School of Business Hosts Community College Roundtable

On Friday, April 4th, the School of Business organized a roundtable session with colleagues from six local community colleges. This meeting could be considered the 9th annual meeting with colleagues from community colleges, even though the Woodbury organizing team elected for a more intimate setting this year.

The theme of this year was “Opportunities and Challenges in Today’s Higher Education World”, and representatives from Glendale Community College, Los Angeles Valley College, Pasadena City College, Los Angeles Mission College, Pierce College, and East Los Angeles College participated in a vivid dialogue that addressed the following areas:

• The reduced interest in obtaining a college degree
• The increasing call for online education
• The expanding use of AI in higher education deliverables

The participants shared experiences and insights from opposite sides on the spectrum:

• While they could understand the desire toward a career at lightnings speed, they also dwelled on the reality of a world that still demands formal education, and the ability to think critically and build solid arguments around decisions.
• While there was common agreement that online education will only expand due to the convenience it represents for both faculty and students alike, there was general agreement that the human connection suffers from a lack of personal connection.
• While the advantages and opportunities of artificial intelligence were acknowledged, there was also general concern about the effect this tool could have on future generations’ capability to engage in critical and creative thinking.

As has also become customary in this annual gathering, there were trivia questions, which resulted in participants winning Amazon gift baskets. All participants expressed their appreciation for the roundtable structure and the entire team agreed to increase these gatherings to twice a year – in the spring and the fall semester – instead of just once.