Johnson C. Smith University News
March 27, 2013
Gates
Foundation Symposium Addresses Higher Education
Ronald
L. Carter, president of Johnson C. Smith University, participated in a
symposium today at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte presented by Black Enterprise
and sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The symposium titled
“Today’s Business Crisis: Educating Tomorrow’s Workforce,” is part of an
educational series aimed at cultivating a conversation between the academic and
business communities. The Charlotte symposium focused on how postsecondary
schools must meet the needs of students of color, and prepare them for careers
in corporate America.
Dr.
Charles J. Ogletree Jr., Jesse Climenko Professor, Harvard Law School moderated
the one-on-one conversation with Dr. Carter and panelists from Bank of America,
MDC, Inc., the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation , Duke Energy and others.
Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx also participated in the symposium.
According
to the 2010 report by the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown
University, 63% of all job openings over the next eight years will require
postsecondary education or training. The symposium dialogue covered the
challenges faced by large numbers of African American students – especially
those from low-income families – advancing from a college education to becoming
valued members of the global workforce.
Specifically,
the participants addressed the following key issues:
-
Expansion of the pipeline for African American college students
-
Means of increasing collegiate retention and graduation rates
-
Development of marketable skills among college students
-
Access to financial resources and financial literacy
-
Value of partnerships among academic institutions, foundations and corporations
to identify and meet demands of a global workforce.
Coverage
of the event will appear online in the upcoming issue of Black Enterprise
Magazine.
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