core competencies Archives - High Performance Coach Cindy Donaldson

Bryan Gross and Myra Quick talk college grads and entering the workforce

Leave a Comment / podcast / By Cindy Donaldson / October 23, 2019 / Bryan Gross, Cindy Donaldson, core competencies, Crosswalk Coalition, employers, Entrepreneur Masters, Fast Forward Learning, first job, higher education, Myra Quick, red barn consulting, Western New England University

Bryan Gross, VP for Enrollment Management and Marketing at Western New England University, and Myra Quick, Founder and CEO of Fast Forward Learning and Development and the creator of the Mastermind Program Crosswalk Coalition, talk about student readiness when it comes to heading out into the real world and getting their first jobs. Do students have the core competencies needed that employers are looking for? Are students really getting the ROI on their tuition dollars to get them a job in their related fields?

$\"Bryan$ Bryan Gross currently serves as the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing at Western New England University. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the American International Recruitment Council where he serves as chair of the membership committee. At Western New England University he is a member of the President’s Cabinet and the chair of the University’s Enrollment Management Committee. Bryan is passionate about the strategic value of aligning a University’s admissions, financial aid leveraging and marketing strategies in order to produce optimal results in today’s competitive enrollment marketplace.

His prior positions have been as the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at St. John’s University in New York City and as the Associate Vice President for Admissions at the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, CT.

He has also presented multiple times at regional and national NACAC and NAFSA conferences on topics related to best practices in domestic and international recruitment and new approaches in digital and social media marketing.

$\"Myra$ Myra Quick is the Founder and CEO of Fast Forward Learning & Development, HR Specialist (PHR, SHRM-CP) public speaker, trainer, and fierce advocate for higher education students and employers looking to hire them. Seeing Both Sides . Myra has lived in the HR world for let’s just say “a long time” and she knows what employers are struggling with and what they are looking for in employees. She’s also worked in higher education for “a long time” and she knows what students are learning, and more importantly how many are struggling post-graduation to get a job that is relevant to their degree. She began seeing the disconnect and the need for Competency Based Education (CBE) years before it was the hot topic and education workshops.

There is a disconnect – and a big one. Myra noticed most schools focus on delivering well-rounded graduates, but not well-rounded future employees. Many colleges and universities have legacy cultures – as in “this is the way we’ve always done it and this is the way it should be” and are unwilling to change those cultures to teach students what they want to learn and give them the exact skills they need for a specific job. AHA moment – the solution has always been crystal clear for Myra. Competency Based Education CBE is the answer – for non-traditional AND traditional students. She launched Fast Forward Learning & Development and the Crosswalk Coalition Mastermind to facilitate change and help bridge the divide between employers and students.

The struggle is real – the future is hopeful. Like many working mothers, Myra decided to finish her degree and was looking for an alternative that would not only fit her lifestyle but give her the biggest bang for her buck. She chose Bay Path University’s Saturday Learning program allowing her to fast track her degree. It was perfect. Bay Path also introduced Myra to one of the major disruptors and change agents in higher education – Dr. Carol Leary, President and CEO at Bay Path. Myra saw how Dr. Leary literally changed the course of the then college’s future by embracing change, connecting deeply with local businesses which included secured funding and taking an almost extinct school to one of the premier 4 year universities on the east coast. Myra knew Dr. Leary was on to something bigger than Bay Path – and the rest is well, history.

It’s simply a passion. Let’s just say, she isn’t letting go anytime soon. Myra is passionate about ensuring that every student that enrolls – traditional or non-traditional – in college receives the core competencies they need for success once they graduate. Not only is she passionate about Competency Based Education, she is passionate about the future of our private 4 year schools who are facing a daunting future with declined enrollment. She believes shifting the way we educate will help right the decreased admissions, save schools, save communities and save jobs.

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