<![CDATA[The Director's Minute]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-director-s-minute You know, we've created a fascinating little world. We have apps to remind us to drink water, calendars to remind us where we put our calendars, and somehow we still can't remember when an assignment is due unless Mom sends us a reminder using an Instagram Reel of her cat using ChatGPT to make it look like Snowball is dancing.

And then we tell you guys, "Take advantage of every opportunity." Great advice. Except you're still too busy trying to make sense of that 25-page syllabus you're told to read, (the ones we know you won't). By the way, those "opportunities" are buried somewhere between pages 17 and 19.

That's why this podcast exists. I'll give you 60-seconds worth of opportunity. That's it. In and out. Like the burgers.

I'll do my best at making sense of stuff that might leave you scratching your heads, like certain administrative words that even I'm not certain what they mean anymore.

"Excellence." So universally claimed and rarely defined that it communicates almost nothing. No institution advertises its commitment to adequacy.

"Innovation." Everything is innovative now. We have innovative chairs, innovative parking apps, innovative ways to send emails. The only thing academia likes more than innovation is awarding itself awards for being innovative.

"Engagement." We used to ask, 'Did your students learn anything?' Now we ask, 'Were they engaged?' Engaged with what? Playing Roblox on their phones during a Teams meeting? Engaged with a motivational poster saying 'Your future starts here?'

I personally like "Transformative." The word that has become the academic equivalent of "good."

The real question is: what do those words actually mean when you're sitting at home trying to keep up with your coursework, having to explain to your boss who doesn't get why you're falling asleep at work, needing to spend time with the fam who understandably demands your attention, and maybe you'd like just like a Wednesday evening at the public library to play Dungeons & Dragons? BTW, I run a campaign out of my local public library.

So every episode, we're going to cut through the noise, I'm going to find some useful stuff for you, and point out some ridiculous things we all pretend are perfectly normal.

All the while promoting the Online Honors College.

I'm Dr. Jim Ross-Nazzal, creator and inaugural Director of the Online Honors College at Houston City College.

The OHC is the FIRST online honors college for a two-year institution in the country! Not a an online honors program, not a terrestrial honors college that offers some online honors classes. Nope, a full-fledged online honors college.

But hey, don't take my word, listen to ChatGPT:

"Houston Community College's Global Online Honors College is the nation's first dedicated Online Honors College at a two-year institution. Unlike community college honors programs that merely offer online honors courses, HCC established a distinct Online Honors College as its own academic entity." -ChatGPT 6/17/2026

So, anyhow, welcome to The Director's Minute! . . 58, 59, 60.

]]> RSS.com 2026.817.133114 Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:11:03 GMT en e7e95c00-d385-54e8-8ae7-08dd2a9abfda https://media.rss.com/the-director-s-minute/podcast_cover_20260719_070702_7097a6e51b7726eb26bf1bb21d668779.png The Director's Minute https://rss.com/podcasts/the-director-s-minute no Jim Ross-Nazzal Dr. Jim Ross-Nazzal, Director of the HCC Online Honors College Dr. Jim Ross-Nazzal, Director of the HCC Online Honors College false episodic podcast Houston, Houston, Harris County, Texas, 77002, USA false <![CDATA[The Civic Triad: Leading with Purpose]]> Education is not about learing stuff for your own self-interest. Education is about becoming a better citizen, a more thoughtful community member, a leader with judgement, honesty, and integrity.

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-director-s-minute/3096099 78c22971-d4f3-432a-ad33-87e0fd910e49 81 full 2026 2026 4 4 Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:11:01 GMT false false <![CDATA[Shared Experiences Not Shared Schedules]]> Online students have different starting points so a cohort cannot be kept together through a shared schedule. I keep my online cohorts together by creating a shared experince.

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-director-s-minute/3095945 5635f92c-1a61-424a-a4de-cd11dfd574c4 83 full 2026 2026 3 3 Tue, 25 Aug 2026 17:01:27 GMT false false <![CDATA[Why (an) Online (Honors College (?)]]> It's about balance: work, fam, friends, hobbies (especially Dungeons & Dragons), stuff PLUS college. And, college on a level above your peers because you accept the challenge.

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-director-s-minute/3095881 5fa60c3c-3ffb-4de4-ba51-7a640ee0d1e4 73 full 2026 2026 2 2 Tue, 25 Aug 2026 16:34:56 GMT false false <![CDATA[The HCC Online Honors College is On The Air!]]> This is our kick-off episode. In 60 seconds I do my impersonation of the Whos in Whoville. I let you know that we exist.

The Online Honors College exists to assist highly motivated students not limited by geography, work schedules, family responsibilities, or access to a physical campus.

We provide highly motivated students with an engaging, supportive, and a more personalized experience designed specifically for the online environment.

Our purpose is not simply to place traditional honors courses on the internet, but to build a distinct community in which students are challenged to use evidence-based reasoning over knee-jerk echoing, thoughtful and effective communication over social media all caps screaming, meaningful research, to connect their education with leadership, service, and professional growth.

Through enriched coursework, faculty mentorship, collaborative experiences, cultural programming, and a shared experience model, the Online Honors College gives students both the flexibility of online learning and the depth of an honors education.

We exist for students whose experiences, ambition, and curiosity needs to be cultivated, regardless of where or how they attend college. We also exist to demonstrate that online education can be personal, demanding, innovative, and transformative. At its core, the Online Honors College creates access to opportunity while maintaining the expectations of terrestrial honors colleges.

The OHC at HCC gives students with the right fit a community in which to grow, and a platform from which to pursue their academic, professional, and personal goals.

]]> https://rss.com/podcasts/the-director-s-minute/3019320 2b1be773-85b4-4197-8f71-b9fa8af66fb8 84 full 2026 2026 1 1 Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:04:56 GMT false false Houston, Houston, Harris County, Texas, 77002, USA