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8 Hartford Business Journal • April 24, 2017 www.HartfordBusiness.com FOCUS EDUCATION New UHart president shapes ambitious goals for future By Patricia Daddona pdaddona@HartfordBusiness.com A s Gregory Wood- ward prepares to take over as presi- dent of the University of Hartford July 1, he's got some ambitious goals. Woodward, who is fin- ishing his fifth and final academic year as presi- dent of Carthage College in Kenosha, Wis., wants to double UHart's $150 million endowment and boost a 71 percent first- to second-year student retention rate by 10 per - centage points. He'll also have some big shoes to fill, tak- ing over the reins from longtime President Wal- ter Harrison, who says his replacement shares the vision and values that have helped shape the school over the last two decades. "He's articulate, char- ismatic and deeply ana- lytical," said Harrison of his successor. "He's very comfortable understand- ing numbers and com- bines that with his own personal skills. It's a great combination." During his Carthage College tenure, Woodward led a smaller, liberal arts school of about 3,000 stu- dents that faced some of the same challenges as UHart does, though the latter has a preponderance of professional schools and a total under- graduate and graduate population of about 7,000. Key issues facing Woodward, he and Harrison said in separate interviews, include growing that endowment and helping struggling freshmen make it to sophomore year and graduate. Woodward said he also hopes to amplify diversity, introduce a core curriculum designed to imbue the uni- versity with a stronger identity and continue to foster pro- ductive relationships with the surrounding community. A composer, saxophone and clarinet player, athlete, and scholar, Woodward has spent nearly four decades working in many higher-education roles. Under his leadership, Carthage recently completed a 10-year strategic plan, "Carthage in the Year 2025." He also created Carthage's first president's diversity task force. Raised in West Hartford, Woodward said he decided to answer a search consultant's call to apply for the top UHart post, literally while in the hospital waiting room as his wife, Penny, underwent cancer surgery. Her illness is stable now but they both decided to return to Connecticut to be closer to family here and in the Northeast. Strategic decisions At Carthage, Woodward had a hand in attracting two of the largest gifts the college ever received, and guided completion of a five-year $35 million fundraising cam- paign, raising $50 million in three years. "The challenge with [UHart] is almost always financial," said Harrison, suggesting that tripling the endowment would help sustain the university over the long term. That challenge is "part of the function of being a relatively young university. Most of our funding is driven by tuition, and room and board fees." Woodward said quintupling the endowment would be even better, but he hopes to double it during his tenure so that future presidents can move the needle after him. He also raised Carthage's retention rate by 10 per- centage points during his time there from 71 percent to 81 percent, and hopes in five years to do the same at UHart, he said. Improving the already diverse mix of undergradu- ates — Harrison says 39 percent are students of color — is another goal Woodward shares with Harrison. Woodward also would like to introduce a broad "core curriculum" — a common educational experience for all students that prepare them for life. Students may take a handful of courses now but he would like to see more substantial requirements — and ones that may even include community service, he said. "Young people are going to change their jobs seven or eight times in their lives," he explained. "A lot of the careers they're going to be educated for are going to exist, but a lot aren't going to exist. But it is that core of being a broadly educated person that will not only make you a better professional but also make you a bet- ter citizen, an educated person of the world." Harrison also believes the university has room to grow, possibly from 7,000 to 7,500 pupils. Woodward said he'd lean toward preserving its current size. Q&A $315M manufacturing software grant aims to shrink CT's skills gap Q&A talks to Tony Hemmelgarn, president and CEO of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management software, a business unit of the Sie- mens Digital Factory division. Q: Siemens recently donated $315 million worth of state-of-the- art manufacturing and product design software to the Connect- icut State Colleges and Universi- ties (CSCU) system. What does the grant entail and what was behind partnering with CSCU? A: Siemens has about 200 employ- ees in the state of Connecticut and about 200 high-tech companies that use Siemens Product Lifecycle Manage - ment (PLM) soft- ware. Given our strong presence in the state, we saw a great opportunity to initiate an academic partnership with Connecticut's com - munity colleges — similar to existing relationships we have in other states. The in-kind grant includes NX software — a product for com- puter-aided design, manufactur- ing and engineering — which will benefit CSCU students in the advanced manufacturing program and will also be made available through continuing education and youth career development programs. NX soft- ware provides capabilities for fast, efficient and flexible prod- uct development, including: con- ceptual design, 3D modeling, and simulation applications. The software provides pre- cise modeling as a product moves from design to prototype through a streamlined manufacturing pro- cess that provides instant feedback and allows product developers to make adjustments in real time. Additionally, NX software includes tools such as convergent modeling, topology optimization and 3D print preparation that are developed spe- cifically to industrialize additive manufacturing, which is trans- forming the way manufacturers think about product design. Introducing these tools to students in the classroom could help shape how they approach design, with the potential to help them drive advances that could significantly accelerate the adop- tion of 3D printing. Q: How are students going to be taught the software? Does Siemens teach the teachers? Or provide the instructors? A: Siemens provides the instruc- tors at CSCU with support on how to use the software, so they in turn can teach their students. We are committed to the long- term success of this academic partnership, and we will be there to support CSCU as they integrate this soft- ware grant into their curriculum. Siemens provides all students and teach- ers at its academic partners with free access to Learning Advantage, a compre- hensive online learn- ing tool with software training and industry best practices. Q: This seems like an interesting approach to work- place development, but what is the return on investment for Siemens? What does the company want to accomplish? A: Manufacturing today is increasingly software-driven. Innovation cycles are getting shorter, while products are becom- ing more complex — from smart watches to smart cars. Today's world of advanced manufacturing requires workers with demonstrat- ed skills in the STEM disciplines — science, technology, engineering and math. But as a manufacturer with about 60 production sites across the U.S., we frequently see a shortage of trained workers who are ready for today's advanced manufacturing environment — what is known as a 'skills gap.' We believe that closing this 'skills gap' starts with industry, educators and policymakers working together to place a focus on training-based curriculum. As a result, we are collaborating with academic partners to provide stu- dents with hands-on experience in industrial strength software to help prepare a highly-skilled STEM workforce for America's advanced manufacturing industry. Siemens sees industrial re- skilling as essential to strength- ening American manufacturing. As software plays an increasing role in the next era of manufactur- ing, Siemens provides design and manufacturing software to more TONY HEMMELGARN President and CEO of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management software Continued Continued Incoming University of Hartford President Gregory Woodward stands by a sculpture outside the administration building at UHart during a recent visit. His tenure begins July 1. H B J P H O T O | P A T R I C I A D A D D O N A