Faculty, Communication and Media Studies
Endowed Teaching Chair and Associate Professor Beth Baunoch is on a mission to broadcast the benefits of community college.
What makes community college special? For over a decade, CCBC Associate Professor Beth Baunoch has been teaching and amplifying the voices of those who can answer this question best. As a key member of CCBC’s Communication and Media Studies program, a Mark McCulloch Endowed Teaching Chair and a Higher Ed Media Fellow, Baunoch combines her storytelling expertise with a passion for showcasing the value of two-year colleges.
In 2020, with support from the American Council of Learned Societies and the Mellon Foundation, Baunoch founded ForReal Media, a podcast production house in Baltimore. Over two years, she guided a rotating cast of 25 CCBC students to create “Good School.,” an award-winning podcast that investigated higher education and what makes a "good school". Students gained hands-on experience and confidence in their roles as writers, producers, hosts or marketers.
“At the end of 'Good School.,' I realized amplifying students' voices is what’s really important,” Baunoch said.
It doesn't get more transformational than this.
Building on this success, Baunoch will launch a new podcast, “Know-It-All,” on Baltimore's NPR affiliate, WYPR, in 2025. Each 3–5-minute episode will feature student-created content—written, narrated and produced. While the first season will consist of CCBC media studies students, Baunoch plans to extend the podcast’s reach to other disciplines and, eventually, to community colleges nationwide. The best submissions will be featured on the podcast, offering listeners bite-sized expert insights on a wide breadth of topics–from film to physics.
“‘Know-It-All’ showcases how smart and capable our students are,” Baunoch said. “It also highlights the vital role community colleges play in serving local communities.”
In the classroom, Baunoch channels her passion for media into courses like podcast production and digital marketing. Her classes focus on more than just technical skills. Students learn to build compelling stories, ask the right questions and complete real-world projects to create professional portfolios. "It doesn’t get more transformational than this,” she said. “In a few classes, students can go from novice to having a reel that will help them to pursue entry-level jobs in the industry.”
Baunoch also invites media professionals into her classroom, helping students build industry connections—a crucial opportunity for community college students balancing work and life commitments.
Outside of teaching, Baunoch serves as chapter president of the American Association for Women in Community Colleges. She enjoys classic films and cheering on her now young adult children, who share her love of media. Together, her children have hosted a web series, appeared on “Chopped” and co-authored the book “Snacknation.”