The interview: Le Quanda Cole

Le Quanda Cole’s perception of diversity was formed overseas, growing up on a US Air Force base in Ramstein, Germany. She travels across Europe, learning about a mosaic of cultures and races, and notices that the diversity that seems to matter most across borders is that of perspective.

That experience, she said, underpins her work as director of the UNLV/CSN transfer office, where she earned recognition as one of five transfer champions by the National Institute for Transfer Student Studies (NISTS) and is a recipient of the 2022 Rising Star Award The awards recognize exemplary advocates influencing policies, practices and programs to benefit transfer students. Her parallel session proposal, “Walk in Their Shoes, Hurt Your Feet: Find Out What Keeps Students from Successfully Transferring to University,” was accepted for the NISTS 2022 In-Person/St. Experience of the Lewis Conference.

Why UNLV?

Growing up overseas, we were a little behind the trends in the US, but we’ve all heard of Jerry Tarkanian and the great run of UNLV basketball. I always thought the Rebels were new to the scene and a force to be reckoned with. When my husband was transferred to Nellis (Air Force Base), coming to UNLV seemed like it was meant to be.

What was your previous job?

I was an adjunct instructor and program coordinator for the CSN Community and Personal Enrichment Program. I supported workforce development by helping people develop skills such as Microsoft Office or guiding them to the next level of professional skills they needed. We also had leisure courses that combined training and personal enrichment. I often had to create a curriculum for the many and varied courses.

Tell us about your work at UNLV.

As the Director of the UNLV/CSN Transfer Office, I support College of Southern Nevada students to help them successfully transfer to UNLV. CSN is the largest transfer pipeline to UNLV, thereby ensuring that our initiatives are aligned with top-level goals. We work with CSN high school, CSN students, military and veterans to make sure they are on good timeline with their credits, have their transcripts in order and understand how to transition into the university environment.

Some of the work also focuses on what the front-end barriers might be. This is where diversity comes in. Our identity – however ethnic or social – is about personality. Are you an extrovert or an introvert? In a sense, much of our higher education system rewards extroverts, those who speak up, those who ask questions, those who “shine brightly.” But we need to level the playing field and make room for those who need to approach things differently.

Transfer students are non-traditional, they may feel less inclined to ask a lot of questions. So, we created non-invasive events where they can engage in more passive activities and feel comfortable and get a secure feeling or validation and confirmation of their presence. We have virtual Keep Calm and Color events and activities where conversations take place in a low-stress environment.

I basically applied the information I learned in the interaction and media studies PhD program. My advisor Dr. Michael McCreary and cohort played a significant role in my success.

What inspired you to enter your field?

Dr. Lusharon Wiley was my student mentor. She taught me the importance of having a staff that reflects the students. She was a reflection of me. We had real conversations that I needed as a teenager, as a woman, as a black man. I always went to classes that started after 10am and avoided Friday classes. Dr. Wiley corrected me, of course, in a way that I felt comfortable with, but I could feel the seriousness of where he was coming from. She told me that passion and purpose lead to success.

Tell us about being one of only five National Institute for Transfer Student Studies (NISTS) Transfer Champions and receiving a 2022 Rising Star Award.

These awards essentially recognize the higher education community that transfer students need advocacy. They are a group often neglected by institutions. Historically, community colleges have been an important pathway for minority and underrepresented students to gain access to universities and college.

As for me, I want to make sure we support positive conversations with transfer students, providing them with a narrative from their perspective that tells them they belong, that this is the right path for them. This might mean getting a little uncomfortable in a conversation first to get comfortable, never forgetting that human piece. We cannot be transactional.

These awards are not just mine. I share these honors with my amazing colleagues, Michael McCreery, Sam Leif, Daniel Head, and Joey Fiorentini. They built a computer for me so I could handle the rigors of the coursework. In 2020, we won the Best Paper Award at the 17th International Conference on Cognition and Research Learning in the Digital Age for our paper “Acclimatization Time: Exploring the Impact of Cognitive Abilities on Video Game Situations.”

Complete this sentence: If I could not work in my field, I would like to…

…help grow the Jenett D. Boldin Education and Benevolence Foundation, established in honor of my mother, so that we can open a school that focuses on the power of the arts. Being creative and original is what drives the history of this country.

Tell us about an object in your office that is meaningful to you.

I have a memory picture of Michael Jordan which is important because to me MJ means anything you can achieve even when you are told no. He had a coach who told him no, showed him tough love, and taught him how to set standards. That’s what I think of when I look at this picture.

Hobbies or hobbies?

I love the stock market and reading about it. I also collect vinyl records and eight tracks. I write poetry and of course I love spending time with my family.

Do you have book recommendations for free reading?

I have so many. I will mention only a few: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, the The Power of the Praying Wife by Stormi Omartian and all things Victoria Christopher Murray.

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I wrote and performed an original poem for Rosa Parks on her 100 Bus Stops tour.