1. Labor Markets, Preparation, and A Common Goal: Making a Successful Transition into the 21 st Century World Dr. Phil Gardner Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University www.ceri.msu.edu

2. Current College Labor Market Situation Improving: able to withstand inept politicians – 40% requesting “ALL MAJORS” Sustainable: thank the Boomers and the little guys and gals “This too will pass”: NOT – Not enough jobs – Alignment issue Bottom line – It’s all about skills not the specific degree

3. The College to Work Transition Circa 1950 to 1988 21 st Century

4. Setting Higher Expectations ◦ Initiative: The Holy Grail ◦ Build and sustain professional relationships ◦ Analyze, evaluate and interpret data ◦ Engage in continuous learning ◦ Communicate through persuasion and justification ◦ Plan and manage a project ◦ Create new knowledge ◦ Seek global understanding ◦ Mentor and develop others ◦ Build a team  Paper is available at www.ceri.msu.edu (check under paper archives)www.ceri.msu.edu

5. The Search for Balance Continuum: very liberal to very specific 48% Balance between liberal and technical WE HAVE TWO CHOICES – Technically savvy liberal arts graduates – Liberally educated technical graduates

6. TODAY College graduates must come to the organizations as a STAR PERFORMER!

7. Employer Expectations: “Not What They Used To Be!” Yesterday’s Full-time Outcomes are Today’s Intern Expectations

8. What else counts? Study Abroad Supervised civic engagement Leadership in a non- professional organization Scholarly research with faculty International Internship Faculty supervised Consulting project with company Leadership in a professional organization Internships

9. An Ivy League Lament

10. The Challenge All students, especially A&S, do not know how to date Do not know how to tell their stories It is a language problem It is an integration problem

11. Employers’ Perception of A&S Students

12. With Jim Spohrer IBM Labs Adaptive innovators: T-shaped Professionals

13. The “Right” Purpose Purpose – Make my university the best in the world for the growth of talent Objective – Instilling in each undergraduate the capacity to succeed in the 21 st century career Robert Kegan ‘s& Lisa L. Lahey’s, Immunity to Change (Cambridge: HBRP) helped frame these thoughts from earlier presentations.

14. MUST BE – Committed to promoting the development of comprehensive professional competencies, attitudes, and behaviors in each student – Committed to encouraging self-directed, active learning in our students as preparation for becoming life long learners – Committed to enhancing integration of liberal learning, disciplinary, interdisciplinary & co-curricular concepts into a professional foundation – Committed to expanding students’ ability to deal with unexpected, emerging issues Robert Kegan ‘s& Lisa L. Lahey’s, Immunity to Change (Cambridge: HBRP) helped frame these thoughts from earlier presentations.

15. The Options Technical : Staying the course Can be challenging – tools are known Do not necessarily help solve adaptive challenges Adaptive : Crossing the Rubicon Transform our mindset -- complexity Confronts our identity Truisms from the past (assumptions that limit students, faculty, academic units, institutions) must be directly confronted – hold us hostage Everyone’s responsibility “One’s grasp exceeds one’s reach.” Robert Kegan Robert Kegan ‘s& Lisa L. Lahey’s, Immunity to Change (Cambridge: HBRP) helped frame these thoughts from earlier presentations.