Thematic Session: Building Inclusive Communities Through Education

Time:

3 - 4:30 p.m.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for ensuring equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university. Rapid technological changes present opportunities and challenges, but the learning environment, the capacities of teachers and the quality of education have in many parts of the world not kept pace, and in others still need to catch up. New models in higher education are emerging as lawmakers and higher education professionals look for ways to address declining enrollment numbers, lack of diversity and skyrocketing tuition, as well as knowledge gaps in today’s rapidly evolving global workforce. Access for all to a quality education and learning opportunities – starting with children - will play a central role in increasing the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship to meet today’s global and local challenges.

Join this session if you are interested in: the role of universities, communities and vocational institutes; continuing education; children in urban settings; access for marginalized students and communities; opportunities for youth; education in vulnerable settings; gender; technology for education.

Building Inclusive Communities Through Education

Moderators

Astrid S. Tuminez, President, Utah Valley University (UVU)

Following a rich and storied career in business, philanthropy, and academia, Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez became the seventh president of Utah Valley University in 2018. She is the first woman to serve full-time as UVU president. Raised in the slums of the Philippines, Tuminez rose to become a world leader in the fields of technology and political science, most recently serving as an executive at Microsoft. She is also the former vice dean of Research and assistant dean of Executive Education at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. @uvu_president

Speakers

Reuben Ng, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore

Reuben Ng trained as a behavioural scientist at NUS, Oxford and Yale. He spent 16 years in government, consulting, and research. In government, he was in the Singapore Prime Minister’s Office driving evidence-based policymaking through data analytics and Singapore's Smart Nation strategies. In consulting, he co-built the advanced analytics practice at a top firm, and implemented complex analytics capabilities across industries and functions. He teaches courses on data analytics, behavioural insights, and policy innovation, and works with senior executives (C-suite) on their organisations’ transformation strategy. He serves on the advisory boards of agencies in finance and education.

Jamal Watson, Editor-at-large, Diverse: Issues of Higher Education

Dr. Jamal Watson is the former executive editor at Diverse: Issues In Higher Education and is currently an editor-at-large. Watson has written for the publication since 2005. A native of Philadelphia, Watson earned his bachelor’s degree in English and Theology from Georgetown University, a master's degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, a master's degree in Higher Education from the University of Delaware and a master's and a Ph.D. in Afro-American Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His writings have appeared in numerous publications including The Baltimore Sun and USA Today. He is the author of a forthcoming biography on the Reverend Al Sharpton. @jamalericwatson

Ramu Damodaran, Chief, United Nations Academic Impact

Ramu Damodaran is the Chief of the United Nations Academic Impact, Outreach Division in the United Nations Department of Global Communications, which aligns institutions of higher learning and research with the objectives of the UN, the Member States and the people who constitute it. His earlier posts with the Organization includes the Department of Peacekeeping and Special Political Questions, as well as the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. Mr. Damodaran worked for the Indian Foreign Service. He was promoted to the rank of Ambassador, and served as an Executive Assistant to the Prime Minister of India.