Tiffin University hosts Blue Sky Workshop with business executives, professionals

Tiffin, Ohio — Tiffin University’s President, Dr. Lillian Schumacher, hosted a Blue Sky Workshop on June 29. The workshop engaged over 35 business executives and professionals in critical discussions around key institutional strategies.

“As higher education faces challenging times, it is important for Tiffin University to understand and address these realities head on with a plan that is purposeful, proactive and intentional,” said Dr. Schumacher.

The workshop began with a keynote presentation by Joanne Soliday, Co-Founder of Credo, a higher education consulting firm. She detailed the challenges faced by higher education institutions but promised that “higher education is far from doomed.” Soliday explained that universities have the opportunity to pivot and reimagine how education is shaped, providing a new vision that brings students to their highest potential for the future.

After, participants broke into small groups for interactive brainstorming sessions. The main topics were student success, innovative teaching and learning, how to enrich workforce development, strategic alliances and dreaming big. The goal was to generate as many ideas as possible on how the University could achieve these strategic priorities.

“The opportunity Tiffin University had with this event was extraordinary,” said Ron Lonzo, Vice President for What’s Next – Strategic Innovation. “We were able to get a first-hand account to listen and understand what the business community wants and needs from TU graduates. The event also produced some very interesting and innovative strategies, markets, products and other ideas that TU can now take a deeper look at. It was exactly what we planned for.”