The Senate Higher Education Committee on Thursday held a work session to discuss high demand degree programs and industry collaboration in preparing students for the workforce by the public four-year higher education sector.
Paul Francis, executive director for the Council of Presidents, presented on behalf of the sector and noted that enrollment by the public four-year’s undergraduate students in high employer demand programs of study increased dramatically from the 2007-08 academic year to 2014-15. Supporting this growth are partnerships with industry leaders, experiential learning and internship opportunities, and collaborations with the K-12 sector to cultivate student interest in high demand fields.
Illustrative examples of WSU’s work in this space highlighted by Francis include the Imagine Tomorrow competition, the Boeing Scholars Program, capital facilities funded through industry partnerships to support high demand areas, and health sciences training to help meet the demand for nurses and physicians in underserved areas of Washington state.
Check out the WSU component of the presentation to the committee below. The Council of Presidents is an association of the state’s six public baccalaureate degree granting college and universities.