The Big Goal Collaborative, a Vision 2020 initiative led by the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, is hosting an Education Summit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at Sweetwater Sound, 5501 U.S. Hwy 30 W., Fort Wayne.
The Education Summit is a meeting for anyone interested in regional talent development efforts by the Big Goal Collaborative including educators, community members, businesses, civic leaders and other people passionate about education.
The program will include a progress update on the Big Goal Collaborative projects, and provide opportunities for partners to share input and talk about their own work in multiple breakout sessions. There will also be a group drumming activity as a team-building exercise to illustrate the impact of collaboration. The 2015 Big Goal Snapshot highlighting regional education efforts will also be available to the public for the first time.
Haley Glover, a strategy director at the Lumina Foundation, will be the keynote speaker during lunch. Glover’s work includes bringing together thought leaders, policymakers, and practitioners to influence the national conversation, translate ideas into action, and build the momentum toward increasing postsecondary attainment and college success.
The Big Goal Collaborative is a collaboration of businesses, community partners and educators in Northeast Indiana who have rallied around a common goal: 60 percent by 2025. Based on the most recent data available, the region is currently growing at 37 percent.
“Increasing educational attainment has the potential to increase wages, raise overall economic wealth, meet the needs of existing businesses, enable them to grow and create more jobs, and attract new businesses. As a region, we know that the contribution of many trumps the success of the individual. We are united for the common good,” said Ryan Twiss, director of Regional Initiatives at the Partnership.
The Big Goal Collaborative has united more than 150 partners who have committed to working together to increase educational attainment. Collectively, these hard-working leaders are making decisions based on data while working to identify local issues and best practices.
“The Big Goal Collaborative focuses on education as a lifelong progression from cradle-to-career. Our region must have an educated workforce possessing the skills needed by our employers,” said Gary Gatman, executive vice president of strategic initiatives for Northeast Indiana Works.
To find out more about the Big Goal Collaborative or to RSVP to the Education Summit, visit www.neindiana.com/BigGoal.
