Community and Economic Engagement Track

‘Reimagine Workforce Online Career Training as You Know It’   Reimagine Arkansas Workforce Project D.O.E. Grant
Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Fiesta 1-2
‘The U.S. Department of Education awarded a grant to the Arkansas Workforce Development Board and the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services to fund the Reimagine Arkansas Workforce Project. This state-wide coordinated effort is intended to benefit Arkansans who have been economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Project partners include state agencies, U of A Global Campus Professional and Workforce Development, Shorter College, and iDatafy LLC. ‘ During this unprecedented time, we are looking to each other for leaders to emerge and help us all move forward with successes and failures to identify and share. It is an understatement that our workforce has taken a hard hit with the pandemic and has affected thousands of workers in all types of demographics and workforce careers.  The role of U of A Professional and Workforce Development for the Reimagine grant is to develop and deliver short-term, online training programs for in-demand occupations.

• Mandy Eppley, University of Arkansas
• Tara Dryer, University of Arkansas

Moderator: David Cashwell, Modern Campus

The Effects of Resource Dependency on Decisions by Public Service Administrators to Offer Local Government Training Service to the State
Community and Economic Engagement | Strategic | Fiesta 1-2
Many university administrators make decisions to implement local government training programs in service to their state --major influences are external stakeholders, university mission, metrics, labor and financial resources, and university organization. Resource dependency impacts administrators’ decisions, as revealed in organizational effectiveness, environmental awareness, and environmental constraints.  This presentation includes a suggested checklist with scoring for university administrators as they consider adding a new local government training program based on a metaphorical box of influences.

• Stacy Jones, University of Georgia

Moderator: Carolyn Callaghan, Western Carolina University

The Power of Partnerships: Meeting the Educational Needs of the Nascent Cannabis Industry
Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Fiesta 9-10
Partnerships are increasingly critical for higher education to grow enrollment and revenue. Saint Louis University partnered with the emerging cannabis industry and Collegis Education to design and deliver a credit-bearing certificate in Cannabis Science and Operations. These partnerships provided relevant content, qualified instructors, effective marketing, and efficient management of the enrollment funnel resulting in enrollment and revenue exceeding estimates by 700%.

• Troy Hargrove, Saint Louis University
• Matt Lachey, Collegis Education
• Ashley Nicklay, Collegis Education

Moderator: Ursula Bechert, University of Pennsylvania  

Creating Access to Education: How UCF’s ChargeUP! Program is Bringing In-Demand Skills to Displaced Workers
Community and Economic Engagement | Foundational | Fiesta 1-2
As a result of the pandemic, the University of Central Florida created the ChargeUP! program to deliver free skills-based training opportunities to local displaced workers with the help of generous donations from JPMorgan Chase and Microsoft. In this session, you’ll hear from UCF and 2U about how they came together with Orlando’s local Workforce Development Agency, CareerSource Central Florida, to provide displaced workers in the region with the in-demand tech skills and career coaching they need to re-enter the workforce, and how you can replicate a program like this at your university.

• Chris Rose, University of Central Florida
• Sheryl Friedman, 2U

Moderator: George Calderaro, Columbia University

Public Private Partnerships: The Why, How, and When to Pursue Them
Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Fiesta 1-2
Educationally focused partnerships with private companies are on the rise as strategic campus leaders determine the option to build or buy is not sufficient. In this session, we aim to summarize the current landscape of public-private partnerships while identifying the current drivers and impediments to these business arrangements. We will then discuss potential trends in public-private partnerships and facilitate a rich discourse around what the future may hold for these relationships given the current political climate.

• Nori Barajas-Murphy, InStride
• Whitney Kilgore, iDesign
• Lauren Atkins Budde, University of Michigan

Moderator: Laurel Hogue, University of Central Missouri

Community and Economic Engagement Network

Award Presentation -
UPCEA Engagement Award

Spotlight Session -
Professional Success: Empowering Students to Find Success Through Professional Skills
Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Coronado AB
Purdue University Global understands the importance of assessment and is always exploring ways to raise the bar for assessment excellence. A key component for success is to work alongside industry stakeholders, employers, and faculty to transform skill attainment into industry-driven professional skills that will better prepare graduates for success in professional settings.  This presentation’s focus is to share assessment construction, evolution insights, outcome review, and next steps with the end goal of sparking inspiration for other institutions.

