Oaksterdam University Executive Chancellor Dale Sky Jones appears on WIFR TV to talk about OU’s educational partnership with Highland Community College in Freeport, Ill. As part of the partnership, OU offers students access to its comprehensive online educational content, The Budtender’s Guide textbook, and resources like its valuable alumni network.Â
According to Vangst Jobs Report 2023, the U.S. cannabis industry supported 417,493 full-time equivalent jobs, with new legal markets promising to create thousands of new positions in 2023. The collaboration between OU and HCC will give students a well-rounded understanding of the cannabis industry by leveraging OU’s wealth of knowledge and resources and equipping students to enter careers in this rapidly growing industry.
To develop the unique course, HCC Agriculture Instructor Monica Pierce attended Oaksterdam’s Business of Cannabis live capstone program.
“It was a matter of training the trainer,” Dale says in the interview. “She selected a specific program that is based on the core of what she’s trying to teach.”
When asked during the interview about whether the course will help break the stigma surrounding the plant, Dale says it’s important to address the stigma head-on with an open and honest conversation about policies, politics, history, and the failed campaign of Prohibition. Education like the hybrid course between HCC and OU is a crucial start.
“Marijuana’s being bought and sold in your neighborhood whether you like it or not. It’s whether or not it’s being done by people who care about health and human safety, and of course, taxes,” she says.
To see the full interview, click here or below.
To learn more about HCC programs go to highland.edu/cannabisstudies or call Highland Community College Advising at 815-599-3573 to register.
