Proposed New Statewide Conference hosted by UNC-We’re All in This Together

October 6-8, 2016
Sponsored by the University of Northern Colorado
We’re All in This Together:
Preparing Colorado College & High
School Students for Work and
Citizenship in a Fast-Changing World

Purposes of this Conference
• To highlight macro-trends related to employment and citizenship
that are growing in intensity
• To relate these growing challenges to one of the core purposes
of higher education: To prepare young people to succeed in life
in ways that contribute to their communities
• To explore the relationship between employment and citizenship
and the ways they synergistically support each other for the
benefit of both employers and communities
• To discuss and develop pedagogical and collaborative
partnerships across institutional divides that support student
preparation for work and citizenship in a fast-changing world

“This is a brand-new conference sponsored by the
University of Northern Colorado. It will bring together
Colorado state leaders across education, industry, and
government, to come up with ways to help our
students better succeed at work and citizenship during
these especially fast-changing times. It is the
“Preparing Colorado Students for Life Conference”.
The “Elevator Explanation”

• Participants will learn the latest relevant research on what it means to
be a young person in Colorado state and our nation today
• Participants will learn how much the employment and career
landscape has transformed during the last several years
• Participants will share innovative and successful programs and ideas
across higher education, K-12, government, and non-profits
• Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which
work and citizenship are intertwined
• Participants will commit to bringing back at least one new proposal to
their departments and organizations related to improving preparation
of Colorado youth for careers and/or citizenship
Suggested Conference Takeaways

• The large gap between what employers demand (critical thinking &
communication skills; ability to solve problems; getting along with different
people, etc.), and what higher and K-12 education is delivering
• A rapidly evolving employment landscape that is being transformed by ‘smart’
technology, global market forces, and other influences
• A growing college student debt problem that is impacting the ability of students
to become self-sufficient, pursue certain careers, and assume civic responsibilities
• The growing disconnect that many young people feel with respect to various
aspects of civic engagement, according to a number of studies
• An continually expanding minority population in relation to covered topics
• The evolving relationship between our young and technology, and how it relates
to employment and civic engagement
Which Specific Macro-Trends Are Covered?

• Because the macro-issues they highlight are systemic and highly
complex in nature, thus requiring a systemic response
• It will allow space and opportunity for different disciplines,
industries, and interest groups to hear from and talk to one
another in one place, thus mitigating the ‘echo chamber’ effect
• It provides an opportunity for different groups to learn from
each another and build connections and collaborations useful to
serving our students; to ‘cross-pollinate’ ideas & initiatives
Why is this Conference Interdisciplinary?

• Leaders, educators, and interested citizens from throughout the
state of Colorado and neighboring states…
• …Representing higher education, K-12 education, business and
commerce interests, state and local government leaders and
workers, the non-profit and faith communities, and interested
citizens who want to make a difference
• State media outlets, including metro and local television
stations, the Denver Post and other online & print news services,
Colorado Public Radio, and the New York Times
Who is Invited?

• To increase public and educational awareness of the importance of the issues
covered
• To increase communication and collaboration between interest groups that often
are at philosophical and practical odds with each other throughout our state
• To provide, present, and share practical pedagogical solutions and ideas that
address the macro issues covered, throughout both the Higher Education and K-
12 landscapes
• To come up with collaborative solutions for how to better integrate our minority
youth into the full range of employment and civic engagement opportunities in
our state
Conference Objectives

• Considerably raises UNC’s profile throughout Colorado and
beyond
• Demonstrates that UNC is capable of being a ‘change agent’ and
leading innovator on a large scale
• Dovetails with the creation of the new UNC Campus Commons,
synergistically exemplifying UNC’s profound commitment to
long-term student and community success
• Can be useful in aiding recruitment efforts with students/parents
Why Should UNC Sponsor This Conference?