• Jody DeKorte, Purdue University Global
• Michele Riley, Purdue University Global
• Kathy Ingram, Purdue University Global
  
Moderator: Laurel Hogue, University of Central Missouri

R2-D2, C-3PO, & K12 PD : A Community Collaboration to Bring AI to the Classroom
Community and Economic Engagement | Foundational | Coronado AB
This session will explore how two community organizations created a pilot professional development around Artificial Intelligence for K12 teachers. Participants will not only hear about the specifics of the AI teacher workshops and their effectiveness but also about strategies for sustainable partnerships that support the community and economy.

• Josh Herron, Anderson University
• Katie Wolfe-Burleson, Anderson University
• Benjamin Deaton, Anderson University

Moderator: Melynda Thorpe, Southern Utah University

Does the Rise of In-house Corporate Education and Training Certificates Pose a Threat to Higher Ed Continuing Education Programs? Extending the Conversation from UPCEA Region’s Week
Community & Economic Engagement | Strategic | Fiesta 7-8
LinkedIn Learning. Grow With Google. AWS Educate Cloud Degree. Private Coding Boot Camps. There is an accelerating trend of Fortune 1000 companies developing education and training in house, bypassing higher education entirely.  The trend is not new; think McDonald's and Disney University. But the increased pace of corporate based certificate programs combined with the perceived glacial pace of higher education cannot be ignored.  Pre-pandemic spending on employee training globally reached $370B; only 8% of training budgets was spent on outsourced education and training.  Corporate training executives cite slow response and lack of agility by universities and colleges to provide timely upskilling and reskilling programs to meet industry needs. Leaders in the continuing education space will join corporate training experts to continue the discussion on the increasing transition and strategies for how those working in higher education can address the challenges.

• Sandra von Doetinchem, University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Annette Webb, University of California, Riverside
• Lee Maxey, MindMax
• Stacy Chiaramonte, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Moderator: Colleen Johnson, University of Wisconsin, Madison

At Your Service: Bringing Community Engagement and Service Learning to an Online University
Community and Economic Engagement | Strategic | Fiesta 1-2
How can an online university recognize its students’ accomplishments and learning in community service? We will share our ACES recognition that recognizes online students for their service work in their communities and for their reflections and associated learning on how this impacts their professional growth. The program can be optimized for both online and onground institutions, scaled to meet populations and interests, and geared for credit or noncredit options.

• Catherine Flynn, Purdue University Global
• Tricia Berry, Purdue University Global
• Jeffrey Buck, Purdue University Global

Moderator: Alan Manly, Harmonize

Indiana Leads the Way: An Achievement Wallet for Every State
Community and Economic Engagement | Applied | Fiesta 1-2
Learners today face unsettling economic realities. At Western Governors University, we are accelerating skills-based education and hiring in order to give learners flexibility, address equity gaps, and ensure that every graduate is equipped to thrive. During this session, we will share our experience working with a collaborative of partners in deploying the Indiana Achievement Wallet and how we have empowered our learners to communicate the value of their talent brand through digital credentials and blockchain.

• Kacey Thorne, Western Governors University
• Darin Hobbs, Western Governors University
• Alex Kaplan, IBM
• Kym Lavigne-Hinkley, Markle

Moderator: Lesa Hanlin, University of Virginia

Innovation & Impact through Strategic Enterprise Partnerships
Community and Economic Engagement | Strategic | Fiesta 9-10
This session focuses on the benefits of public-private partnerships and how to strategically design partner programs to have the greatest impact on learners while strengthening the institution through audience expansion, learner engagement, and program innovation. Join campus and corporate leaders and members of the InStride Academic Partnerships team who will share diverse viewpoints on the benefits and lessons learned of strategic partnerships.

• Nori Barajas-Murphy, InStride
• Yu Tze Shelly Wang, InStride
• Colleen Johnson, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Laura Thomas, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Moderator: Mili Maldonado, Universidad Del Sagrado Corazon