Inaugural Forum on the Future of Work: Day 1
On June 21 and 22, SPS and UPCEA hosted the Inaugural Forum on the Future of Work.
The Forum brought together academics and industry leaders to discuss the changing leadership landscape, new ways to nurture employee talent, and the role of education in the coming labor market.
The first day of the Forum included a welcome from Dean Wingard and UPCEA CEO Bob Hansen, and a keynote from Jonathan Law, Partner at McKinsey & Company. A panel on “The Leadership Landscape in the Future of Work” followed, which featured Law, Parchment’s Dr. Matt Pittinsky, National Geographic’s Michael Ulica (who is also on the SPS Board of Overseers), TIAA’s Carrington Carter, and was moderated by Wall Street Journal’s Lauren Weber.
Forum on the Future of Work @Columbia_SPS and @UPCEA begins with remarks from @JasonWingard and Bob Hansen of @UPCEA. Today’s degree-based educational milestones do not serve all learners and don’t position HEd for serving future workforce needs. #CUFutureofWork pic.twitter.com/eUbDvxjPu4
— Yakut Gazi (@YakutGazi) June 20, 2019
Law’s keynote examined how the advance of artificial intelligence will alter the world of work, and gave an overview of how labor will shift across demographics, region, and industry. Up to 26 million people may need to change occupational groups by 2030.
The panel discussed how higher education can meet the needs of the new labor market that Law introduced. The group stressed the importance of diversifying workforces, expanding curricula offerings, cultivating cognitive and noncognitive skills in the classroom, and supporting faculty on innovative and pedagogical methods.
The panel underscored that a focus on lifelong learning with a growth mindset is essential for success.
Jonathan Law, Partner at @McKinsey, recommends 10 shifts that leaders in #highered must consider at the #CUFutureofWork keynote. These include: diversity, student funding, pedagogical innovation, fostering relevant research, and embracing #AI safely in the university environment. pic.twitter.com/7hR8eYEswX
— Jason Wingard (@JasonWingard) June 23, 2019
Matt Pittinsky of @parchment: the more things change around us, the more the mainstream fundamental liberal arts education provided by HEd becomes more essential-soft skills;ability to think critically, teamwork, flexibility, work ethic, etc #CUFutureofWork @Columbia_SPS @UPCEA
— Yakut Gazi (@YakutGazi) June 20, 2019
Great discussions and panel today at #CUFutureofWork. Thank you to @Columbia for having us and being a great partner! pic.twitter.com/MurhIj2F01
— UPCEA (@UPCEA) June 20, 2019
Jonathan Law describes the #automation trends changing the ways we work (and learn) w/ research from @McKinsey_MGI and importantly goes on to describe how these trends affect populations and urban/rural differently #cufutureofwork @UPCEA pic.twitter.com/wDxgEfqBUN
— James DeVaney (@DeVaneyGoBlue) June 20, 2019
The evening concluded with a networking reception.
Inaugural Forum on the Future of Work: Day 2
The second day of the Forum featured panels of business and academic leaders, interspersed with table discussions aimed to advance the ideas presented.
The New York Times’s Neil Irwin moderated, "Talent of the Future: Are We Missing the Mark?," with Blackrock's (and SPS Executive in Residence) Lance Braunstein, NASA's Gregory Robinson, and Pfizer's (and SPS Executive in Residence) Dr. Amrit Ray. (Read Dr. Ray's thoughts here.)
Interesting tension raised by @NASA's Gregory Robinson. We see the strengths of apprenticeship models. Yet A) it's very difficult to scale; B) there is a shifting expectation towards accelerated career development & apprenticeship models tend to be slow to develop #CUFutureofWork
— James DeVaney (@DeVaneyGoBlue) June 21, 2019
Really interesting conversation on work culture, leadership, and organizations @ #cufutureofwork @NASA @blackrock @pfizer @nytimes pic.twitter.com/v7PJWsXkle
— JulieUranis (@JulieUranis) June 21, 2019
The Chronicle of Higher Education's Goldie Blumenstyk moderated "Higher Education: Still the Solution for a Workforce in Flux?" with Georgetown's Dr. Kelly Otter, Harvard's Dr. Chris Dede, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point’s Dr. Chris Mayer. The challenge for traditional universities is to evolve how they view continuing education, the panel agreed. There should be a stronger emphasis on skill-based learning, and institutions must partner with the private sector to examine existing curricula and how to design the best pipelines for students.
Thought-provoking: Chris Dede argues there should be employability insurance (helps you invest in new skills for new job) instead of unemployment insurance (helps you look for same job, which may not come back). #CUFutureOfWork
— Martin Kurzweil (@MartinKurzweil) June 21, 2019
Last Friday, Dean @kellyotter participated in a panel discussion at the @UPCEA @Columbia_SPS Forum on the Future of Work with @GoldieStandard. Important lessons for @GUHigherEd students, who will lead orgs of the future: #CUFutureofWork pic.twitter.com/FlEywtEDjf
— Georgetown SCS (@GeorgetownSCS) June 25, 2019
The tables were assigned discussion leaders, who encouraged working sessions following the higher education panel. The table discussion leaders included Duke University’s Matthew Rascoff and the University of Michigan’s James DeVaney; Georgia Institute of Technology’s Dr. Nelson Baker and Dr. Yakut Gazi; Marquette University’s Dr. David Schejbal; University of Michigan’s Dr. Earl Lewis and Dr. Alford Young; and The Wharton School’s Dr. Anne Trumbore.
The Forum concluded with "Bridging the Gap Between Learning and Labor," moderated by Inside Higher Ed's Paul Fain, and featuring Aspen Institute's Ross Wiener, Business-Higher Education Forum's Janet Chen, Carnegie Corporation's LaVerne Srinivasan, and New America's Dr. Mary Alice McCarthy.
Final panel featuring speakers from @CarnegieCorp @NewAmericaEd @AspenInstitute & Business-Higher Ed Forum. @paulfain from @insidehighered moderating #CUFutureofWork pic.twitter.com/LQlBkPnZ7h
— Christine Farrugia (@cafarrugia) June 21, 2019
The #CUFutureofWork was an informative and productive two days with leading thinkers on the future of work. Looking forward to the opening of the @Columbia_SPS Center for the Future of Work.https://t.co/irSaBpTlqQ
— Chris Mayer (@ChrisMayer_WP) June 21, 2019
Videos of Keynote and Panels
