2018 Central Region Conference |
** = Emerging Leaders Session |
This keynote address will discuss the important role that diversity and inclusion play in achieving organizational excellence and the specific implications for online, professional, and continuing education efforts. Overarching frameworks and foundational strategies will be shared.
Kevin McDonald, Vice Chancellor, University of Missouri Kevin McDonald, JD, EdD, is the University of Missouri System’s Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer, and the University of Missouri’s Vice Chancellor for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. He joined both organizations after serving as vice president and associate provost for diversity and inclusion at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).
As a diversity and inclusion professional, McDonald has developed a significant track record of transformational contributions toward organizational equity, diversity, and inclusion goals. His efforts revolve around inextricably binding organizational pursuits of excellence with diversity and inclusion efforts. From access and success, to education and scholarship and institutional infrastructures, Dr. McDonald has worked collaboratively to create initiatives that positively impact policies, practices, and processes.
Prior to RIT, he held positions at several other universities, including as vice president for equity and inclusion at Virginia Tech, as associate director for compliance and conflict resolution at Johns Hopkins University, and as campus compliance officer at the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to his work in higher education, McDonald worked for the U.S. Department of Justice and for Network Solutions, Inc.
McDonald holds a law degree from The Ohio State University and a doctoral degree in higher education leadership from the University of Rochester. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich.
This presentation by Jim Fong, Chief Research Officer for UPCEA, will focus on how higher education is being shaped by the growing audience of millennials which is quickly becoming the majority of decision-makers, influencers, managers, directors, and organizational leaders.
Jim Fong, Founding DirectorJim Fong is the founding director of UPCEA’s Center for Research and Strategy. In his role, Mr. Fong has analyzed demographic, occupational, technological and societal trends and data to help the higher education community better serve the adult and corporate learner. As the Center’s director, he works closely with dozens of colleges and universities annually in new program development initiatives, enrollment management and marketing process analyses and the review of online and continuing education portfolios.
Prior to joining UPCEA, Mr. Fong worked as a higher education strategic marketing and CRM consultant and researcher for two firms and prior to that was the Director of Marketing, Research and Planning for Penn State Outreach. At Penn State Outreach, he was responsible for strategic marketing, marketing management, research, creative and database teams. Mr. Fong played a major role in the early launch of Penn State’s World Campus by assessing new program needs and the development of marketing strategies and systems.
Jim holds an M.B.A., an M.S. in Applied Statistics and a B.S. in Mathematics, all from The University of Vermont. In 2004, UPCEA awarded him the Adelle Robertson Award as its Continuing Professional Educator for the year. That year, he also received the Mid-Atlantic Region’s Distinguished Service Award.
Engage in a highly interactive session with a panel of senior leaders on where our dynamic field is headed. Alternative credentials, shifting demographics, and new models are already shaping how institutions serve students. This group of panelists will provide their unique perspectives on organizational and market forces that are emerging, how they are responding at their institutions, and how UPCEA members will lead us into the near-term future (2025!).
Ray Schroeder, Associate Vice Chancellor for Online LearningThe founding director of the National Council for Online Education, Ray Schroeder, is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in online education. As both a faculty member and administrator, Ray brings both deep knowledge of and a passion for advancing the field of online education—its potential to transform institutions struggling in the new economy, its role in expanding access for time- and distance-challenged students, and its capacity to revolutionize teaching and learning.
Ray has been engaged in online learning since 1997. He has built a very successful program with more than 20 online degree and certificate programs at the University of Illinois Springfield. Ray is well-known nationally as a leader in the field, annually delivering more than two dozen keynote addresses and invited conference presentation. He regularly publishes articles, book chapters, and the very popular daily Online Learning Update, Educational Technology and the Professional, Continuing, and Online Education Update blogs. Thousands of leaders and professionals in the field follow Ray’s blogs and tweets on a daily basis. Schroeder is the inaugural recipient of the prestigious A. Frank Mayadas Leadership Award and the 2012 Innovation Fellow for Digital Learning by the UPCEA.
Sandi Pershing has been with the University of Utah since 2000, and has served as Assistant Vice President for Engagement since 2011. Pershing also served as Assistant Dean, and as Dean of Continuing Education from 2004-2016. She has worked as an organizational consultant and trainer in the areas of teamwork, organizational change, strategic planning, leadership, learning transfer, time management, creativity, management, and conflict resolution. Pershing is also the co-author of Organization Theory and Governance for the 21st Century (2014) with Eric Austin, and she co-edited Classic Readings in Organizational Behavior(2008) with J. Steven Ott and Richard Simpson, and Classics in Public Administration (2003) with Jay Shafritz and Albert Hyde.
Nelson Baker, Dean, Professional EducationDr. Nelson Baker, dean of Professional Education at the Georgia Institute of Technology and associate professor in the university’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, leads a multifaceted operation at Georgia Tech Professional Education. The division is comprised of the Global Learning Center, Georgia Tech-Savannah, the Language Institute, and an extensive program of professional education courses in science, technology, engineering, and math, with online professional master’s degrees, as well as an array of distance learning courses, both credit and noncredit.
