WAVE Magazine 2019 - 2020 | Page 4

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Aiming Higher VOLUME 21 2019 - 2020 PUBLISHER Jacksonville University EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Scott Bacon Greetings from our lively campus here in Jacksonville, Florida! There is much to share with you since our last edition of our WAVE alumni magazine, including innovative programming, the addition of talented academic leaders, new buildings, renovations and classroom upgrades, and exciting new partnerships that expand opportunities for our students. Our University is gaining even more momentum, continuing us on an upward trajectory that enhances the experience of students here on campus and strengthens the value of a Jacksonville University degree. As recognition of our progress, in 2019 we climbed nearly 30 places in the highly- respected U.S. News & World Report rankings of top regional universities to achieve the highest rank in school history. It’s a milestone worth celebrating, but we are only getting started. While the progress we’ve made in the past several years is encouraging, we have more work ahead of us. Without question, the global world of work is evolving rapidly and those who can adapt will not just survive, but thrive. The latest Future of Jobs report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) found the current wave of technological advancement and automation will shrink the number of workers needed for certain tasks. The good news: increased demand for new roles will offset those lost jobs. Perhaps most noteworthy is the WEF also predicts the increasing value of “human skills” such as creativity, critical thinking, persuasion, emotional intelligence and resilience. This will require “a new surge of agile learners and skilled talent globally,” the WEF reported. In short, this means our commitment to the liberal arts and sciences is more critical than ever. Our students need a strong and broad foundation to fully develop their communication, creativity, complex problem solving, teamwork — skills not found online. In this issue, we explore a core question: how are we preparing students for the jobs of the future? We’ll examine some of the areas where disciplines are intersecting, and we’ll see how that integration is producing more versatile, agile leaders who are well- prepared to thrive in a shifting landscape. How poetic that our technology-saturated culture has amplified the need for uniquely human capabilities. The more we depend on advanced technologies and artificial intelligence, the more we will need the wisdom and judgment of well-educated and well-rounded Jacksonville University graduates. With confidence in our future, Tim Cost ’81 President Jacksonville University 4 NEWS MANAGING EDITOR & ART DIRECTOR Corie Biandis EDITOR Laura Phelps CONTRIBUTORS Alyssa Bourgoyne Laura Evans Lauren Griffith Brian Hudgins Thatiana Lott Jim Mullay Lilla Ross Chelsea Santoro Mary Anne Tuohy Jolly Rebecca Wilbourne Melanie Young ALUMNI 904.256.7201 • [email protected] MARKETING &   COMMUNICATIONS 904.256.7020 • [email protected] UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT 904.256.7095 • [email protected] CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO University Advancement Jacksonville University 2800 University Blvd. N. Jacksonville, FL 32211-3394 JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jason Altmire Laura Angelini Ken Babby Amy Berg JF Bryan Cynthia Barquist Chomiak ʼ83 Tim Cost ’81 (ex-officio) G. Ray Driver, Jr. Roseann Duran Jannet Walker Ford Dane Grey ʼ07 Robert E. Hill, Jr. Matthew Kane ʼ01 Steve Koegler ʼ67 Frank Martire John Miller Audrey Moran ʼ10 Lee A. Nimnicht ʼ90 George Scanlon John A. "Sandy" Semanik ʼ72 Jamie C. Shelton (Chairman) Gregory B. Smith Linda Berry Stein ʼ69 Kent Thielen Russ Thomas Rachel Vitti Nina Waters ʼ80 Will Weatherford ʼ02 All contents © 2019 Jacksonville University. All rights reserved.