• Michael has extensively researched the topics covered in this conference as part
of his masters and doctoral studies (he just passed his HESAL doctoral comps)
• Michael has successfully organized a number of large-scale and innovative events
across industries, including postsecondary and secondary education
• Michael’s current faculty liaison and campus professional development foci
include an emphasis on creating collaborative teaching & learning initiatives
• As described in CETL’s mission statement (http://www.unco.edu/cetl/), CETL is
committed to exploring new frontiers in teaching and learning in collaborative
and transformative ways that benefit our institution, students, and communities.
• This conference is an innovative effort to bring scholars and practitioners from
throughout UNC and the state of Colorado in order to help our students better
prepare for employment and civic engagement in a fast-changing world.
Why Michael Weddington? Why CETL?

• This is primarily an ‘action’ conference; relevant research will be
actively solicited for presentation, but collaborative discussion
and planning emphasized
• For logistical reasons, it is proposed that the conference be held
at the Embassy Suites Conference Center in Loveland
• October 6-8, 2016 (Wednesday-Friday) are the proposed dates
• Several prominent speakers will comprise a key element of the
conference, around the themes of employment & citizenship
• It can create the foundation for a new, recurring conference
Conference Key Points

• They provide instant credibility to this inaugural conference
• Their relative popularity (via best-selling books, reputation
within academic, industry, & lay-person circles, etc.) will help
broadly draw attendees to this brand new conference
• They have reputations for being effective/strong presenters
• They appeal across industries and many demographic groups
• Their convergence can be seen to heighten the importance of
the issues covered, which helps attract the media
• They indirectly bolster UNC’s brand and profile, by association
Why so many Prominent Speakers?

Speaker #1- John Hickenlooper
As Colorado’s chief executive officer and governmental leader, Hickenlooper is a
logical choice to add weight and importance to the proceedings. A former geologist
and businessman who touts innovation, efficiency and collaboration in education
and business, he could reiterate these themes within the context of preparing our
students for work and citizenship in a fast-changing world.

Speaker #2- Thomas Friedman
Chief foreign affairs columnist for perhaps the nation’s most prestigious news service-the
New York Times-Friedman has written multiple best-sellers and is the recipient of three
Pulitzer prizes. His specialty is exploring and interconnecting macro-trends from such
diverse fields as politics, the environment, education, and economics. In such books as
That Used To Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can
Come Back (co-written with Michael Mandelbaum) and The World is Flat: A Brief History of
the Twenty-First Century, Friedman writes forcefully of the need to better prepare our
young people to participate in a fast-changing world and society.

Speaker #3- Anya Kamenetz
Educational futurist and lead education reporter for National Public Radio,
Anya has emerged as a national expert on the evolution of higher education,
technology, assessment, and the economic challenges our young people
face, as highlighted in her ground-breaking best-sellers: DIY-U: Edupunks,
Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education, and
Generation Debt. She has written extensively on our nation’s expanding
student loan problem.

Speaker #4- Martin Ford
Ford is a leading national expert on an issue that has practically exploded into
prominence over the last several months, as highlighted by several popular news
services and the film industry: The robot, artificial intelligence, and job
automation revolution that is threatening to replace up to 47% of all U.S. jobs
during the next two decades, according to a recent University of Oxford report. A
Silicon Valley entrepreneur himself who has previously written a best-seller on
this topic, Ford has updated his research in Rise of the Robots on how technology
is rapidly transforming the very nature of employment and business.

Speaker #5- Anne Colby
Anne is a consulting professor at Stanford University and was formerly director
of the Henry Murray Research Center at Harvard. She is one of our nation’s
leading experts on how and why we should teach our students morals and
ethics that are applicable to community life. She is lead author of Educating
Citizens: Preparing America’s Undergraduates for Lives of Moral and Civic
Responsibility, which reports and suggests ways that American higher education
can prepare thoughtful, committed, and socially responsible graduates.

Speaker #6- Sherry Turkle
Sherry is perhaps our nation’s leading expert on technology and its role in
transforming relationships in a digital society. A sociologist and long-time faculty
member at MIT, her decades-long studies on the evolving relationship between
youth and technology is communicated in such landmark books as Alone
Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other, and
The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit. She is coming out soon with a
book that will explore how community leaders and higher education can better
support student development through an enhanced understanding of the
evolving relationship between our young people and technology.

