Advancing BusinessHigher Education Partnerships

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Advancing Business-Higher Education Partnerships
Presented by Nancy Kuhn, Esq., BHEF November
29, 2007
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Business-Higher Education Forum

• Who we are
• Fortune 500 CEOs, college and university
  presidents, foundation leaders
• What we do
• Work to strengthen education to enhance U.S.
  competitiveness
• Key initiatives college readiness success and
  STEM education

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The Context for U.S. Business/Higher Education
Collaboration

• Global U.S. Global Advantage Shrinking
• U.S. relative ranking in higher education
  attainment slipped from 7th to 10th place
  internationally (OECD)
• Degree gap widening (NCHEMS)
• U.S. differentials in compensation between higher
  ed graduates and others 75.

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The Context for Business/Higher Education
Collaboration

• Domestic Troubling Domestic Trends
• Large disparities in college readiness between
  whites/Asian Americans and under-represented
  minorities
• Too many students ill-prepared for post-secondary
  education at a cost of 1B/yr in college
  remediation
• Shifting U.S. demographics and the increasing
  importance of STEM professions translates into
  need for all to receive rigorous college
  preparatory core curriculum.

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The Shared Business/Higher Education Stake in
Collaboration

• A P-16 Continuum
• Business increasingly views educational
  challenges as a P-16 continuum.
• Business and higher education are consumers of
  the same resource students produced by the P-12
  system.
• Business is also a consumer of higher educations
  products its graduates.
• Effective partnering with higher education
  requires an holistic view of the problems and
  solutions starting with P-12 and extending
  through post-secondary years to successful
  completion.

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BHEFs College Readiness Initiative

• A national business/higher education initiative
  with 5
• strategies
• CEO engagement advocacy
• On-the-ground work in select communities
• Philanthropy institutes focused on corporate
  philanthropy to college readiness success
• Resource Center to disseminate best practices
• Public awareness campaign to increase demand for
  college readiness and success.

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Opportunities for Collaboration

• College Readiness, Access and Success P-16
• Business and higher ed collaboration focused on
• Readiness
• improving P-12 student achievement and
• increasing public awareness and demand for
  college preparatory curricula.
• Access early assurance programs early
  awareness programs
• Success supporting student persistence and
  college success.

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Opportunities for Collaboration (cont.)

• College Readiness, Access and Success P-16
• Business and higher ed collaboration focused on
• Readiness
• improving P-12 student achievement and
• increasing public awareness and demand for
  college preparatory curricula.
• Access early awareness programs early
  assurance programs
• Success supporting student persistence and
  college success.

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Opportunities for Collaboration (cont.)

• College Readiness, Access and Success P-16
• Business and higher ed collaboration focused on
• Readiness
• improving P-12 student achievement and
• increasing public awareness and demand for
  college preparatory curricula.
• Access early awareness programs early
  assurance programs
• Success supporting student persistence and
  college success.

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BHEFs STEM Initiative

• Goal Double the number of college graduates in
• STEM disciplines by 2015
• Research, programmatic, and advocacy efforts to
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• Attract and graduate more students in the STEM
  disciplines, particularly women and
  under-represented minorities.
•  
• Strengthen the P-12 mathematics and science
  teaching workforce.
•  
• Advance systemic reforms that facilitate greater
  student achievement in STEM.
•  
• Stimulate national dialogue and local,
  grass-roots initiatives through alliance building
  
• and collaboration among business, education, and
  government.
•  

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BHEFs STEM Initiative Strengthening the STEM
Teacher Workforce

• An American Imperative Transforming the
  Recruitment, Retention Renewal of Our Nations
  Mathematics and Science Teaching Workforce
• A comprehensive national plan for overcoming a
  projected shortfall of more than 280,000 math and
  science teachers by 2015. 

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An American Imperative Three Key Recommendation
Areas

• RECRUITMENT, including teacher enlistment
  strategies, preparation programs, and licensure.
• RETENTION, encompassing strategies and programs
  to keep new teachers in the classroom and retain
  experienced teachers.
• RENEWAL, a focus on teacher professional
  development, license renewal, and assessment of
  teacher quality and student outcomes.

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An American Imperative Key Stakeholder Roles

• Higher Education
• Invest in and strengthen teacher preparation and
  professional development programs in mathematics
  and science.
• Expand research on effective teaching and
  learning methods.
• Business and Foundations
• Publicly champion policies that encourage
  teaching careers in STEM.
• Support effective programs.

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An American Imperative Action Steps

• National Consortium
• Convene and build a coalition of stakeholders,
  including business and higher education, to
  advance solutions.
• Create a leadership role for business in
  promoting teacher recruitment, retention, and
  renewal and elevate the status of the teaching
  profession.

• State Policy
• Conduct a thorough and detailed assessment of
  teacher recruitment, retention, and renewal to
  guide state policy.
• Project demand for qualified math/science
  teachers and analyze teacher retention issues.

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An American Imperative Action Steps (cont.)

• P-16 Councils
• Participate in and strengthen state and regional
  P16 education councils to better coordinate
  reform efforts across sectors
• Focus on teacher recruitment, retention, and
  renewal
• Federal Policy
• Advocate for new and expanded federal policies,
  e.g.
• Higher Education Act

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Contact Information

• Nancy R. Kuhn, Esq.
• Director of External Relations
• Business-Higher Education Forum
• 2025 M St, N.W.
• Washington, DC 20036
• Nancy.kuhn_at_bhef.com
• www.bhef.com