Purpose: This investigation examined the challenges faced by women in leadership positions in the US construction industry. The overall purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the challenges, and identify suitable practices, strategies and suggestions to support the employment and retention of women in the US construction…

Strong, ongoing collaboration between business and higher education offers a solution to a growing skill shortage. But to see changes at scale, partnerships must exist within an ecosystem that fosters regular communication, relays industry needs to the academic community, and demonstrates to educators the larger marketplace for those skills. This…

"Creating Purposeful Partnerships" offers insights into business-led regional talent ecosystems that facilitate access, alignment, and development of a prepared workforce with the skills necessary for companies' long-term success. The findings of this report serve as a playbook for CEOs and their executive teams for establishing…

ERM librarians discuss their approaches to electronic resources management for an academic library consortium, the University System of Maryland & Affiliated Institutions (USMAI). They focus on innovation and developing actionable strategies for procedures and policies.

Organizations are increasingly interested in improving the personal wellness of employees. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore perceptions of wellness and workplace influences among a diverse sample of employees (n = 22) in three Maryland industries. Data were collected using focus group methodology and integrating human needs…

A growing number of U.S. companies across a range of industries are designing apprenticeship programs to give workers access to on-the-job learning opportunities that allow them to transition into in-demand jobs and careers. This discussion paper provides a snapshot of the current state of apprenticeship in the United States based on interviews…

The BioHealth Capital Region (Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC; BHCR) is flush with colleges and universities training students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines and has one of the most highly educated workforces in the United States. However, current educational approaches and business recruitment tactics are…

With the leadership of community college educators and their industry partners, the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program has achieved an impressive record of incubating innovative science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. ATE's mission to increase the quality of technicians working…

University-community partnerships have always been an important part of Towson University's mission and charge as an anchor institution in the Baltimore metropolitan region. After the recent unrest in Baltimore, these partnerships are more important than ever. This paper will explore Towson's institutional partnership governance and new…

Women are underrepresented in highway, street, and bridge construction where employment is projected to grow by more than 20 percent until 2022. Creating sustainable pathways into construction careers fills critical hiring needs for industry while improving economic security for women, as these jobs typically provide family-supporting wages with…

The Professional Science Master's Biotechnology program at the University of Maryland University College developed and implemented a novel online mentoring program to increase synergy with the biotechnology industry. In this program, Master's students are paired with mentors from the biotechnology industry. A mentor assistant, who is a graduate of…

This publication shares research from site visits conducted to construction pre-apprenticeship programs in Baltimore, Hartford, Milwaukee and Portland (OR). Findings from the site visits, which included interviews and focus groups with pre-apprenticeship program staff, public officials, philanthropic leaders, construction industry leaders and…

This article features the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), which becomes the first historically Black university (HBCU) to receive a PGA Professional Golf Management Program. The PGA/PGM[TM] University Program is a four-and-a-half-year structured college curriculum for aspiring PGA professionals. The educational program is accredited…

"Research Library Issues" ("RLI") is a bimonthly report from ARL (Association of Research Libraries), CNI (Coalition of Networked Information), and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). This issue includes the following articles: (1) ARL Encourages Members to Refrain from Signing Nondisclosure or…

This qualitative research study utilized the grounded theory tradition to examine organizational structures and processes in a purposefully selected sample of American universities that have established and maintained partnerships with industry. Institutional leaders from the corporate relations offices from fifteen of the top research…