"We are extending the impact of the University beyond J Street — transforming Sacramento by transforming our students."
Welcome to Beyond J, a podcast from University Communications that dives into the Sacramento region's issues and challenges, cultural topics and trends from a unique Sacramento State perspective.
Beyond J is hosted by Phillip Altstatt
A drive for advocacy: Jeffery Benson’s nontraditional path of success
Jeffery Benson calls himself a disruptor because he’s never been one to follow the traditional path.
The 61-year-old graduated from Sac State with his bachelor’s degree in Career and Technical Studies in December 2024. In May, he returned to offer words of wisdom and encouragement to fellow Class of 2025 graduates during Spring Commencement, where he proudly represented the College of Education as its Dean’s Award recipient and accepted the President’s Medal as the University’s top graduate.
A native of Topeka, Kansas, Benson’s ties to the civil rights movement run deep. His mother, aunt and grandmother were three of the 13 original plaintiffs in the historic 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case that led to U.S. school desegregation. His father also attended the segregated Monroe Elementary School, which was at the center of the case.
It’s a legacy that has become a driving force in everything Benson has done throughout his life and career.
Benson, who is now pursuing his master’s of science in Law at McGeorge School of Law, joined “Beyond J” to discuss the many stops he had along his journey to a degree, including the unique experience that inspired him to attend Sac State, his visit to the White House for the 70th anniversary of the landmark case, meeting former President Joe Biden, and his aspirations to obtain his doctorate of law and serve as an attorney and policy advocacy analyst for the state.
The episode also includes Benson’s Commencement speech, delivered to College of Education graduates on May 17.
Subscribe to Beyond J on Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-j/id1590901028)or Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/6OBuvWyF0xuUeDlc3LW2uF).
Links: (https://www.csus.edu/news/newsroom/stories/2025/5/deans-award-benson.html)
Lifelong learner and civil rights advocate Jeffery Benson treads his own path to a degree (https://www.csus.edu/news/newsroom/stories/2025/5/deans-award-benson.html)
Top graduates reflect the perseverance and promise of Sac State’s newest alumni (https://www.csus.edu/news/newsroom/stories/2025/5/deans-awards-roundup.html)
6 May 2025
Beating the odds: How former foster youth at Sac State thrive
For former foster youth, attending college, let alone graduating, may seem daunting. In fact, nationally, only 4% of college students who have experienced the foster system will earn a degree.
Bucking that trend are the students in Sac State’s Guardian Scholars Program, which provides support and resources to former foster youth at the University. The program has just over 200 students participating, and will see nearly 40 of them graduate this academic year alone.
Linda Ram, the program’s director, joins “Beyond J” this week to talk about the challenges former foster youth face in college, how Guardian Scholars supports them, and the tremendous growth of the program in just the past few years. Also joining us is Thomas Taylor, a Guardian Scholars student who is working toward a degree in Mechanical Engineering, to share his experience both in the foster system and at Sac State.
Links:
Guardian Scholars Program (https://www.csus.edu/student-affairs/centers-programs/guardian-scholars/)
Former foster youth at Sac State to receive guaranteed income from United Way for another year (https://www.csus.edu/news/newsroom/stories/2025/5/united-way.html)
Sacramento State announces guaranteed admission for former foster youth (https://www.csus.edu/news/newsroom/stories/2024/11/guardian-scholars-promise.html)
Expanded on-campus center for Sac State former foster youth offers greater resources to help them succeed (https://www.csus.edu/news/newsroom/stories/2024/8/guardian-scholars-grand-opening.html)
22 Apr 2025
From Sac State student to sustainability champion
When Ryan Todd came to Sacramento State as a student some two decades ago, the idea of colleges and universities investing significant time and resources into sustainability was a concept still in its infancy.
But Todd liked the outdoors, so he decided to major in Environmental Studies. He left Sac State with not only his degree, but also a commitment to do his part to help the planet. Little did he know, he would one day return to his alma mater to do just that.
Today, Todd is Sac State’s director of Sustainability and Energy, leading a team of dedicated staff and students who are working hard to help the University achieve its ambitious climate goals: zero-waste by 2030, and carbon neutral by 2040. It’s important work, he says, that not only helps the environment but also uses the campus as a living laboratory for students to innovate and gain skills that will help them in their careers.
This Earth Day, he joins “Beyond J” to talk about Sac State’s latest sustainability initiatives and share some tips for how members of the campus community can reduce their impact on the environment.
Links:
Sac State Sustainability (https://www.csus.edu/experience/innovation-creativity/sustainability/)
Sac State embraces a 'circle of Sustainability' as it moves closer to ambitious climate goals (https://www.csus.edu/news/newsroom/stories/2025/4/sustainability.html)
Sacramento State’s new digester turns food scraps into fertilizer and electricity (https://www.csus.edu/news/newsroom/stories/2024/7/food-waste-digester.html)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
2,037,406
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 49 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
63
Social presence
0
YouTube
86
Engagement
0
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