Education
David H. Stull
On behalf of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Dean of the Conservatory David H. Stull accepted the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama in February 2010. This signature honor is a capstone to his tenure as the conservatory’s chief academic officer, which began with his appointment in 2004.
Hillary Salmons
As executive director, Hillary manages the oversight of PASA and its three strategies. She also has primary responsibility for community engagement and fundraising efforts. Previously, Hillary led an education initiative called Rhode Island Scholars where business leaders spoke to middle school students around the state on the importance of college and taking math and science courses in high school. She also served as the Vice President for Program Development for Health & Education Leadership for Providence (HELP), a now-defunct coalition focused on improving the health and education of the children of Providence. While there, she worked to establish numerous systemic health and education initiatives.
John Werner: A Geography of the Middle School Mind
If you thought transformational change in education was impossible spend some time chatting with Citizen School's John Werner. There's no magical solution to transforming schools, but Werner understands it’s a complex matrix that involves engaging all players in the system. As our first speaker, his model of collaborative experiential learning set the perfect tone for BIF-7!
Gathering of Student Minds: The Art of Possibility
The Business Innovation Factory’s (BIF) is thrilled to announce a partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). On Saturday, October 29, Team BIF and RIDE will hold a day-long, student-driven workshop to focus on solving a real-world design challenge facing educators today: how to create a student experience that enables all students to thrive.
Sebastian Ruth: Thinking About Where Music is Needed
14 years ago Sebastian Ruth, a violinist and recent MacArthur Fellow, decided against a “stifling” career as a professional musician to found Community MusicWorks, a nonprofit music organization with service at the center of its mission. A musician who lives, works, teachs, and performs in his own community, Ruth believes in the direct results of collaboration. Be captivated by the magic of music, learning and passion.
Len Schlesinger: The Babson Entrepreneur Experience Lab
To say Len Schlesinger is full of life is an understatement, and he expects the same liveliness from others. The huge smile and breathless pace he brings as President of Babson College are only outmatched by the tenacity with which he adheres to the motto: The Educator for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds. Enjoy his tale of entreprenuership as he shares his experiences as Babson President and their partnership with BIF!
Dale J. Stephens: College Drop Out? Not Exactly.
Dales Stephens, unschooler and Thiel Fellow, finds the mediocre, cookie-cutter education typical of most colleges today does not justify the exorbitant and ever-rising costs of an expanding higher education system. Pretending to teach and pretending to learn is not good enough for Stephens, so he decided to hack his education. Understanding his model for learning is not for everyone, he is a champion for learning and finding success in life.
Dennis Littky: The Radical Educator
His shoes said it all; Dennis Littky is a colorful man! The radical educator, who has been in the business of tapping into potential for decades, isn't afraid to be challenged--in fact, he loves it. Driven by the fact that one student drops out of school every 12 seconds in this country, he has spent the bulk of the life on a fierce campaign to correct educational imbalances.
Byron Reeves: Work is a Serious Game
Byron Reeves has been thinking of ways to turn work into serious play. Combining the hugely popular media of gaming with the needs of our existing workforce, he says, will increase productivity while stemming the tide of growing worker disengagement. The idea that work is work and play is play and never the two shall meet is melting quite a bit. Work is a serious game!
From Idea to Concept: Student Experience Participatory Design Studio
In the spring of 2011, the Business Innovation Factory’s (BIF) Student Experience Lab and Utah State University (USU) conducted a unique experience to put students in the driver’s seat of a new kind of student-led R&D to transform education.