Another innovative program unearthed by the Innovation Pitch Challenge funded with a grant from Lumina Foundation, is Fresno State’s Top Dog Talks.
Next Stop: Fresno, California
Photo Credit: Fresno State University
Still in the planning stages, “Top Dog Talks” will bring alumni who are leading employers to Fresno State campus to share their expertise and experience in a series of TED-like talks. Fresno State’s “The Year of the Top Dogs” will feature multiple “Top Dog Talks” events presented live to audiences. President Joseph I. Castro will personally launch the event. The goal is for “Top Dogs Talks” to inspire and clarify what the alumni/employers, their companies, and their industry sectors need from Fresno State, right now, and heading into the future.
The Pool
The pool of “Top Dog” presenters is big because the alumni association has been honoring distinguished alumni as “Top Dogs” since 1953. “Top Dogs” are selected at both the university- and college-level, an important distinction because degrees at Fresno State are tied to workforce demands: we are a public, regional-serving institution. “Top Dogs” include a legion of regional and state leaders and professionals: educators, entrepreneurs, coaches, politicians, farmers, scientists, nurses, law enforcement officers, engineers, and more.
Metrics for Success
Success will be measured by the benefits to students as captured in their e-portfolios. Fresno State students will write reflections for their e-portfolios linking their thoughts on the “Top Dogs Talk” to their future careers and professional growth and identities.
The act of writing the reflection presents many opportunities for the student:
to explore and deepen the knowledge gained
to align their campus learning with the current state of the regional workplace
to gain experience in career planning based on interaction with current regional employers
to showcase their professional commitment for future employers
to invite feedback from faculty and advisors on their professional reflections.
The reflections provide the university with multiple opportunities also:
to assess and improve student learning as it relates to workforce development
to assess and improve the use of the eportfolio as a career as well as an academic tool
to strengthen the connection of employers to the student e-portfolios (http://www.fresnostate.edu/academics/eportfolio/employers/index.html).
Are you doing something similar? Tell us about it? What other examples of universities better connecting to the labor market can you share?
Are you doing something similar? Tell us about it? What other examples of universities better connecting to the labor market can you share?