Speaker #7- Wes Moore
Wes is a veteran, Rhodes Scholar, and the founder of BridgeEDU, an innovative
college platform that addresses the college completion and job placement crisis.
He also is passionate about social justice and diversity issues. While still a student
at Johns Hopkins University, he founded STAND!, an organization that works with
Baltimore youth in the criminal justice system. Moore’s first best-seller, The Other
Wes Moore, is a personal story of mentorship and support networks that changed
his life. His current best-seller, The Work, explores the collective challenge of how
and what it means to create lives that matter during an especially turbulent time.
He has been featured by several news outlets and the Oprah Winfrey Network,
where he is the host of Beyond Belief.

Speaker #8- Peter D. Hart
Peter is one of our nation’s senior pollsters and is a renowned expert on national
trends. He has provided polling services for NBC News and the Wall Street
Journal. His Center’s research services include producing recurring reports for the
Association of American Colleges and Universities, on what employers across the
nation are specifically looking for in new college and high school hires, across
industries and company type.

Speaker #9- Jo Ann Piña
Dr. Piña is an acclaimed national expert on cross-cultural communication.
Currently on the graduate faculty at Johns Hopkins University, and a former
corporate trainer for Anthony Robbins, ‘Dr. Jo’ focuses her research and
seminars on how to help young and old bridge the communications gap
among Anglo Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and women to
increase mutual understanding, cooperation, success, and productivity. She
strives to help her students and clients realize that all communication is
culturally influenced.

Speaker #10- James Chavez
James is a former member of the UNC Board of Trustees, and currently serves
as executive director of the Latin American Educational Foundation, which has
dedicated itself for 66 years to help meet the higher education needs of
Hispanic students in Colorado. James holds or has held numerous key financial
and information technology positions, and is also the member of the boards of
directors of several Front-Range area community organizations. James has both
a broad and in-depth understanding of how higher education and the private
sector can work together to promote educational and employment
opportunities for our ever-increasing Hispanic population in Colorado.

7:45-8:45 Continental Breakfast and Student Poster Session
9:00-9:50 Scholarly presentations and workshops related to today’s theme (16-20)
10:00-10:50 Featured Speaker: Sherry Turkle. “Understanding the evolving relationship
between our young and technology, and its impact on contemporary society”
Noon-1:20 Lunch, Grand Ball Room
12:30-1:20 Featured Keynote Speaker (Grand Ball Room): Thomas Friedman. “It’s a fast-
changing world: Why education and employers must collaborate in better
preparing our young to succeed during a time of upheaval”
1:30-2:20 Featured Speaker: Anya Kamenetz. “The growing financial challenges facing
our students, and how we can collaboratively help them”.
2:30-4:00 Breakout sessions related to today’s theme, with action orientation (16-20)
4:00-6:00 Wine & cheese and book-signing hour with authors, with entertainment
provided by acclaimed UNC Performing Arts Program students.
6:00- Dinner (participants on their own)
Suggested Program: Day 1 – October 6, 2016
Theme: Our Students & Their World

9:00-9:50 Featured Speaker: Peter D. Hart. “What today’s employers are looking for in
new college and high school hires”
10:00-10:50 Featured Speaker: Martin Ford. “How accelerating technology is transforming
the employment landscape of today and tomorrow”
12:30-1:20 Luncheon Speaker (Grand Ball Room): Wes Moore. “How we can work
together to help students find purpose in their lives and work”
4:00-6:00 Wine & cheese and book-signing hour with authors, with entertainment
provided by acclaimed UNC Performing Arts Program students.
6:00- Dinner (participants on their own)
Theme: Employment

9:00-9:50 Featured Speaker: Anne Colby. “How our secondary and postsecondary
institutions can promote moral and civic responsibility in our students”
12:15-12:45 Keynote Luncheon Speaker #2 (Grand Ball Room): Governor John Hickenlooper
“Why our young people need to engage more than ever before”
12:45-1:30 Luncheon Speaker (Grand Ball Room): James Chavez. “The promise and
challenge of fully involving our Hispanic students into our communities”
1:30-2:20 Featured Speaker: Jo Piña. “How to help our students, educators, & employers
to effectively communicate across racial, ethnic, and cultural difference
4:00-5:30 END of general conference with book-signing opportunities with authors;
planning committees to discuss conference details and plan for next year.
Theme: Citizenship

