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Lakeland
3433 Winter Lake Road
Lakeland, FL 33803
(863) 667-7077
Fax (863) 667-7097
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Contact:
Tom Hagerty
(863)
667-7077
Dr. Marshall Goodman,
VP and CEO of USF Lakeland
LAKELAND,
FL (January 23, 2008) - For Marshall Goodman, VP and CEO of the University of South Florida Lakeland, attending the world’s largest technology trade show helps him position the university to prepare today’s graduates for tomorrow’s jobs
Held in Las Vegas Jan. 7-10, the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show is the world's biggest platform for new technology. Goodman traveled with a group from Polk County that included Rea Burleson, director, university computer systems, USF Lakeland; Tom Patton, executive director, Central Florida Development Council; and Steve Scruggs, executive director, Lakeland Economic Development Council.
“As we become a polytechnic university we need to know where technology is going and what type of graduate companies want to hire,” says Goodman. “We must make sure we have programs not for what was needed five years ago but for what is needed five years into the future.”
Students nationwide increasingly want to study e-commerce, e-learning, nanotechnology and biotechnology. Those programs, notes Goodman, didn’t exist 10 years ago.
“That’s the 21st Century,” he says. “You have to think globally and see clearly what type of graduate companies will need. Information technology is very strongly in demand. Employers want networkers – people who can make all this technology work, and work together.
“The wireless world is coming, and telecommunications will also be a huge growth area. When I sit down with our faculty and administration, as we decide where to grow our programs, I have a much stronger sense of where USF Lakeland should be.
Tom Patton says Polk County must do more to prepare for high-tech opportunities.
“We need a polytechnic university with a research element and a business incubator. We need USF Lakeland. That is imperative if we want to compete.”
Goodman estimates 98 percent of the companies at CES were small companies.
“It wasn’t just Apple, HP and Microsoft,” he says. “They’re just the tip of the iceberg. I met lots of entrepreneurs. With a business incubator, USF Lakeland can become a magnet for high-tech development in Central Florida.”
At CES the Polk delegation attended separate seminars and events, getting together afterward to compare notes.
“Debriefing was key,” says Goodman.”It helped us all get more out of the experience. It was great to go as a team from Polk County.”
Steve Scruggs concurs: “I learned a lot. It was awesome to go to the different sessions and see technology applied for you onstage. It was great to see what’s available today and what’s coming in the next year or two. It was overwhelming. I’m still digesting it all. “
Rea Burleson agrees: “It was very informative for all of us to learn about all the emerging and maturing technology.”
At next year’s event Goodman hopes to see a booth showcasing Polk County and the High Tech Corridor.
“That will help put Central Florida on the map,” he says. “We have a wide-open opportunity. Florida is positioned to be the gateway to Latin America and South America. We already have a bilingual workforce, so let’s take advantage of the opportunity “
To prepare for that opportunity, says Scruggs, “We need to use technology to our advantage. For example, I need to make sure we have the best website in the country for economic development, one that gives clients the information they need in the best format.
“CES reinforced my belief in technology and will affect my decision-making process as we promote economic development.”
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