2:00 - 3:30 PM Opening General Session
Zakiya Smith is currently a Strategy Director at the Lumina Foundation, the nation's largest foundation dedicated solely to higher education. At Lumina, she leads the work of the foundation to develop new models of student financial support for higher education, focusing on issues of affordability. Prior to her work in philanthropy, Smith served as a Senior Advisor for Education at the White House Domestic Policy Council, where she was tasked with developing President Obama's higher education policy. Smith also served in the Obama administration at the U. S. Department of Education, where she developed programmatic, policy and budget solutions to respond to pressing challenges in college access, affordability, and completion.
8:30 - 9:30 AM General Session
The stakes could not be higher in this presidential election year, the outcome of which influence the most significant updates in federal higher education legislation: the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). Attendees will gain information about how online learning and contemporary learners fit into the conversation, how this election will change the higher education landscape, and how best to get involved in a meaningful way.
12:30 - 1:45 PM Lunch and General Session
Darrell G. Kirch, MD, is president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). A distinguished physician, educator, and medical scientist, Dr. Kirch speaks and publishes widely on the need for transformation in the nation’s health care system and how academic medicine can lead that change across medical education, medical research, and patient care. His career spans all aspects of academic medicine and includes leadership positions at two medical schools and academic health systems, as well as at the National Institutes of Health.
3:15 - 4:15 PM General Session
A Pew survey released last year found that in 2014, 74% of online adults use social networking sites. The question is no longer if universities should use these platforms, it's how and how often. Working closely with social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook has given Pearson an insider’s look in how universities can use social media to their benefit. This session will share how universities can establish a strong social media presence to reach students (prospective, current, and alumni) and simultaneously monitor reputation in an era where social media has become the go-to place for discussion.
4:30 - 5:30 PM General Session
Through moderated dialogue, President Miyares and Chancellor Sandeen will discuss issues and opportunities facing the future of higher education, spotlighting the dynamic role of online learning with regard to increasing student success, providing greater access, and innovating sound financial models.
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Closing General Session
As STEM fields continue to change and evolve rapidly, keeping one’s career up to date with the latest knowledge is a challenge. Online programs are providing both access and affordability while paving the way with new technologies that benefit all online disciplines. The panel will engage both the experts and the audience with what technologies and pedagogies may be around the corner as online learning pivots to meet the needs of the learner.
Sponsored by the International Association for Continuing Engineering Education