Baker particularly seeks to create and assess ways in which technology impacts the learning of engineering students. His award-winning work has generated projects such as multi-lingual web-based intelligent simulations for problem solving; intelligent tutors; student models; an online faculty assistant tool for creating course objectives; and a variety of technology-based assessments and virtual reality interfaces for education.In addition to his role as dean, Baker serves as the U.S. principal investigator for a FIPSE Atlantis programme grant (P116J090074), an international activity exploring quality management and benchmarking of continuing engineering education programs; and also as a co-principal investigator on a five-year NASA project, Electronic Professional Development Network (ePDN), which develops and delivers STEM content to high school teachers.
In February 2012, Baker was appointed by Chancellor Huckaby to serve on the University System of Georgia's (USG) Distance Education Task Force to create a framework to better coordinate and guide the future use of distance education for the 35 colleges and universities within the USG system. He currently serves as the President of the International Association for Continuing Engineering Education, and is past-chair of the Georgia Board of Regents Administrative Committee on Public Service and Continuing Education. Baker is a board member for the University Professional and Continuing Education Association, and is an active member of ASEE and ASCE.
Bob Stine, Interim Dean, College of Continuing and Professional StudiesBob Stine is Interim Dean of the College of Continuing and Professional Studies (CCAPS), University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. He previously served as Sr. Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the college, with responsibilities for concurrent enrollment programs, bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, online learning, English Language programs, and non-degree students. In addition to its academic programs, CCAPS offers professional development courses and certificates, conference services, and conference space. The college is also home to Radio K, one of the nation’s first student-run radio stations
Stine served as Chair-elect, Chair, and Past-chair of UPCEA’s Central Region from 2013-2017, and currently serves on the national Board of Directors. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Indiana University, a Master’s degree at Oregon State University, and a Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota.
Moderator:
Dr. Robert J. Hansen was named Chief Executive Officer of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association in September 2010. Under Hansen’s leadership, UPCEA has grown by 125% in the past six years. He established a number of initiatives targeting the association’s unique role in online leadership and management under the umbrella of the National Council for Online Leadership: the Summit for Online Leadership and Administration, the Online Leadership Roundtable for chief online learning officers, and the UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership. He also established the UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Professional and Continuing Education, advancing two frameworks to provide a set of standards that reflect the ambitions, potential, and importance of units that serve adult learners.
Hansen previously served as Associate Provost for University Outreach at the University of Southern Maine, a regional public university located in Portland, Maine. Prior to that position, he spent six years at Saint Xavier University of Chicago as Assistant to the President & Secretary of the Corporation, and then as founding Executive Director of Orland Park Campus & Off-Campus Programs. Hansen also previously served as Assistant to the Governor for Education in the administration of former Illinois governor, Jim Edgar. Hansen earned a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Illinois, an M.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Notre Dame.
Michele Spry will share the important work StoryUp is doing in the realm of virtual reality and through storytelling. StoryUP is a tribe of storytellers, psychologists, developers, filmmakers, audio engineers and technologists. They began in 2015, trying to find a solution for terminally-ill WWII Veterans who were not able to physically travel to see their memorials in Washington, DC. Through honoreverywhere.com, they learned VR appeared to be impacting users’ moods and physiology.
Here are examples of their work in action:
Michele Spry is an emmy-nominated philanthropist, technologist and entrepreneur. In 2014, Spry co-founded a program called Honor Everywhere which brings the magic of virtual reality to terminally ill and aging World War II Veterans who aren’t able to physically travel to see their memorials. As an ambassador for StoryUP XR, she’s shared virtual reality with thousands of people around the nation. Spry started using augmented reality in 2011 to interact during live TV newscasts. From there, she built a program that combined Google Glass and augmented reality with live virtual tours of the nation’s memorials. In 2016, the Mid-Missouri Chapter of Military Officers Association of America named her Citizen of the Year she also received the ATHENA Young Professional Award from Women's Network for women’s leadership. An advocate for women in business, Spry is the President of Midway Electric and ambassador for Healium, the world’s first VR and AR product controlled by wearable technology. Michele travels the nation sharing Healium with areas of acute , situational, and workplace stress.
Commission Mulligan, Director Dixon, and Director Leathers will present on Missouri’s Best in Midwest and Talent for Tomorrow Initiatives. Best in Midwest is an initiative to transform Missouri’s Department of Economic Development into the top economic development agency in the Midwest. Missouri’s economy has fundamentally changed and how we approach economic development over the next generation is critical. This initiative focuses extensively on helping businesses grow and create jobs and helping workers access training and acquire skills to find employment. Talent for Tomorrow is the cornerstone of a comprehensive suite of initiatives that will position Missouri to excel in a global economy changed by trade, technology, and other dynamic forces. To be sure, ensuring that our economy has available, productive and talented workers is the single most important factor for success in economic development. Our businesses will thrive, and Missouri will be more competitive if we attract, retain, and grow our workforce.
