Enrollment in Texas colleges and universities is ticking back up after plummeting during the coronavirus pandemic. And while students have returned to classrooms on campuses across the state, the long-term implications of fewer higher ed grads in the Texas workforce are just starting to surface.
As we near three years since the pandemic began, how are higher education institutions preparing students for the Texas workforce today, and what adjustments are they making to recruit and retain students for tomorrow?
Join The Texas Tribune at noon Central on Thursday, Dec. 1, in Waco for a conversation on educating Texas’ students for the workforce. Hear from Barb Clapp, CEO, Dwyer Workforce Development; Johnette Edwards McKown, president of McLennan Community College; Melissa Henderson, chief of staff, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and executive director, Texas Higher Education Foundation; and Rick Herrera, Texas State Technical College vice chancellor and chief student services officer.
Matthew Watkins, the Tribune’s managing editor for news and politics, will moderate the discussion.
The event will take place at Texas State Technical College’s Waco campus, in the Col. James T. Connally Aerospace Center, 605 Operations Road in Waco. Networking will begin at 11:30 a.m. over lunch, and the hourlong conversation event will begin at noon. Complimentary parking is available in the large lot in front of the center.
This in-person event will be simultaneously streamed for virtual attendees and will be available to watch on demand afterward at texastribune.org/events.
Barb Clapp is CEO of Dwyer Workforce Development, a non-profit whose purpose is to provide Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Geriatric Nursing Assistant (GNA) training and entry-level job positions to individuals who lack opportunity and who aspire to pursue a career in the health care industry.
Chief of Staff, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Executive Director, Texas Higher Education Foundation
Melissa Henderson is the chief of staff for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the executive director for the Texas Higher Education Foundation. In this dual role, she works closely with the higher education commissioner to ensure close collaboration across the executive team and leads the foundation’s work to identify resources and build partnerships.
As the chief student services officer, Herrera oversees enrollment management, student services, facilities planning and construction, information technology, auxiliary services and the TSTC Waco Airport. He has been with the college for 13 years. During his TSTC tenure, he has also served as the director of administrative computing, associate vice president of technology management, chief technology officer and chief integration officer.
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism.
Find a complete list of them here.
Email us at events@texastribune.org
Sab Pell is senior director of product marketing at Openform, where her goal is to help people unlock the power of in-person events. Prior to Openform, she led global product marketing teams. Sab Pell is senior director of product marketing at Openform, where her goal is to help people unlock the power of in-person events. Prior to Openform, she led global product marketing teams.
