town meeting to look at education
Tue., Apr 01
Statewide Coalition, Connecticut State University System Host Town Meetings to Discuss Education, State's Future
In Connecticut, education is everybody's business and critical to the state's economy and quality of life.
With dramatic changes in demographics, the advance of technology and unprecedented demands of global competition, Connecticut's long-term economic strength appears in doubt. Data suggests that if no action is taken to ensure the quality of education for all Connecticut residents, the caliber of graduates that the state's businesses and economy depend on may suffer.
To focus public attention on the issue, a statewide coalition and the Connecticut State University System (CSUS) are hosting an unprecedented series of four participatory Town Meetings during a two-week period beginning later this month. The series, titled "Education Now. Prosperity Tomorrow. Growing Connecticut's Future." will address the fundamental question: Why is education important to Connecticut's future?
The Town Meetings will be held at Central, Eastern, Southern, and Western Connecticut State Universities and are free and open to the public. They are designed to stimulate discussion exploring the connections between effective education, a sound economy and a vibrant state.
To highlight the connections between education and Connecticut's economy, the Town Meetings will open with a brief video that includes striking statistics framing the conversation and featuring the perspectives of Governor M. Jodi Rell, Senate President Donald Williams, House Speaker James Amann, Aetna Chairman and CEO Ronald Williams, Bank of America Connecticut President Susan Rottner, and Community Renewal Team President Lena Rodriquez among others.
The meetings will be held from 6:45 to 8:15 p.m. and will feature a different panel of business, education and community leaders at each location. Audience participation is a critical component. Ann Baldwin, veteran broadcaster and principal of Baldwin Media Marketing, will moderate the conversations. The schedule is as follows:
• Monday, March 24, Western Connecticut State University, Danbury
Midtown Campus, Warner Hall, First Floor
• Tuesday, March 25, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain
Vance Academic Center, Room 105
• Monday, March 31, Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic
Student Center, Betty Tipton Room
• Tuesday, April 1, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven
Adanti Student Center
The panelists, and those introducing the Town Meetings, are as follows:
Western Connecticut State University, Monday, March 24
Introduction by Marc Herzog, Chancellor, Connecticut Community Colleges,
and Judith Greiman, President, Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges
• Chris Bruhl, President and CEO, The Business Council of Fairfield County
• Gary Chesley, Superintendent of Schools, Bethel
• James Comer, Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry,
Yale Child Study Center
• Noel Hord, CEO, The Hord Foundation, BCBG Shoes
Central Connecticut State University, Tuesday, March 25
Introduction by Oz Griebel, CEO, MetroHartford Alliance, and
Michael Meotti, Commissioner, State Department of Higher Education
• Fernando Betancourt, Executive Director, Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission
• David Fink, Policy Communications Director, Partnership for Strong Communities
• Linda Kelly, President, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
• John Rathgeber, President and CEO, Connecticut Business and Industry Association
Eastern Connecticut State University, Monday, March 31
Introduction by Michael Hogan, President, University of Connecticut
• Sally Boske, Vice President, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education
and Executive Director, Connecticut PTA
• Christopher Clouet, Superintendent of Schools, New London
• Diane Randall, Director, Partnership for Strong Communities
• Chandler Howard, President and CEO, Liberty Bank
Southern Connecticut State University, Tuesday, April 1
Introduction by State Education Commissioner Mark K. McQuillan and
Chancellor David G. Carter, Connecticut State University System
• Juan Figueroa, President, Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, Inc.
• Fran Rabinowitz, Superintendent of Schools, Hamden
• Anthony Rescigno, President, Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce
• Robert Santy, President and CEO, Connecticut Economic Resource Center
The statewide coalition for Town Meetings include: African American Affairs Commission; American Federation of Teachers (Connecticut); Business Council of Fairfield County; Capitol Region Council of Governments; Connecticut Association of Boards of Education; Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents; Connecticut Business and Industry Association; Connecticut Community Colleges; Connecticut Department of Education; Connecticut Department of Higher Education; Connecticut Health and Education Facilities Authority; Connecticut Office for Workforce Competitiveness; Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network; Charter Oak College, Connecticut Small Business Development Centers; Connecticut State University American Association of University Professors; Connecticut State University System (CSUS); Connecticut State University System Foundation; Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission; Northeast Utilities Foundation; State University Organization of Administrative Faculty, AFSCME, Council 4 - Local 2836.
The Town Meetings are free and open to the public. For more information, call 860.493.0040 or visit http://www.ctstateu.edu/TownMeeting.htm.
To download a printable version of this press release, click here (opens as a PDF file).
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Media Contacts
Bernard Kavaler, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Connecticut State University System
860.493.0093, kavalerb@so.ct.edu
Terri Raimondi, Public Relations Specialist, Connecticut State University System
860.493.0040, raimondit@ct.edu
