West Virginia University President Jim Clements has been selected as a member of the Business-Higher Education Forum, the nation’s oldest organization of senior business and higher education executives dedicated to advancing innovative solutions to U.S. education and workforce challenges as well as issues related to global competitiveness.
Clements will join BHEF’s other members – executives of Fortune 500 companies and prominent college and university leaders – this coming Thursday and Friday (Feb. 21-22) at the organization’s winter meeting in Washington, the Forum’s first meeting since Clements’ appointment this winter.
“I am honored to be selected and see this as a recognition for the success WVU is having as a flagship, land-grant, research university,” Clements said. “The Business-Higher Education Forum is an extraordinary group, that goes beyond dialogue to truly work on projects that develop the workforces in our states and regions. I am both humbled and excited to begin my service this week.”
Sean O’Keefe, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of EADS North America and chair of BHEF’s Membership Committee, said Clements’ “affinity for strategic partnerships makes him a natural fit.”
“Our corporate members value the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with top-notch university leaders as together, we address our nation’s most pressing workforce issues. Jim’s expertise will be a tremendous asset.”
In June 2012, BHEF launched the Forum’s first cohort of national and regional Workforce Projects. There were 12 projects in California, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin. The Forum is now in the process of rolling-out Cohort II and encouraging members to begin considering possible projects, which will be announced in June.
“As a leader within the public land-grant university community and coming from a University that strongly supports and heavily invests in STEM and related high-demand fields, Jim will bring vital counsel to the development of Cohort II of BHEF’s regional workforce projects,” said Forum member Brit Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland. “I look forward to working with him as BHEF strengthens its national network of workforce solutions.”
Clements BHEF membership is the latest in a growing list of national leadership appointments including secretary of the Council of Presidents of the Association of Public Land-grant Universities, which places him on the executive committee; co-chair of the APLU Energy Forum and chair of the American Council on Education’s Commission on Leadership. He was the only university president selected to join a 15-member Innovation Advisory Board to the U.S. Department of Commerce. He also participated in the 81st Joint Civilian Orientation Conference through the U.S. Department of Defense.
For more information on BHEF, go to http://www.bhef.com.