Conference Location: Why Embassy Suites?
• Due to the renovation planned for the UC Grand Ballroom that is slated for completion
circa April 1, 2016, UNC is unable to provide adequate conference services for a planned
800+ attendees
• Until the Campus Commons is completed, UNC will be hard-pressed to adequately and
conveniently host 800+ conference attendees in one central location
• The Loveland Embassy Suites can accommodate as many as 3,000 conference participants
in one very centralized and convenient location; they are used to this kind of thing.
• Located just off of I-25 and just north of Hwy 34, it is easy to locate
• The hotel portion can accommodate hundreds of potential over-night visitors
• The Loveland Embassy Suites is rated in the top 1% of all Embassy Suites world-wide

• It is a relatively open part of the academic calendar
• The weather this time of year is generally good for travel
• These dates are still available for the Embassy Suites,
Loveland (their calendar is already filling up for Fall of
2016)
Why October 6-8, 2016?

Before June 1 Before Sept 1 After Sept 1
General Public $349 $389 $429
Graduate Students $159 $199 $239
UNC Faculty & Staff $159 $199 $239
UNC Grad Students $ 79 $ 99 $119
(Note: Fees include continental breakfast and lunch, access to all student poster
sessions, speaker presentations, workshops, breakout sessions, and ‘happy hour’
entertainment, excluding alcohol)
Suggested Registration Fees

Costs
• Speakers: Friedman: $75,000; Kamenetz: $10,000; Ford: $10,000; Colby: $10,000; Turkle: $25,000; Moore:
$20,000; Hart: $10,000; Pina: $10,000; Chavez: $5,000. Plus, an est. $400 per speaker in ‘first class’
accommodation costs: $ 179,000
• $40 est. per attendee per day for continental breakfast and lunch x 3 days x est. 750 attendees:
$ 90,000
• Conference room usage, Wi-fi usage: Free of charge
• Tech support: We provide
• ‘Happy Hour’ UNC entertainment We provide
• Swag (folders, pens, name badges, etc.) @ 5.00 per 750= $ 3,800 est.
• All-day beverages during breaks, including for ‘Happy Hour’= $ 7,000 est.
$279,800
Revenue
• 650 attendees each paying avg. mid-pricepoint fee of $389 = $252,850
• 75 UNC staff, faculty, and non-UNC grad students paying $199 each= $ 14,925
• 25 UNC graduate students at $99 each= $ 2,475
• One corporate sponsorship to officially co-host the conference= $ 10,000
$280,250
Preliminary Cost & Revenue Estimates

• Email blast the 131,000 UNC alumni nationwide with Alumni Relations
Assistance
• Strategically target the 50+ 4- and 2-year public and private postsecondary
campuses in Colorado; obtain listservs or generate email lists to blast in a cost-
effective manner
• Obtain listservs or generate email lists for the 644 Colorado public & private
high schools; target principals and college counselors, along with faculty
• Generate email lists to blast to the Colorado Association of Commerce &
Industry members; all state Chamber of Commerce offices, and Colorado Small
Business Association members
• Obtain and email all available local and state government office personnel
• Obtain and email all available non-profit agency personnel in the state, as
available
• Develop feature stories with media members in the state (T.V., radio, print,
online)
• GOAL: Email 200,000 unique individuals in & beyond state on recurrent basis
Marketing Plan

End of August (Monday the 31st): Final decision made
September 30, 2015 Tom Friedman 10% due
September 30, 2015 Planning committees in place
January 2, 2016 First mass email blasts sent
May 31, 2016 First speaker payments and
hotel payment due (33% of
total, est.)
May 31, 2016 ‘Early Bird’ registration ends
August 31, 2016 Regular rate registration ends
September 30, 2016 Late registration ends
October 6-8 Conference
Proposed Planning Time Line & Details

Proposed New Statewide Conference hosted by UNC-We’re All in This Together

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