, I want to encourage people to pursue the things they're passionate about and to be able to get involved.

So with Jude, I hear you say you taking him to concert.

Oh, yeah.

How does he like that?

He loves it. He's grown into it, obviously. His name is Jude and I'm a big fan of the Beatles. So when Jude was five years old, he had seen Paul McCartney in concert five times already.

Oh, wow. More than people.

Yes. So his earliest, I think he was three. And of course, everybody knows the Beatles wrote Hey Jude and that's one of the last songs Paul McCartney plays at every concert. The first three times we went to see him. Jude fell asleep in the stands before hey Jude was played, which was, you know, unfortunate. And I'll, you know, I try not to be too bribe related, but it's like, sure, it's 8 o', clock, let's get you a Mountain Dew or something for events like that. Yes. But yeah, he likes, he likes going to concerts. He likes, you know, seeing he's learning how to play bass guitar right now. So he's interested in watching someone play and then understand it. And yeah, it's great. Cause that's a big thing I've been doing pretty much my whole life. Ever since I got my driver's license, I've always been going to concerts. And to see him enjoy that now is really special as a parent.

Yeah, I bet it is. And it's something that you can do together. My past guest Alan was talking about him and his daughter, Berkeley. They go to concerts. So it's cool that you do that with your child as well.

It's funny, when he was in first grade, he. I Shouldn't tell this story, but he fell asleep at school, only time it's ever happened. And he told his teacher, well, I was out really late last night. My dad took me to see Paul McCartney in concert. And she was like, yeah, okay.

Didn't believe him.

And I was like, no, it's true. We did actually do that. And she was like, oh, I totally understand it then, you know. But yeah, he enjoys it and it's a fun pastime. And I hope that he'll continue, you know, at some point he's gonna have to be the one taking me, you know, as time goes on, so.

But yeah, he definitely will be able to say that he was able to see Paul McCartney with probably a lot of peers. You know, his peers may not have had that opportunity. And so that's a cool thing.

And he's seen Ringo. We also went to see Ringo star in concert. So he's seen the two Beatles, who are alive.

So in fourth grade, he has had the Beatle experience pretty much. Okay, yeah, he's a far ahead of the game for sure. So that's one of your passions. I also know that as I talked about in your intro, that you are healthy, you are into a health. Now, I'm not gonna say a health kit. Cause I think it's a lifestyle for you.

But I try, Yes, I try.

Well, you definitely encourage us. You know, for sure, it's no pressure, but it feels good to have someone say that your health matters and to take care of your health and make sure that you get out and get some fresh air.

Absolutely.

You know, it helps you to read, you know, regroup and get yourself together. So I appreciate that. And it's something that I've been doing lately. I also know besides getting out walking, you like to cycle.

Yes, I absolutely do.

So tell me about how you got started with that.

So, like many kids, I grew up riding my bike all over the neighborhood. And then as I got to probably teenage ish years just kind of phased away. I got really into sports. Parents taking me to from practices, et cetera. Got through high school and college, wasn't really into it. Then the child came and I would see these people riding around with these little trailers and I thought, I need to get a bike, I need to get moving.

Right.

So I kind of got on that kick a little bit. And then I realized that A, cycling can be a great workout, B, it can take me a lot of places that I probably wouldn't go in a car in the area. And C, it's just A good unwind activity. It's, you know, you don't have your computer with you. You're not staring at your device the whole time. You're just moving. And I have really found that's good for me and my health, and I've tried to bring that to campus. You know, I've tried to encourage other people to ride their bike to campus. I've inquired about getting, you know, more bicycle storage or parking spaces in certain areas, because some people won't ride their bike to campus because they just don't want to leave it sitting outside, even if it is locked up. Yeah, but I really try to bring that excitement. It's just fun, you know, it's fun to get out and move around and, you know, explore some of the wonderful trail systems we have in the area. The river trail, riding through downtown here, all over the place. It's just. It's really brought me a lot of enthusiasm and excitement.

See, I. I'm interested. I'm. But I'm a little worried because I don't think I've ridden a bike in what, maybe 25, 30 years. And I know they say it's just like riding a bike, but I was.

