Gallaudet to participate in AAC&U Curriculum-to-Career Innovations Institute

Gallaudet University is one of 54 institutions selected to participate in the 2022 Curriculum-to-Career Innovations Institute (CCI) of the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Dr. Tommy Horejes, associate provost for Student Success and Academic Quality announced the university’s selection on June 3.

Co-directed by AAC&U and IBM, this virtual institute will focus on supporting campus efforts to strengthen connections between college learning and workforce preparation and to develop productive campus-industry partnerships. The Institute begins on August 11 and runs through December 16.

“The Curriculum-to-Career Innovations Institute offers a unique opportunity to nurture and spread new approaches to curricular design that promote equity and student success through meaningful career preparation,” said AAC&U President Lynn Pasquerella. “We look forward to working with our colleagues from IBM to support and advance the innovative work of the participating institutions.”

Over the course of the fall semester, teams from the participating institutions will develop projects focused on cocurricular alignment, defined learning and skill development, and high-impact experiences, as well as assessment and change management strategies. The teams will have ongoing access to leading experts from higher education and industry who serve as Institute mentors. The Institute’s approach to innovation emphasizes design thinking, broad and inclusive interdisciplinary perspectives, collaboration across stakeholders, and systemic commitments to equity that prepare students to seek purpose across an array of career paths.

“The overwhelmingly positive response to the Curriculum-to-Career Innovations Institute signals a great desire among campuses to do more than simply heed calls for career preparation. Our aim with this Institute is to find the sweet spot between higher education’s ability to meet the needs of a rapidly changing workforce and the desire of each campus to supply that career preparation in a meaningful way that is authentic to its mission and context,” said Ashley Finley, AAC&U Vice President for Research and co-director of the Curriculum-to-Career Innovations Institute.

Gallaudet is one of four schools in the District of Columbia-Maryland-Virginia region to be selected to participate in the CCI, along with Loyola University Maryland, McDaniel College, and The College of William and Mary.

Read the full AAC&U news release, and learn more about the CCI.