Hazael Andrew | December 4, 2018
World View’s Community College Symposium held November 14/ 15 brought together more than sixty -five community college educators from twenty-five counties with UNC faculty and industry to explore the future of work within the context of the global economy. The symposium was ideally themed– The Global Economy: The Future of Work, with IBM serving as the signature sponsor. The core components of the symposium were diversity in the workplace, the importance of partnership between industries and academia, understanding the rapid rate of change in a global society and the future of work in North Carolina. With five plenary talks, eight concurrent sessions and two panel discussions, participants were given multiple avenues to learn and think critically about the future of work.
The symposium began with welcome remarks from Charlé LaMonica, Director of World View, Raymond Farrow, Associate Provost for Global Strategy and Tim Humphrey, Vice President of the Chief Data office at IBM. The opening speakers underscored the important role of industry and academia collaboration in shaping the future of work in North Carolina and beyond. President of Piedmont Community College, Pamela Senegal, was the opening plenary speaker. She highlighted automation, immigration, and education as core trends impacting the future of work and shared how community colleges will influence these trends in the future. Seven faculty members from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including Arne Kalleberg, Carol Hee, John Pickles, and Dana Griffin shared their research and provided various thought-provoking considerations around the future of work and the role of community college educators.
There were two dynamic panels as part of the symposium. The first panel comprised of six graduates of the North Carolina Global Distinction program from three of World View’s partner institutions. The graduates shared with the audience the impact of the North Carolina Global Distinction program on their academic and professional experiences. The second panel, comprised of business and academic leaders, was led by Ryan Nance, Director of Business Development for the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, who emphasized current workforce needs and job skills needed to stay relevant in the workforce. In the program evaluation, one participant shared, “All the speakers were excellent. I feel as though each provided me with innovative ideas to bring back to my college.” World View appreciates the dedication of so many educators who work to build global campuses throughout our state and look forward to our continued partnership.