Future Readiness Events for Faculty​

University Faculty Prepare the Leaders of Tomorrow! 

We are in the middle of a transformational age where the risks and rewards of rising technological innovations constantly challenges us with new and exciting opportunities, even as they may disrupt our lives and work. Our students are graduating and entering a world in which technology will be continually changing their jobs, roles and futures. As educators, we need to prepare the leaders of tomorrow for that world. The Future Readiness Academy was formed to provide college and university-level faculty with the opportunity to learn about new and emerging technologies and explore how they impact disciplines, pedagogies and the nature of higher duration. More importantly, academy participants explore questions about what students need to know to thrive in a world of ongoing technological transformation.

Now, as part of Southwestern PA's Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant award initiative from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Future Readiness Academy will expand to become a center of innovation and technology learning for higher education faculty from across 29 post-secondary institutions in the region. Faculty are invited to come together to learn about new technologies, while exploring how their disciplines will impact and be impacted by these innovations. Academy participants will work together to design the future of their respective disciplines, while also envisioning how best to prepare Southwestern Pennsylvania's students for their futures.

Education Vanguard Conference 2023
Future Readiness Academy  logo featuring a globe, light bulb and circuit board

What is Future Readiness?

In 2021 and 2022, faculty from Penn State New Kensington, supported by the campus chancellor, identified a "future-ready" framework to prepare students for the future. Through the Future Readiness Academy, Workshops, Survey and Education Vanguard Conference, we will expand and explore many of these concepts together and continue to refine the mission for higher education in Southwestern PA. 

Teacher presenting in front of digital screen

Fall 2024 Future Readiness Workshop

Join post-secondary faculty members from across the region for a one-day workshop (August 8, 2024).

Photo of an EMET student with faculty member

Spring Faculty Future Readiness Academy​ Information

In May 2024, faculty across disciplines from universities and colleges across Southwestern PA will participate in the Future Readiness Faculty Academy to explore the latest technologies and collaboratively discuss how they shape pedagogy and student preparation. Interested faculty from Southwestern PA colleges and universities are invited to register! 

Photo of a conference at the Digital Foundry

Education Vanguard Conference

Educators, academics and industry leaders from across the region will be invited to a conference in fall of 2024 that will feature presentations by leading technologists, innovators and faculty experts discussing the latest in technology and the expected impact on workplace, workforce and academia. Breakout sessions will also feature area faculty from the Future Readiness Academy cohort presenting on best practices.