Vol. 1, May 2024

Educating Students for Tomorrow's World Today

THE LATEST NEWS BYTES

SOUTHWESTERN PA NEW ECONOMY COLLABORATIVE

BUILD BACK BETTER (BBB) PROJECTS

The Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant funds five projects, focusing on robotics adoption, upskilling infrastructure and commercialization. Each project has a singular lead and multiple sub-awardees who collaborate to advance industry cluster development within the region Read More

INDUSTRY

AGRICULTURE & ROBOTICS

Did you know that an agriculture and robotics summit just occurred in the Pittsburgh area?

Increasing food production requires productivity improvements. As one of the Build Back Better Project’s leaders, The Robotics Factory Create program brought together industry leaders from across robotics, technology and agriculture sectors to create regional economic opportunities as they develop new solutions. Read More

FACULTY

WHAT ABOUT AI IN EDUCATION?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is here, and the conversation is growing. Be part of the conversation! An article from Inside Higher Education indicates that the public trusts our higher education institutions to use AI responsibly.

Find resources here and here to support your understanding of AI in education.

OUR REGION'S HIGHER EDUCATION LANDSCAPE IS STRONG

Thanks to support from the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative, networking and partnerships between the region’s higher education institutions are being strengthened. Since 2023, the initiative has helped fund a variety of activities such as an annual Future Readiness Faculty Academy, Future Readiness Workshops and the first Education Vanguard Conference. These exciting and engaging projects wouldn’t be possible without the participation of many of our region’s colleges and universities.

Thank you to the following institutions for taking part in these projects and the ones to come!

Beaver Community College
Butler Community College
California University of Pennsylvania
Carlow College
Carnegie Mellon University
Chatham University
Community College of Allegheny County
Duquesne University
Geneva College
Grove City College
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
La Roche University
Pittsburgh Technical College

Point Park University
PSU Allegheny
PSU Beaver
PSU Fayette
PSU New Kensington
Robert Morris University
Seton Hill University
Slippery Rock University
St. Vincent College
University of Pittsburgh
Washington & Jefferson College
Waynesburg University (South Pointe)
Westminster College
Westmoreland Community College

We are looking for faculty who want to be part of a team that assists with planning future faculty events.

Join our planning team here!

ARE YOUR STUDENTS FUTURE-READY?

Future readiness can be defined in different ways by different organizations and industries, so it’s important to see why there’s such a critical focus put on the topic. Future-ready students are supported by faculty in developing skills such as an innovative mindset, technology awareness, the ability to use a tool, and being a human-conscious citizen. All these and more are needed for a rapidly evolving high-tech future.

WHAT DOES FUTURE-READY MEAN?

According to HR.com, being future-ready in industry means developing three areas: technical skills, socioemotional skills, and leadership skills.

From the Carnegie Corporation of New York, we hear that we must connect education and the future of work because “rather than assuming that everyone engaged in educational improvement has similar priorities, deliberate attempts must be made to develop a shared understanding of what students need most during their journeys through the system.”

In an article from The Chronicle of Higher Education on future-ready learning, one recommendation is for faculty and staff to join local associations and build relationships with area employers.

Where do you fit into this hybrid partnership between higher education, industry needs, and preparing your students to be a future-ready workforce?

IN REVIEW

ARE YOU DOING SOMETHING CREATIVE WITH TECHNOLOGY APPROACHES IN YOUR CLASSROOM OR RESEARCH?

We seek to educate SWPA college graduates to be engaged, effective, and compassionate citizens and leaders in a world that will constantly be challenged by technology and innovation.

We’ve learned that there are a lot of great examples of higher education faculty members creating technology initiatives in and out of the classroom. Whether it’s using AI, creating new ways of thinking about high-tech pedagogy/andragogy or engaging with community and outside organizations, we want to celebrate your great work.

Tell us about your technology initiatives to be featured in an upcoming Future Readiness Newsletter!

Please fill out this form to be featured in an upcoming newsletter!

"The technology keeps moving forward, which makes it easier for the artists to tell their stories and paint the pictures they want."

-George Lucas

GET READY FOR EVEN MORE CONVERSATION AND COLLABORATION!

We value your ideas about how we can continue to shape and grow this consortium of higher education professionals.

In September 2024, we will be hosting our next event and conversation (keep an eye out for details to come!), but we want to know what you want to talk about!

Send your ideas to Shirley Campbell at uuc1@psu.edu for the fall conversation so that we can set common goals and objectives for our region through these Future Readiness Events for Faculty and our work through the SWPA New Economy Collaborative.

If this email was forwarded to you and you want to sign up for future newsletters and event registration emails, please sign up here.

This resource and the Future Ready Events for Faculty series are made possible thanks to support from the SWPA New Economy Collaborative, an 11-county coalition formed to apply for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge. The educational focus is part of a federal, multi-state investment initiative to help develop local technology workforce and diverse talent pools.