Shatrela Washington-Hubbard, Ph.D., Swinton A. Griffith III Dean of Brenau University’s Jacobs College of Business and Media, recently shared her expertise at events aimed at expanding industry partnerships.
In September, Washington-Hubbard spoke at the Small Business Seminar, an event hosted by the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. She talked about the importance of small businesses partnering with higher education institutions to expand their capabilities.
“Small businesses often don’t have enough personnel to expand their capabilities, so I suggested that they consider partnering with higher education institutions,” Washington-Hubbard said. “By doing so, students can gain practical experience while businesses can fulfill some of their needs. My goal is to ensure that small businesses realize that students need the opportunities to have hands-on experience, and small businesses can expand their capabilities while also developing a talent pipeline.”
The Jacobs College is focused on partnering with industry partners to provide students with experiential learning opportunities through work-based learning, internships and research, Washington-Hubbard said.
“Community Connection Day is one of the events organized by the college where we invite local community and industry partners to network with our students,” Washington-Hubbard said. “Students get to practice their networking and communication skills while connecting with partners who might become their mentors or employers.”
Washington-Hubbard also served as a panelist at a leadership and artificial intelligence forum organized by the Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 13. She discussed the need to prepare students to meet industry demands as new technologies evolve.
“We cannot ignore that artificial intelligence is here to stay and that industries are looking for students who have a skill set to work with it and other emerging technologies,” Washington-Hubbard said. “With that, we want to ensure that students are prepared for the new characteristics of entry-level positions. We want to ensure that they have some level of training before graduating and that they are prepared at a high level so that our graduates are competitive and prepared for high-caliber positions within the workforce.”
Coming up during the spring semester, Washington-Hubbard will present at SXSW EDU, an education conference that celebrates innovation, experimentation and learning through a wide range of sessions, workshops and mentorships. She is one of the panelists who will present “Making Work-Based Learning Accessible Through the Curriculum,” which will discuss ways in which colleges and universities can design work-based learning experiences that serve students while providing hands-on training. The conference will take place in Austin, Texas, from March 13-16, 2027.
