FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bonnie Kniss 630.955.2090 Lisle, Ill. (December 9, 2011) – Choose DuPage and the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities hosted “Bridging the Great Divide,” a business and education forum at the College of DuPage Thursday, Nov. 8. The forum began with opening remarks from County Board Member John Curran, District 3, and Dr. Robert Breuder, president and CEO of the College of DuPage. Choose DuPage President and CEO Greg Bedalov served as the panel moderator. The panel featured: Dr. Larry Carroll, executive director of the Center for Professional Excellence at Elmhurst College; Dr. Joseph Collins, executive vice president of the College of DuPage; Lois Grubb, vice president of human resources at Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare; Dave Johnson, executive vice president, treasurer and CFO of Molex Incorporated; Jason Kamp, vice president of sales and operations at MarketSphere Consulting, LLC; Dr. Anne Kaplan, vice president of division of outreach, engagement and information technologies at Northern Illinois University; Jim Vick, dean of student central at the Addison, Ill. campus of DeVry University, Julie K. Wood, chief people officer at Crowe Horwath LLP, and Lois Grubb, healthcare vice president of human resources for Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare. “Our goal is to increase awareness of higher education resources available to business and industry in DuPage County, increase understanding of the barriers and opportunities for effective collaboration, and create opportunities to match businesses with educational resources,” Bedalov said. “The Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities is focused on improving employment pathways for students as well as access to higher education.” said David Tretter, Federation President. “We’re excited to host this event with Choose DuPage and our public institution partners.” Topics of discussion included the divide between business and education, the gap in skills necessary for employment, local versus global labor markets, preparing for the jobs of tomorrow, and costs. “If we do not meet the needs and expectations of the community we serve, if we are not dynamic, if we are not change-focused and oriented, we are going to fall out of sync with the community we serve, in which case we become attenuated and not the viable institutions you expect us to be.” said Dr. Robert Breuder, president and CEO of the College of DuPage.

---

Choose DuPage: Choose DuPage is the public/private nonprofit countywide economic development organization that promotes DuPage County as a premier business location. In the face of regional and global competition for business investment, Choose DuPage has championed critical and visionary leadership from the public and private sectors of DuPage County, partnering with the 39 communities to:  Support local municipal economic development initiatives Grow, retain and attract businesses Address policy issues critical to the needs of business Leverage assets and partnerships Connect with state, regional and local public resources Promote a coordinated marketing message and county identity To learn more, visit www.choosedupage.com The Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities: The Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities is the oldest private college association in the nation. The Federation is an advocacy organization that represents the public policy interests of Illinois’ non- profit private colleges and universities. With a membership of 61 institutions from all regions of the state, the Federation is a unified voice on behalf of the independent sector of higher education in Illinois. To learn more, visit www.federationedu.org -###- View the PDF