Local Solutions Conference 2016

Leading Resilience through Leading Institutions

Leading Resilience through Leading Institutions

Higher education organizations serve as a community-based institution of learning and therefore have a large role in communities and their economic and environmental resilience. Campuses also serve as a living lab, provide programming, curriculum, career pathways, and community leadership, all critical to a community’s resilience. This session highlighted the latest trends in higher education and resilience planning. Attendees explored the American Association of Community College’s (AACC) report, “A Guide to Climate Resiliency & the Community College” where they learned about tools and resources available to support their communities. This presentation reviewed a practical resilience agenda that considers jobs, economic development, training partnerships, and evolving programs through case studies surrounding energy efficiency, emergency response, green infrastructure, healthcare, and cross-sector planning for student success. Attendees gained a greater understanding of the capacity and role of community colleges and a framework to support partnerships in the community, as well as set of tools to support the work.

Presenters:
John Dyer, Director of Workforce and Economic Development, American
Association of Community Colleges
Amanda Kosty, Project Coordinator of Workforce and Economic Devel- opment, American Association of Community Colleges