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V O L . X X I V N O. X V I 52 FA C T BO O K / D O I N G B U S I N E S S I N M A I N E B U S I N E S S R E S O U R C E S A s the nation's economy has evolved to be knowledge-based and technology-driven, Maine is well- positioned to produce the knowledge workers to fuel future growth. Many institutions of higher learn- ing are reinventing themselves to better serve both students and employers through the creation of more relevant curricula, more comprehensive career services and internship off erings, and more in-depth focus on the personal attributes critical to success in today's economy, including what are often referred to as soft skills — communica- tion, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. While there are institutions leading the way, our higher education enterprises as a whole and the many entities that regulate, fund and accredit them, are not changing fast enough. As the former state economist for three Maine governors and the current president of a small, nonprofi t, enroll- ment-driven college that has neither public funding nor a huge endowment to protect us from the unprecedented market disruptions and demographic forces, I live daily in the eye of the impending storm. Job guarantees Given that nearly 60% of the students that omas College serves are "fi rst- generation" college-goers who come from modest means, it is absolutely imperative that the college experience we provide equip them with the full com- plement of knowledge, skills and per- sonal attributes that ensures they are fully employable. To hold ourselves and our students accountable, we off er a suite of guarantees, including one of the nation's fi rst job guarantees. To qualify for the guarantee, our students need to keep up their grades (knowledge), participate in professional and career development programming and an internship (skills), and get involved in leadership develop- ment and community service over their four years (personal attributes). omas College has added a degree in digital marketing management in order to keep our marketing and busi- ness programs timely. We have evolved our teacher-training program through our Center for Innovation in Education to fully integrate the arts into a more tra- ditional STEM curriculum (STEAM), to model and teach profi ciency-based learning, and to provide opportunities for future teachers to experiment with cutting-edge technologies. New cybersecurity master's We've also created a program to inspire innovation and design thinking with our newly opened Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation, bring- ing resources to both students and area entrepreneurs looking to open their own businesses. And in fall 2018, we will add a master's degree in cybersecurity. Our Professional and Career Services Offi ce off ers a host of other skill- enhancement programming, including our highly innovative "golf guarantee." e vast majority of omas students hail from humble roots, and have most likely never set foot on a golf course. Given that a tremendous amount of networking, fundraising and business is transacted out on the fairways, our students could be at a distinct disadvan- tage to their wealthier peers. Introducing them to golf simply gives them another tool in their employability toolkit. To fully showcase our graduates' knowledge, skills and personal attributes, omas has developed a co-curricular transcript that allows our students to document and demonstrate their leader- ship development, community service, internship and job-shadow experience. ese, in addition to certifi cations and training in areas such as diversity aware- ness, will ensure that they will be a great colleague and a valuable addition to whatever workforce team they join. L L is president of omas College. She is member of New England Board of Higher Education's Commission on Higher Education & Employability. EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a condensed version of an op-ed that ran in the New England Journal of Higher Education. 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