Continuing, professional and online leaders collaborate with external partners to advance local and regional communities and economies and to extend the reach of campus communities. The CEE track focuses on institutional-community engagement as well as university-partner entrepreneurism. As such, sessions for this track will highlight how UPCEA members identify new ways to open pathways between the campus and diverse communities, explore and nurture new and existing markets (e.g., geographic, demographic, skill sets), develop regional workforces, increase the impact of higher education among adult learners, and provide the skill sets and knowledge demanded by today’s employers.
| 8:15 AM |
Concurrent Sessions III |
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Engaging Beyond the University: Resources and Approaches for Extending Program Outreach
Gunston | Community and Economic Engagement | Applied |
As universities strive to meet the shifting demands of the evolving workforce, a key factor in connecting programs with employer and learner needs is effective external outreach. Join this Conversation with Colleagues to explore how the University of Michigan’s Center for Academic Innovation developed an outreach framework to support schools and colleges across the university. Collectively brainstorm with colleagues to consider opportunities and approaches for engaging with external organizations through the lens of an Employer Engagement Toolkit that can be utilized to support units’ own programs and initiatives.
- Janelle Simmonds, University of Michigan
- Ben Anderson, University of Michigan
Moderator: Bobbie Godbey, InsideTrack
The NYU SPS Metaverse Collaborative: Accelerating School-Wide Innovation through Teaching, Technology, Research, and Partnership
Monroe | Community and Economic Engagement | Strategic | Faculty
Several institutionalized features of higher education dampen its capacity for cross-disciplinary innovation and institutional transformation (Natriello, 2021; Pacansky-Brock, 2017; Pinheiro et al., 2015). In order to overcome these constraints, it is critical to create space for early adopters to experiment independently and opportunities for a broad coalition of community stakeholders to collaborate on a clearly defined activity that advances the school’s vision and applied mission. In this case study, the authors describe the New York University School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) Metaverse Collaborative Initiative, and how it was designed and implemented to create a virtuous cycle to enhance teaching, technology adoption, research, and industry partnerships.
- Vanja Bogicevic, New York University
- Liz Haas, New York University
- Recep "Richie" Karaburun, New York University
Moderator: Carmin Chan, University of Arizona |
| 9:30 AM |
Concurrent Sessions IV and Research Roundtables |
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Working with WIOA
Gunston | Community and Economic Engagement | Foundational | Diversity & Inclusion, Policy
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds are an underutilized source of funding for non-traditional learners. These federal funds are available for select programs, including non-credit courses, offered by approved EPTL training providers. Some CE units do not have access to financial aid or scholarships for their learners, nor are they able to assist their learners with job searches. The WIOA Adult program provides both the funds for learners to take re-skilling or up-skilling programs and job search assistance. WIOA funding allows CE units and local One Stop agencies to work together to provide a high-quality education.
- Patricia Cook, University of Arizona
- Laurel Hogue, University of Central Missouri
- Karen Haberfeld, University of Washington
- Ryan Torma, University of Minnesota
Moderator: Kristen Vanselow, Florida Golf Coast University |
| 12:15 PM |
Lunch Pickup for Network Meetings |
| 12:30 PM |
Network Lunch Meetings: Spotlight Sessions and Awards |
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Community and Economic Engagement Network | Prison Education Programming: UPCEA Member Initiatives and Outcomes
Lincoln East | Community and Economic Engagement |
With Second Chance Pell Grant opportunities well underway and with over 200 colleges and universities ready to serve incarcerated or recently released students, UPCEA has an opportunity to assist and support, as well as lead, many of its member institutions. Over sixty UPCEA members have expressed interest in serving this population. The community is diverse in its experiences, with some institutions much farther ahead than others and many institutions just starting. The challenges that exist tend to center around access and engaging these students. Institutions struggle with being able to implement technology into the classroom, as well as creating and maintaining interactions between the student with faculty and staff. This session will spotlight three institutions that have tackled some of the challenges that others are currently facing.
- Jim Fong, UPCEA
- Jesse Crosson, Second Chancer Foundation
Moderator: George Calderaro, Columbia University
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| 2:00 PM |
Concurrent Sessions V |
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Leveraging Academic and Employer Partnership: Collaborative Approaches to Developing an Interdisciplinary Curriculum
Lincoln West | Community and Economic Engagement | Strategic | eDesign Collaborative
Employers need skilled ethical leaders who can communicate and collaborate beyond their professional and organizational boundaries. Excelsior University collaborated with academic and industry partners to develop a graduate interdisciplinary suite of courses that equip students with these essential skills. This workshop will share our unique curriculum and course development model and strategies for developing an interdisciplinary curriculum from concept through development, implementation, and assessment.
- Anna Zendell, Excelsior University
Moderator: Laurel Hogue, University of Central Missouri |
| 3:30 PM |
Concurrent Sessions VI |
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Leveraging AI to Build Workforce Relevant Programs
Jefferson West | Community and Economic Engagement | Strategic | eDesign Collaborative
Building relevant and responsive professional, continuing, and online programs requires understanding local industry needs and how course and program offerings align with them. This session discusses and demonstrates how AI can be leveraged to support this process. AI-based tools can help identify the skills required by local industry, analyze course offerings to determine which are most relevant, and make skills and competency based course and program design possible and productive. Attendees in this session will gain a deeper understanding of how AI can accelerate and provide insights into the development of new courses and programs.
- Myk Garn, Georgia Tech
- Robby Robson, Eduworks
Moderator: Julie Uranis, UPCEA
Extending Our Reach: Supporting the Skills Agenda with Organizational Training
Gunston | Community and Economic Engagement | Applied |
The University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies (SCS) has developed innovative, effective training programs for over 30 external organizations. This presentation shares lessons learned from our successful collaborations with local, national and international clients. By being proactive and client-centric in business development; collaborating on flexible, multimodal, learner-centric programming; and recognizing the achievement of working professionals, Continuing Education units can diversify their revenue streams and reach new audiences of learners.
- Juan Mavo-Navarro, University of Toronto
- John Lewis, University of Toronto
Moderator: Kilinyaa Cothran, Washington University in St. Louis |
