Felicia Bianchi (PMO) has been chosen for the Leading Change Institute, held in Washington DC. Sponsored by the Council on Library and Information Resources, the institute has a goal to “prepare and develop the next generation of leaders in libraries, information services, and higher education by engaging those who seek to further develop their skills for the benefit of higher education.”
To be selected, Felicia received a letter of commendation from President Wagner. She submitted her vision for what she thought were the greatest challenges facing LITS in the years ahead:
“I feel that the top three issues facing higher education in the United States today are cost, relevance and accessibility.”
“The surging price of a four-year degree and the debt burden are pushing the costs even higher. In a report published by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) in September of this year, all age groups experienced an increase in student loan debt from 2004-2010; and the number of seniors moving into retirement with this debt increased over 4 times during that same period. It is critical to bring down these costs and reduce the debt so that quality higher education opportunities are affordable.”
“Another challenge is creating relevant education for the future and ensuring access to all students so that the United States can compete in the global market place. As a mentor in the Atlanta chapter of Year Up, I saw firsthand how access to post-secondary education with a relevant curriculum can make a significant difference in a person’s future. The exposure to college level education in the technology field that Year Up gives to low-income young adults is the first time many participants were able to practice the techniques of critical thinking and research. Typically, several of the Atlanta participants pursue advanced degrees after they complete the Year Up program. Finding new and creative ways to provide relevant education to a diverse student body will create a smarter, more engaged workforce.”
“One of the key priorities in the Library and Information technology space at Emory is the collaboration with Georgia Tech to create a joint Library Service Center and a shared collection. As we lead the project teams for this initiative, we must navigate many challenges including the different approaches in the private and public sector. We are looking at new technologies for the inventory control system that tracks items housed in the new Library Service Center as well as ways to make the collection available to both universities.”
The Leading Change Institute runs from May 31 to June 5. Emory has been involved with LCI over the years. Ginger Smith (CCR) served for several years as the local coordinator for the Institute during the two weeks it was held at Emory each year.
“I’m really excited, “said Felicia. “Kitty McNeill (Oxford), Lars Meyer (Content), and Chris Palazzolo (Central Services) have all represented Emory in the past. I am proud to be a part of that group.”
You can see the complete list of attendees and the institutions they represent at http://www.clir.org/about/news/pressrelease/lci2015.
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