Experiential Learning as a requirement for workforce-ready graduates
By St. Thomas University President David A. Armstrong, J.D.
In the Spring of 2023, St. Thomas University (STU) held commencement ceremonies for its largest graduating class in its over sixty-year history. In many ways, the Class of 2023 will be like no other that has come before them. A cursory glance at their transcripts will undoubtedly miss a small, marked check box, dubbed Experiential Learning Requirement. Despite its small place on each graduate’s academic record, its impact on their college education and career path is immeasurable.
Four years ago, as part of our strategic vision for St. Thomas University, I proposed to elevate experiential learning to a requirement for all students earning a Bachelor’s degree at STU, as I had done during my prior presidentship. With the support of faculty and staff, experiential learning as a requirement for graduation was inscribed into the university’s five-year strategic plan, “Limitless.”
The decision to prioritize real-world experience was made after years of dialogue with heads of industry in the state of Florida and beyond. These conversations inevitably led to the very real need for graduates to enter the workforce already possessing essential career skills. STU, as far as we know, is the only university in Florida to have experiential learning as a requirement for graduation across the curriculum.
At St. Thomas University, experiential learning can come in several forms: co-ops, internships, practicums, study abroad, research, academic competition, apprenticeships, and other approved, faculty-supervised activities that demonstrate a relevant connection to a student’s field of study, and that advance students’ understanding of work beyond the classroom. While the stated requirement for graduation is fifty hours, STU faculty encourages students to infuse experiential learning into their academic journey beyond the required hours and throughout their four years of study. The goal is to produce workforce-ready graduates in multiple academic disciplines who possess essential career skills — like problem-solving, critical thinking, and oral and written communication — that are necessary for professional success.
When renowned management consultant Peter Drucker stated, “The best way to predict the future is to create it,” he might not have imagined a shortfall of 59,100 nurses in Florida by 2035, as predicted by the Florida Hospital Association. At STU, our Nursing program is creating a sustainable future by educating and training nurses whose Experiential Learning opportunities have taught them to collaborate within the organizations they serve and work together to improve patient care and health outcomes. STU nurses will aid in filling the nursing shortfall not just in numbers but also in ability. They will be capable of high-level critical analysis, problem-solving, and reasoning, all cradled by compassionate patient care. As St. Thomas University works to better Florida’s future, so is the state legislature working to provide college students with a funding vehicle that enables them to choose smaller, private institutions more suited to their personal learning style. For STU nurses, in particular, Florida’s Effective Access to Student Education Program (EASE), a college voucher, is a financial lifeline, allowing them to choose private education and to complete their degrees ready to take on the healthcare challenges ahead.
Arguably, no skills will be in greater need in the coming years than those usually categorized as soft skills, but those are considered essential at STU. All St. Thomas University graduates will leave here equipped with a tested range of interpersonal skills developed through their hours of Experiential Learning. Dependability, integrity, and honesty will be at the core of their work ethic. Leadership, the most requested of skills, is hard-coded into STU’s mission: St. Thomas is a Catholic university with rich cultural and international diversity committed to the academic and professional success of its students who become ethical leaders in our global community. In 2019, STU established the Institute for Ethical Leadership, offering Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees. Beyond the theoretical, students in the Ethical Leadership program work on tangible applications of leadership in the field, practicing what they study as they fulfill their experiential learning requirements. Ethical leadership promotes transparency and accountability and aims to build bridges in politics, religion, and race, establishing trust and credibility and creating an environment of engagement and productivity.
Productivity will be bolstered through AI (Artificial Intelligence) and other emergent technologies, which are set to bring significant changes to the workplace. Bill Gates foresaw that “information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven.” Technical competence and adaptability to emergent technologies continue to be essential career skills, and the speed at which modern technologies are developed and adopted is only poised to increase. Through a partnership with Apple, every STU first-year student is equipped with a pre-loaded iPad, used by professors to deliver timely course content and used by the students to complete assignments. While the iPads can be employed to complete traditional tasks, such as writing papers, and online research, they can also run apps that show trends in the stock market, aid in analyzing big data, and provide predictive analytics. As more and more technology companies migrate to Florida, the projected number of tech-related jobs in the state is slated to top 500,000. Florida college graduates must be provided with the tools and necessary technological competencies to land those jobs successfully.
While technological fluency and digital skills are sure to be differentiators in the workforce of the future, more traditional liberal arts skills such as communication, research, cultural competence, and ethical reasoning must not be discarded. STU’s Biscayne College, which houses our liberal arts programs, arms students with tools that play a vital role in fostering well-rounded individuals. Technological advances cannot exist in a vacuum; we must simultaneously educate students so that they have the capacity to create ethical and equitable applications of new technologies. Colleges and universities across Florida should heed Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.’s advice: “Science and technology revolutionize our lives, but memory, tradition, and myth frame our response.”
As the only Archdiocesan University in Florida, St. Thomas University stands on over two thousand years of Catholic Intellectual Tradition. This long-held tradition commits STU to educational depth wherein students encounter the life of faith, the activities of learning and reason, and the world’s needs. Anchored in this tradition, new theories, technologies, perspectives, and approaches are explored. STU’s Experiential Learning Requirement supports this exploration while also helping students to hone their understanding of their place in the world. As we embrace new technologies, emphasize research, and evolve curricula to meet the demands of the 21st-century global economy, STU remains committed to nurturing the holistic development of our students so they become compassionate, ethical leaders in their homes, workplaces, and communities.
As recently as the 1990s, the career landscape lacked e-commerce, streaming services, cloud computing, social media, and smartphones. The Class of 2023 is as far removed from the 1990s as the Class of 2040 will be from today. As the speed of innovation increases, the business landscape beyond 2040 will surely be reshaped beyond anything currently imagined. Core values like empathy, compassion, respect for human life, and dignity will continue to be the constants that not only make better employees but better people. Only through a long-term vision that transcends technological change and emphasizes real-world learning, bolstered by an ethical framework, can higher education institutions continue to provide a workforce ready to brave the future.
This is the sixth essay in an ongoing series with Opportunity Miami’s Academic Leaders Council, which includes the presidents of the University of Miami, Miami Dade College, Florida International University, Florida Memorial University, St. Thomas University, and Barry University, along with the Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The essay series, called “The Class of 2040: Essays on the next-generation workforce,” explores how we will meet the talent development needs of the future. Opportunity Miami is powered by Miami-Dade Beacon Council.
