T-Summit 2014 – a brief report
From Rick McMaster
In March, a wide range of interested individuals from around the world assembled at the IBM Almaden Research Laboratory to discuss how we “Cultivate Tomorrow’s Talent Today”. The conference was co-sponsored by Michigan State University and IBM and included participants from academia, foundations, government, industry, and professional organizations, all focused on how to encourage the growth of the T-shaped professional, “… characterized by their deep disciplinary knowledge in at least one area, an understanding of systems, and their ability to function as ‘adaptive innovators’ and cross the boundaries between disciplines.”

The goals of the conference were to

• Develop
• Understand
• Foster
• Establish
• Acknowledge
• Identify and
• Create

the necessary environment for the growth of “T”s.

After hearing from keynote speakers and panels that included university presidents and industry executives, the attendees were challenged to answer three questions in a breakout session,

1. If we can only meet the challenge of talent in the 21st century through partnerships as opposed to individual action, what are the actions that we must do together?
2. What do I need from others, in and outside of my organization, to make any partnership successful?
3. What do I uniquely bring to any partnership that will help meet the needs of others in order to make the efforts successful?

The groups were chosen carefully to include a variety of individual experiences and current positions. Each group had a facilitator and scribe. The scribe acted, not as a court recorder, but rather captured live, the essence of the discussion on each question in turn. In a separate room, three people analyzed the common themes across all of the 19 breakout groups to present to the whole assembly when it was reconvened – providing complete directions and recommended actions.

The effort resulted in these key points.

• We must elevate the public dialog, focusing on entrepreneurship and a global perspective. Students must define and work toward individual personal goals.
• We must develop a shared vocabulary and listen carefully to the liberal arts evangelists.
• We must connect all the stake holders: students, parents, non-profits, government, underserved populations and marginal, etc. We must bring in the skeptics and address their concerns.

A document has now been made available that provides a deeper understanding of the breakout session.

The dialog among the participants is continuing and action has already been taken towards fulfilling the recommendations. T-Summit 2015 will be hosted at Michigan State University, March 16-17, 2015. Mark your calendars!

Rick McMaster retired from IBM as the STEM Advocate last December but continues his work in “STEM and more” through occasional tweets and blogging, continuing to serve on various technical boards, and chairing the Central Texas Discover Engineering outreach. You can reach him at drrhmcm@gmail.com, for continuing discussion. He believes that you can’t start too early to form the “T”.

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