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#CollegeChat: Public Agenda to Discuss U.S. Business Leaders Concern that Higher Ed’s Resistance to Change is Widening Skills Gap

New Research finds that U.S. Business Leaders worry that skyrocketing tuition and a growing skills gap could have serious consequences for the nation’s economic future

Royce HallAllison Rizzolo, a communications professional for Public Agenda, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that helps communities and the nation solve tough public problems, will discuss findings from a recent report “Hiring and Higher Education” conducted in conjunction with Committee for Economic Development (CED), during #CollegeChat on Twitter, April 17, 2012 at 9 p.m. Eastern.

THE CED and Public Agenda undertook this research “to explore the attitudes of business leaders toward higher education.”  Rizzolo, https://twitter.com/#!/publicagenda , will discuss key findings from the report with #CollegeChat participants including:

  • Cost of higher education is a major concern. The business leaders interviewed described the escalating cost as one of the major weaknesses of higher education.
  • Shortage of graduates in STEM fields. The report found that business leaders cited a serious shortage in science, technology, engineering and math.
  • Unease about workers’ interpersonal skills. Business leaders were uneasy about graduates’ lack of basic interpersonal skills. Executives complained about the character, interpersonal skills and comportment of young people they encountered.
  • Resistance to change. Business leaders worried that higher education is too slow to recognize and implement needed changes, and not as accountable as it needs to be.

About Public Agenda

Public Agenda is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that helps communities and the nation solve tough public problems. It does this by illuminating people’s views and values, getting them working together on solutions, and building momentum for change. Public Agenda is fostering progress on a wide variety of critical issues, including K-12 and higher education, climate change and health care. Its goal is to contribute to a democracy in which problem solving triumphs over gridlock and inertia, and where public policy reflects the deliberations and values of the citizenry.

About #CollegeChat

#CollegeChat is a live bi-monthly conversation intended for teens, college students, parents, and higher education experts on Twitter. #CollegeChat takes place on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. PT/ 9 p.m. ET. Questions for each #CollegeChat edition can be sent to Theresa Smith, the moderator of #CollegeChat via http://Twitter.com/collegechat , by entering questions online on the CollegeChat Facebook page at http://ht.ly/1XIqV , or by email. More detailed information about signing up for Twitter and participating in #Collegechat can be found at http://pathwaypr.com/how-to-participate-in-a-twitter-chat .