DVIDS – News – USNCC President Speaks at CLO Symposium
SAN DIEGO – U.S. Naval Community College’s President Randi Cosentino, Ed.D. spoke at the Chief Learning Officer Symposium on October 16, 2023.
The 19th annual CLO Symposium provides an opportunity for leaders in learning and development to share their perspectives, approaches and lessons on learning environments and their impact on organizations and the career journeys of employees.
During the “Innovate to Elevate: Mastering the Future of Workforce Excellence” panel, she spoke on how innovative learning methodologies, emerging technologies and forward-thinking leadership can reshape the workforce into an agile and future-ready powerhouse.
“It was a pleasure to participate in the CLO symposium and discuss the impact that organizations can have when they invest in targeted educational opportunities for their employees,” said Cosentino. “Whether in the government, military, or in the private sector, we are all facing a changing work landscape and education is a critical path to meet tomorrow’s needs.”
USNCC innovates the way it provides naval-relevant education to its workforce in a way that supports a globally-deployed force. In a recent internal survey, 82% of students perceived that the Naval Studies Certificate, the core of every degree program offered at the school, was relevant to their naval service, and 79% perceived that the skills they learned in the program was relevant to their service as an enlisted member. These were from the perspectives of Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen based on eight terms between the spring of 2022 and the fall of 2023.
The Naval Studies Certificate is a five-course, 15-credit academic credential that has taken general education courses such as philosophy and history and navalized them.
“For example, we take a business school approach to naval history,” said Russ Evans, dean of naval studies at USNCC. “This means that we look at historical battles and historical figures through the case study approach and see how we can apply those principles to today’s naval service.”
This Naval Studies Certificate is built into each of the 60-credit-average associate degree programs at USNCC. These include degree programs in military studies, organizational leadership, nuclear engineering technology, cybersecurity, aviation maintenance technology, uncrewed systems, maritime logistics, and data analytics, with more naval-relevant degree programs planned over the next two years. Each of these degree programs are open to active duty enlisted Sailors from the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.
“Education is a critical path to help meet tomorrow’s workforce challenges as well as to prepare employees for a lifetime of career success,” said Cosentino.
The United States Naval Community College is the official community college for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. To get more information about the USNCC, go to www.usncc.edu. Click on the student interest form link to learn how to be a part of the USNCC.