Top Five Smeal Lifelong Learning Webinars You Cannot Miss
CSCR® is no stranger to lifelong learning. The very essence of the center’s excellence is its ability to provide the tools and resources necessary for our corporate partners to advance their professional development.
Cindi Satterfield, senior programs manager at Smeal Lifelong Learning, has worked at Smeal for over 12 years and has been amazed at the research, knowledge and exquisite skill of the faculty.
Satterfield saw the opportunity, got the go-ahead from supply chain professor and acting Senior Associate Dean at the time, Dr. Russel Barton, and soon began to spearhead webinars and podcasts led by professors themselves.
“Like most people, I love stories and basically, I am a collector of stories!” Satterfield said. “Not only do the webinars help keep us up on trends, but also they allow us to hear people’s stories involving what research professors feel is relevant, why alumni love their companies, what experiences alumni have found valuable, what career advice have they gained from their experience and why they love Penn State and Smeal.”
Satterfield champions these webinars because of how relevant the topics are whether it be communication, leadership, supply chain or employee activism.
The following are the top five webinars (both past and future) that Satterfield recommends for career development and supply chain growth!
January 22, 2020
Presented by Dr. Andy "Duane" Gustafson
Description: Leading a modern diverse workforce can feel more challenging than at any other point in history. Today’s leaders may be faced with simultaneously managing a more experienced “Baby Boomer” well into their 60s and a newly minted college graduate, of “Generation Z”, just beginning their 20s. An effective leader must understand, appreciate, and navigate the complex and sometimes conflicting values and norms of many different generations: boomers, millennials, generations X, Y, and Z. To add to the complexity of these leadership challenges, the channels, modes of communication, and technologies by which to frame and communicate a strategic vision has grown exponentially in the last 10 years, with each generation having preferences and rules for how they wish to communicate. Join Dr. Andy Gustafson as he explores some of the commonalities and differences of generations uncovering applied strategies for inspiring different generations, looks at contemporary practices of framing and communicating strategic vision as well as providing concrete interpersonal influence tactics that help get employees’ strategic vision buy-in, and explores the pros and cons of each offering best practices for utilizing forms of technology to communicate with employees.
December 11, 2019
How Companies are Using Data to Create the Next Generation of Supply Chains
Presented by Steve Tracy
Description: For decades, supply chain professionals have been tasked with keeping product moving seamlessly. But recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and the Internet of Things (IoT) have dramatically changed the way we can do things now and in the future. Traditional methods and thinking can no longer compete with the flexibility, speed, and accuracy of the latest technologies. Are you ready to harness your people, data, and technology to change culture and processes and drive transformational insights across your enterprise? Welcome to the era of the cognitive supply chain. Join Smeal expert, Steve Tracey, as he explores the possibilities of this new mindset and management of your supply chain. At the end, Steve answers questions from the audience.
November 6, 2019
Leadership for a Changing World
Presented by Dr. Albert Vicere
Description: Today's leaders are faced with a daunting challenge: maintaining performance and profitability while at the same time evolving their organizations to accommodate the new structures and technologies demanded by our rapid-paced, networked economy. This highly interactive workshop will help leaders to assess their personal readiness--and that of their organization--to take advantage of the opportunities presented in today's unprecedented environment of change and innovation. It is not a checklist of "how to's," but rather a thoughtful examination of major business trends, your organization's readiness to deal with them, and the leadership approaches you can use to take advantage of the opportunities and challenges they present.
October 9, 2019
Employee Activism: A New Kind of Disruption
Presented by Dr. Forrest Briscoe
Moderated by Dr. Michelle Darnell
Description: Employee activism is an increasingly relevant topic, as younger cohorts of workers tend to want companies that are socially responsible. Some people think social activism has no place in the workplace. Others may think the phenomenon is valid, but it depends on the perceived politics of the social issue that employees are pushing (think LGBT employee rights, climate change, etc.). How can today’s professionals become effective change agents at work, trying to make their employers into better corporate citizens, but without losing their jobs. On the other end, in this job market, how can leadership deal with employee activism while continuing to attract and retain talented millennial employees depends on a culture of corporate social responsibility? Forrest reviewed recent research on this topic, including his own, as well as offering practical suggestions!
February 27, 2019
Online Graduate Business Programs: Advancing Your Career through Lifelong Learning
Presented by Dr. Brian Cameron and Stacey Dorang-Peeler
Description: Our speakers, Dr. Brian Cameron and Stacey Dorang Peeler, talked about the need in the industry for higher education and that master’s degrees are more and more expected for certain positions. They discussed different factors and questions to consider when choosing a master’s or a license program. Additionally, our speakers presented the programs Smeal has and the benefits of choosing those specifically. Questions posed during the webinar were answered throughout and at the end of the presentation.
All other webinars can be accessed through this link: Smeal Alumni Career Services Webinar Library!