Emily Griffith Technical College Student Run Businesses – Open for Business!

???A special congratulations to my colleague and friend?Russ Poulin, who after 30 years of public service to higher education?announced ?he will retire at the end of this year. Russ is currently the executive director of?WCET?and vice president of technology-enhanced education for the?Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). From the time I first met Russ when I was a young policy staffer, to conversations we have had in recent months about the reimagination of the Carnegie Classifications for higher education, and federal issues impacting distance education, Russ is always available, willing to share insights, and collaborate to achieve consensus on complex topics. His legacy and collaborative spirit has laid a foundation for the work we all do. Congratulations, Russ!

???Yes, yes, yes…election season is upon us. And with the Conventions behind us (did you?hear ?the Taylor Swift reference from Gov. Polis last week?), we are all preparing for what the coming weeks and months may hold for discussions around the dinner table or the water cooler. With the myriad ways we can engage in more dignified conversation, add one more to your lineup: join a two-part launch event to explore a new report about college civic learning.?The Civic Learning for an Engaged Democracy ?initiative will release a new report, “Every Student, Every Degree: College Civic Learning for Today’s Students and Tomorrow’s Democracy,” recommending that educators make college civic learning and democracy engagement a norm for all students. The first virtual session will be held on September 4 at 1:30pm MT and the second session will be held on October 1 at 1:30pm MT. All of the details about each session and registration information can be found?here .

???Data, data, data. I appreciated reading the latest roundup of new developments in state data systems from the?Data Quality Campaign . Colorado joined eight states that have previously codified cross-agency data governance by enacting a workforce development law, which sets the stage for improved data policy decisions. We are not alone – Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Washington also introduced or enacted policies that demonstrate how access to data can smooth a learner’s transitions across education, postsecondary education pathways and workforce opportunities. Read more?here .

???Be sure to take a closer look at ‘What We’re Reading’ this week – my colleague?Annika Turnquist ?provides an update – and links back to the W/A team’s review – of cell phone bans in K-12 schools. Do you have an issue you are tracking? Curious about? Want to know what’s happening in the context of Colorado??Let us know?– we will feature the topic that is sparking your curiosity in a future edition.

???Grant opportunity:?The National Skills Coalition?recently published a?detailed explainer ?on new grant funding from?The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is currently accepting proposals for?Digital Equity Competitive Grants . An estimated $1 billion will be awarded to recipients, ranging from $5 million to $12 million per project. The?NOFO closes ?on September 24.?

Spotlight on Colorado Education and Workforce

???As announced in last week’s newsletter, we will be using the ‘Spotlight’ over the next month to profile the national?Human Potential Summit ?– and the Colorado-connected colleagues who will be featured as talent champions, storytellers, and idea-brokers.

???I am excited to announce that I will join the Human Potential Summit as a main stage Master of Ceremonies on the opening day of the convening – Monday, October 14.

As a longtime storyteller and sense-maker, I look forward to bringing attention to the ways in which we can collectively build a better future for work and learning, and draw upon some of my own experiences and observations, across the country, and specifically, in Colorado.

???The purpose?of the Human Potential Summit is to elevate the most innovative approaches to find, retain, and support talent.

I have committed myself to taking part in movements that are redefining education and work systems, which are aiming to be more inclusive, innovative, and aligned with individual and employer success.

???In today’s rapidly changing job market, both employers and workers face significant but interconnected challenges. To help drive toward actionable solutions, the Human Potential Summit will convene employers, career-connected educators, and innovators who are working to build the future of work and learning. See the Summit agenda?here .

Please join me – and?register ?for the Summit while tickets are still available. For all Boundless Potential readers, please use?BOUNDLESS-POTENTIAL-20?to get 20% off your registration.

Stay tuned?– next week, we will profile two incredible Colorado women who are charting the path for new talent strategies that are inclusive of learners from all backgrounds.?

What We’re Reading (and Listening To…)

K-12 Education

• Cell Phone Regulations:?Multiple districts ?across the state of Colorado are taking action to curb cell phone usage in schools for the 2023-24 school year, requiring students to keep their cell phones stored away or kept in specific pouches during the school day. As our W/A colleagues discussed in a?recent edition ?of?Whiteboard Notes, more than 10 states have taken similar steps to regulate cell phone usage in schools amid increasing concerns around distractions and negative impacts on student mental health. Colorado has not yet taken any legislative or executive action on this issue, but Governor Polis shared his disagreement with states choosing to ban cell phones in schools at the?Aspen Ideas Festival ?back in June given the power of technology to support learning and help students build community.?[Chalkbeat Colorado]