Just gonna say, but you haven't forgot how to. So that's the thing. You just got to get out and do it and.

But my balance, I'm. I'm worried about that balance.

Well, you'll get it. You know, you'll. It'll come back to you. It's just like riding a bike.

Yeah. You know, start on the grass, I guess. For sure.

Yeah.

So you have some. You taken cycling a little further and you've brought it to LCC campus. Can you talk about what you're doing with that?

Absolutely. So, as you may or may not be familiar with, Dr. Robinson is very active on Instagram. Some of it's food, some of it's college related, some of it's art, music, culture, whatever. So I would see him post photos of his bike, and one day I said, hey, let's get a group together. Let's get a LCC cycling group. Something. Well, as you're familiar with, in the past, we've hosted Party with the Prez.

Right.

A fall kickoff party for students. The President's out here playing games, listening to music, etc.

Yes.

It came to me. Pedal with the Prez. I said, hey, nobody wants to ride bikes with Mike McGinnis, but if I say, come ride your bike with the President, all of a sudden there's interest.

Right.

So we started pedal with the Prez, every other Wednesday night, we leave from the clock tower out in front of or out adjacent to the Gannon Building. We'll ride the river trail, we'll ride through Rio Town, we'll ride some into downtown. President is gracious enough to supply ice cream at Arctic Corner. With every ride we've had, anywhere from five to I think 15 to 20 people show up.

Oh, wow.

And it's really turning into something. So we're kicking that off here. April 27, I believe, is the first ride we're doing something new this year. So the President is gonna have a posse. So if you wanna go out to the President's website and sign up for the President's posse, you can be part of our little inner circle of Peddle with the Prez members. But we're hoping to take it a little bit further and just explore a little bit more. But the message behind it all is it's safe, it's social, it's slow, it's not a race. Come out, get to know ya. But really just get out and see stuff and get a little exercise while we're doing it.

Now, is this for just the LCC staff community or is this for the Lansing community? Anybody could come in.

This is for anyone. Anybody that's listening. If you go to LCC's website and look up Pedal with the Prez, all the information is there. Email me, call me, I'll give you all the info. But we've had a good turnout from. There's a local group called the Lansing Bike Party. And that's all kinds of Lansing area residents who just do organized rides. They've tuned, they've come out for several of these. But yeah, it's open to anyone. We've had children. Dr. Robinson had some, I believe, high school friends that came on one of them last year. It's really open to anyone. And it's all just a little fun social interaction. But get out, get some exercise and see this beautiful scenery around us.

Well, Mike, I mean, that's great. I think that that is definitely something for our audience to go on our website and check it out. I know last year several of my co workers went, they enjoyed it. They had a good time. They enjoyed stopping by Arctic Freeze to get the ice cream.

Oh, yeah.

And you know, I think it was just something to do, especially during the time when we had the pandemic. People were getting out. But now people realize, okay, I can still keep getting active and do that. And what better way to do that with some community members. And having fun.

And that's exactly it. It almost started as a way to get to see the people I used to see every single day at work.

Right.

You know, because we started during the pandemic when no one was physically here on campus. And it just kind of went into. I think we went into maybe the first week of October or so last year. And it's just something that we hope to build on.

Well, Mike, I appreciate you stopping by and introducing yourself to the who's at Star Community. I think you've given us a lot of things to think about. You've given us a lot of information about your role here on campus and just what student services is about and how we can help students get acclimated to campus. So once again, I appreciate you coming. Do you have any parting words? No.

I appreciate you having me on. And I just want people to know that whoever is listening, no matter who you are or where you're from, whether you're on the brink of retirement, looking for a new career, or if you've never even had something you can call a career, come check us out at LCC. Look into a program like Michigan Reconnect. Look into the opportunities that exist here for you, and know that we have something for everyone. If you're a parent and you're bringing your high school senior here as a parent, check out programs we have for you also. You know, we really do have something for everyone.

All right, thank you again, Mike. Take care.

Thanks for having me.

You've been listening to Who's That Star? I'm Lisa A. And you can listen to this episode of Who's That Star? and other shows from LCC Connect anytime online at LCCconnect.org. Thank you for listening. Catch me next time to find out Who's That Star.