Panelists:
Rob Dixon, DirectorRob Dixon is the Director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. Before becoming director, Rob served as the President/CEO of the Missouri Community College Association. MCCA is a membership organization for Missouri’s community colleges, providing government advocacy, networking, and education resources for its members. It is the largest higher education association in the state, with approximately 2,000 members.
Rob also served in multiple leadership roles at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. His overall responsibilities included leadership and management of staff and programs in economic and workforce development, public affairs, local government policy, communications, community development, and strategic planning. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director of the Hollister Area of Chamber of Commerce.
Rob joined the U.S. Marine Corps after high school, where he served as an intelligence analyst in Afghanistan and Pakistan immediately after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He was recognized for leadership and performance as a U.S. Marine. Rob received an honorable discharge as a sergeant after five years in the Marine Corps.
Rob has a Master of Public Administration degree from Missouri State University, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Missouri – St. Louis, and an Associate of Arts in Political Science from St. Charles Community College.
Rob is a native Missourian. He is married to Melanie Dixon, and they have one son, Eddie.
Mardy L. Leathers, Director, Mardy Leathers was appointed to serve as the Director of the Missouri Division of Workforce Development in October 2017. Prior to becoming the Director of Workforce Development, he most recently served as Executive Director of the Center for Workforce Development at East Central College in Union, Missouri. There, he played a key role in developing the statewide Community College Workforce Development Network and oversaw the college’s business and industry training efforts, community education, healthcare career certification and WIOA programs. Mardy Leathers is a former County Clerk of Crawford County Missouri, a former local economic developer and entrepreneur, and holds a BS from Southeast Missouri State University, a MBA from William Woods Universality, and is a Doctor of Management candidate with Webster University.
Zora Mulligan was appointed Commissioner of Higher Education by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education in August 2016. She is responsible for leading the Missouri Department of Higher Education.
She previously served as chief of staff for the University of Missouri System, executive director of the Missouri Community College Association, assistant commissioner and general counsel for the Missouri Department of Higher Education, and assistant attorney general for the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.
A native of West Plains, Missouri, Mulligan holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and psychology from Drury College and a master’s degree in education and juris doctor from the University of Kansas.
Moderator:
Joel McNutt is the Industry Partnership Specialist for Mizzou Online with the University of Missouri. In this role, Joel helps Mizzou Online market their for-credit online degree programs and certificates to business and industry around Missouri and the U.S. Prior to joining the University, Joel spent most of his professional career practicing economic development for the State of Missouri and the Central MO Region. Joel’s professional history also includes private sector experience in the fields of healthcare, banking, and information technology.
Joel holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from University of Central Missouri, and a Master of Business from William Woods University. Joel is married to Melissa McNutt, together they have two children.
No matter your institution type, location, or size, it is highly likely you are experiencing some degree of change. Whether it is a senior leadership change, organizational makeover, or program/market transformation, how do you survive and thrive in today’s increasingly VUCA world? What are the tools, strategies and approaches you can use as you lead and manage in a time of heightened ambiguity? Join me in exploring these change essentials for today’s continuing and digital learning leader.
Following a national search, Karen L. Pedersen joined Kansas State University as the dean of K-State Global Campus in February 2018.
Before joining K-State, Pedersen was the chief knowledge officer for the Online Learning Consortium, leading thought leader initiatives related to learning innovation, quality enhancement, community engagement, leadership development, institutional transformation and policy advocacy.
Throughout her career in senior leadership positions at both public and private higher education institutions, Pedersen has led award-winning off-campus and online learning units focused on engaging cross-institutional academic operations while pursuing enrollment growth and learner success outcomes.
Highlights from her career include launching more than 25 innovative online degree programs and numerous certificates, serving on the launch team for a competency-based education initiative, securing a $2.5 million Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant for supporting underserved students, leading a systemwide enrollment management transformation, and expanding academic partnerships with military branches and small businesses, corporations, community and technical colleges, as well as with international universities in Brazil, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Pedersen is a frequent speaker on the topics of online learning, quality and excellence, military education programs, enrollment management and adult learner success. She has presented at many education conferences, including the Council for College and Military Educators, Department of Defense Education Symposium, Educause, IMSGlobal, National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, Online Learning Consortium, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and WCET, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. She has served as an invited international speaker, met with congressional leaders advocating on behalf of adult learners, and has published practitioner and research-based articles and books.
Before starting her administrative career, Pedersen was a full-time university faculty member. She currently serves as a faculty member for the Online Learning Consortium's Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning. She has a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and a Doctor of Philosophy from Oklahoma State University.
Sessions tagged “Emerging Leaders,” ** denotes that this content is designed to offer skill development in areas critical for leadership like strategic planning, innovation, and leading teams. These sessions are open to any conference attendee, and are especially salient for participants of the regional Emerging Leaders program.