Outskirts Press, INC.

The perfect gift for college grads!

In his book, When the Cap Falls: Ten principles for a college graduate to launch a career, Joseph Garcia provides the new college graduate a foundation to make a positive first impression in the workplace. Hiring managers cite a lack of “soft skills” in new graduates, including problem solving and creativity, leadership, coaching, and teamwork. Garcia leverages an uncommon breadth of experience, including a military career, executive positions in the federal government, nonprofit board positions, and importantly, experience in higher education. The ten principles identified in the book, developed as part of the leadership courses he taught at the Air Force Academy and The Citadel. The positive feedback provided by his students, to his original and interactive lessons, inspired him to write this book and share his leadership expertise with others. When the Cap Falls will be a must-read for college graduates for years to come.

Foreword PRIOR TO BECOMING the ninth President at Elon, I proudly served as the Provost and Dean of the College at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. While there, I first met and had the privilege to serve alongside Joe Garcia, the Vice President for Finance and Business. I was drawn to the Citadel because of its strong student success and leadership development model which had led to so many successful graduates over the years. In fact, the U.S. News and World Report’s Best College Rankings identified The Citadel as the #1 southern regional masters public college because of its strong reputation and success in outpacing students’ predicted graduation rates. Joe’s book, his fourth, When the Cap Falls: Ten principles for a college graduate to launch a career is an essential read for new college graduates entering today’s workforce. Each year, approximately three million college students will graduate with some type of degree, from an associates to a doctoral degree. Yet, many hiring managers cite a lack of “soft skills” such as critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, coaching, and teamwork for recent college graduates. When the Cap Falls attempts to close that gap by providing engaging, original, and interactive concepts for the new college graduate. While other authors target college graduates, their advice often centers around general post-graduation advice like resume writing, interview skills, salary negotiation, etc. Joe’s book is unique because it directly addresses the soft skills gap that hiring managers say exist with new college graduates. His guidance leverages Joe’s uncommon breadth of experience that includes: a distinguished military career, senior positions in the federal government, private sector consulting, non-profit board chair duties, and higher education cabinet-level positions. His many awards include Male Boss of the Year from the Federal Woman’s Program. Joe taught leadership courses as an adjunct instructor at the Air Force Academy and The Citadel, where the ten principles highlighted in this book received favorable student feedback. I had the firsthand opportunity to see him teach in the classroom. Ever the innovator, Joe established small group problem solving teams where cadets would take on leadership challenges being experienced across campus. Through his guidance and encouragement, the cadets made thoughtful recommendations on how to improve their learning and living environment at The Citadel. Many of their recommendations led to real change and improvement, both academically and in the other core pillars such as military training. Joe’s end-of-course student surveys were always outstanding. His passion and commitment to our students, both in the classroom and as a mentor, always stood out to me. His commitment to student success is why I wholeheartedly endorse Joe’s latest book, When the Cap Falls: Ten principles for a college graduate to launch a career. His insight is shared, as he did in the classroom, in an easy-to-follow but impactful way that will give new college graduates an important advantage in the workplace. Any leader, whether novice, seasoned or mid-career, would benefit from Joe’s many years of successful leadership. I know I did. Connie Book President, Elon University