NCTA President and Former FCC Chairman Michael Powell,

Tech Pioneer and Education Visionary Scott McNealy to Deliver Keynotes

 From e-classes and e-books to open-source curricula and global universities, technology is changing what it means to go to college. The 3rd annual HigherEdTECHTM Summit will bring together the catalysts who are leading this change, along with their most promising digital innovations. HigherEdTECH Summit will take place on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 from 8 AM – 5:45 PM at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

 

Headlining HigherEdTECH will be two prominent voices in technology and education: morning keynote speaker Michael Powell, president and CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); and closing keynote speaker Scott McNealy, co-founder and former chairman and president of Sun Microsystems, founder, Curriki.org, and chairman, Wayin, Inc.

 

During Mr. Powell’s tenure at the FCC, the Commission oversaw tremendous change and marketplace growth in the telecommunications sector. Powell focused on initiatives to encourage market-driven solutions that promote consumer interests. In addition to his current role at NCTA, Powell serves on a number of non-profit boards, including America’s Promise, where he co-chairs Grad Nation, an effort to end the high school dropout crisis.

 

An iconic tech pioneer, McNealy co-founded Sun Microsystems, Inc. in 1982, serving as chief executive officer and chairman of Sun’s board of directors for 28 years. From his unique vantage point of technology pioneer and education visionary, Mr. McNealy will assess the current state of higher education and offer original thinking on what needs to change and how. He will be interviewed by Kenneth C. (K.C.) Green, director, The Campus Computing Project.

 

“Michael Powell and Scott McNealy are two of the most distinguished and thoughtful leaders in the technology arena, and their commitment to education is long-standing,” said Jinny Goldstein, co-founder and executive producer of HigherEdTECH. “Their appearances will be the cornerstones of a jam-packed day of provocative discussions, debates and demos with leaders from higher education, the tech industry, journalism and foundations.”

 

Added Goldstein: “We are also pleased to announce that for the second consecutive year, The Chronicle of Higher Education is our exclusive media partner for HigherEdTECH and to express our appreciation to the foundations and sponsors who have made HigherEdTECH possible.”

 

Kicking off the 2012 HigherEdTECH Summit will be the Bagel and Bandwidth Breakfast and Roundtable. James L. Applegate, vice president for program development at the Lumina Foundation, will present “The Imperative to Redesign Higher Education.” Lumina’s “Big Goal,” is to dramatically increase educational attainment in the U.S. leading to 60% of Americans achieving high-quality degrees and credentials by 2025.

 

Immediately following Mr. Applegate’s remarks, Vineet Madan, vice president of strategy and business development, McGraw-Hill Higher Education; and Mehdi Maghsoodnia, CEO, BookRenter.com, will join him on stage for a roundtable discussion moderated by Josh Fischman, senior editor, science and technology, The Chronicle of Higher Education.

 

A full day of provocative panel discussions and cutting-edge demos will follow the opening keynote by Michael Powell:

Technology Innovation in Higher Education – Disruptive or Destructive? Moderated by Michael B. Horn, executive director, education, Innosight Institute, the panel will feature Andrew S. Clark, founder, CEO and president, Bridgepoint Education; Gunnar Counselman, founder and CEO, Fidelis; and Pamela K. Quinn, LeCroy Center Provost, Dallas County Community College District.

High-Tech Backpack, moderated by John Ittelson, professor emeritus, California State University – Monterey Bay; and liaison, California Virtual Campus. Dr. Ittleson will be joined by Andy Van Schaack, chief scientist and senior science advisor, Livescribe; James Caras, president and CEO, Sapling Learning; and Dale Dougherty, founder and general manager, Maker Media.

During lunch, attendees will have a chance to use i>clicker technology to compare their choices to the “Top 10 HigherEdTECH Trends to Watch in 2012,” selected by the editors of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Wired Campus” news website.

From Dewey to Digital: Are E-Books, Tablets and Digital Content Coming of Age? Moderated by Mr. Green of The Campus Computing Project, this panel will feature James P. Danky of the Future of Print Project at the Center for the History of Print and Digital Culture at University of Wisconsin – Madison; Sean Devine, CEO, CourseSmart; Matt MacInnis, founder and CEO, Inkling; Vineet Madan from McGraw-Hill Higher Education; and Osman Rashid, co-founder and CEO, Kno.

Educators & Entrepreneurs: Next Generation Partnerships, moderated by Josh Jarrett, Deputy Director for postsecondary student success at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the panel will feature Jose Ferreira, founder and CEO, Knewton; Paul Freedman, founder and CEO, Altius Education, Inc.; Karen Symms Gallagher, Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean, The Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California; and Burck Smith, president, StraighterLine

High-Tech U, will feature Angela Y. Linn, manager, YouTube Education; Brad Simon, president, EyeSee360, Inc.; and Scott Corcoran, general manager, Steelcase Education Solutions.

Courting and Keeping Students in the Digital Age moderated by Josh Fischman, senior editor, science and technology, The Chronicle of Higher Education, will feature panelists Matthew Pittinsky, CEO, Parchment; Amjed Saffarini, executive director, pre-health programs, Kaplan Test Prep; Fred Singer, CEO, Echo 360; and Troy Williams, vice president and general manager, MacMillan New Ventures.

 

Produced by Jinny Goldstein, the HigherEdTECH Summit will conclude with a networking reception nearby.

 

For the first time ever at CES, HigherEdTECH will offer curated tours of the CES show floor for K-12 and College and University educators. The tours will take place on January 12, with guides John Ittelson of the California Virtual Campus and Mike Lawrence of CUE.

 

More information about HigherEdTECH is at www.higheredtechsummit.com.

 

About HigherEdTECH

HigherEdTECH 2012 is where higher education and technology converge at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, NV. To be held on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, HigherEdTECH will be an exciting mash-up of educators, technology visionaries, journalists and academic publishers. The HigherEdTECH Summit is presented by Living in Digital Times, producer of the following summits and exhibitions at CES: Digital Health, Fitness Tech, Kids@Play, MommyTech, Mobile Apps Showdown and Last Gadget Standing. For more information about HigherEdTECH, visit www.higheredtechsummit.com.