Postsecondary Education

• College & Career Pathways in Rural Schools: A group of nine rural school districts in Colorado have?come together ?to support the expansion of career and college pathways for students. Five Southwest Colorado school districts (Archuleta, Bayfield, Durango, Ignacio and Silverton) came together with Pueblo Community College and Fort Lewis College to form the?Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative . These partners collaborate to provide programming to students that expose them to new postsecondary education and career pathways, provide job training and create opportunities to earn college credit while getting exposure to jobs in the region. There are approximately 9,000 K-12 students and nearly 3,000 high school students in the region – 46% of whom experience higher-than-average poverty.?[The Hechinger Report]
• Student-Run Businesses:?This school year, Emily Griffith Technical College announced that three new student-run businesses – are now open for business! Emily’s Cafe, Emily’s Salon & Barbershop and Emily’s Massage Clinic are open to the public and allow students to get (literally!) hands-on experience in their field of study. Emily Griffith Technical College is the public, postsecondary and adult education provider, which is embedded in the Denver Public School System. For hours and the exact locations of these budding businesses, read more?here .?[ColoradoBiz Magazine]
• College Applicant Data: The nonprofit Common App, which offers a simplified application to over 1,000 higher education institutions in the U.S.,?released new data ?covering applicant trends spanning the last decade. The first-of-its-kind end of season report included insights into how many students are applying, what kind of students are applying, and what type of institutions students are applying to. Notably: the number of first-generation applicants has more than doubled between 2014-15 and 2023-24; and growth in applicant volume from rural, small town, and metropolitan locales landed between 9-11% and outpaced metropolitan areas at 6%.

Future of Work

• AI, Tech Execs & Workers: In a new?study ?just released by IBM on Gen AI, tech executives report a surge in skill scarcities in a few key areas: cloud, AI, security, and privacy. At the same time, 58% of C-level technology executives report having difficulty filling key technology roles. The new data underscores the growing need for training and emphasizes the importance of understanding AI as it increasingly shapes the future of work. A recent McKinsey?global survey? found that 91% of workers surveyed are using Gen AI tools at work. However, their organizations are not moving nearly as quickly: only 13% of respondents’ company have implemented AI in more than one use case.?
• Pay Equity for Women: According to Josh Bersin, Whiteboard Senior Advisor and founder and CEO of the Josh Bersin Co., U.S.?women are not predicted to reach full pay equity ?until 2048. American women are paid on average 15% less than their male counterparts; even women in management earn around 10% less, according to the Bersin Co.’s analysis of over 100 American organizations.?[HR Dive]

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• University of Denver:?Global Elections Retrospective: How Fares Democracy Around the World? , September 6, 9-11am MT (Virtual)
• Common Sense Institute:?Eggs & the Economy: Unscrambling the 2024 November Ballot , September 10, 7:30am MT, Greenwood Village, CO
• NEW! Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL):?Breaking Down Transfer Barriers: Ensuring Seamless Transitions for Adult Students , September 11, 12pm MT (Virtual)
• Colorado Business Roundtable:?Election and Ballot Issues Preview , September 12, 10:30am MT (Virtual)
• Education Design Lab:?What Does AI Mean For Learners + Higher Ed Leaders? , September 24, 11am-12pm MT (Virtual)
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation:?Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) National Learning Network Summit , September 24-25, Washington, D.C.
• NEW! National Endowment for Financial Education:?Financial Education Innovation & Impact Summit 2024 , October 8-10, Denver, CO
• University Innovation Alliance:?National Summit on Student Success Innovation , October 23-25, Tempe, AZ
• Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL):?2024 Annual CAEL Conference , October 30-November 1, New Orleans, LA
• Competency-Based Education Network:?CBExchange 2024 , November 11-14, Colorado Springs, CO
• Complete College America (CCA):?All In: The 2024 CCA Annual Convening , November 18-20, Indianapolis, IN

Colleagues on the Move

• Jessica Colorado ?and?Kelsey Kunkle ?have been?promoted ?to Senior Policy Analysts with the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) association. Both Jessica and Kelsey have served the organization as Policy Analysts. Jessica supports the development, administration and analysis of SHEEO’s Strong Foundations survey, and Kelsey leads the State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) project, which examines trends, context and consequences of state higher education funding decisions.
• April-Dawn Knudsen ?has joined the Community Resource Center (CRC) as the new Chief Executive Officer and President. Knudsen has decades of experience as a nonprofit executive, including as Executive Director of Summit Habitat for Humanity and as CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the High Rockies.
• NEW!?Chancellor ?of the University of Colorado-Denver
• NEW!?State Partnerships Manager ?with Credential Engine, Remote
• NEW!?Solutions Engineer ?with Credential Engine, Remote