Change at CEW

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

In 2007, a conversation with Georgetown University President John DeGioia sparked an idea. After the 1983 publication of A Nation at Risk ushered the era of “college for all” into American high schools, postsecondary education and training had evolved into our nation’s de facto workforce preparation system. But our understanding of the relationship between education and work hadn’t kept up with the times — and that urgently needed to change.

When I founded the Center on Education and the Workforce, I had no real plan, no organizational chart, and slim funding. What I did have was a vision of the impact CEW could have through research and policy analysis that focused on making educational and economic opportunity available to all Americans. And I had the beginnings of a terrific team, including Jeff Strohl and Nicole Smith. With support from President DeGioia and a few philanthropic partners, we launched the center with a shared mission of promoting postsecondary access, completion, and career success for everyone.

While I will never disconnect completely from these important goals and issues, it’s time for a change. So, after 17 years as the director of CEW, I have decided to retire.

I have appointed Dr. Jeff Strohl, CEW’s co-founder and director of research, to be the new director. I’m confident that the center will continue to thrive under his leadership.

My deepest gratitude and respect go to those who were with us from CEW’s earliest days, to our superb staff, and to the many colleagues within and beyond CEW whose rich insights, enthusiastic support, and commitment to racial and economic justice have informed and enriched our work.

The promise of America lies in the ideal that we are all equal, deserving of the same opportunities regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic background, or geographic location. I know that CEW will continue to engage in research, analysis, and policy discussions that support that promise.

Thank you all for your support of CEW.

Fraternally,

Anthony P. Carnevale

Dr. Carnevale is the director and research professor at the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. CEW is a research and policy institute within Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy that studies the links among education, career qualifications, and workforce demands.

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