Distinguished Lectures
PETER RICCHIUTI
What the Financial
Markets Are Telling Us
Friday, September 30
1–2: 15 p.m.
There is no topic more talked about
and less understood than the economy.
Listening to emotional pundits does very
little to illuminate the situation. However,
history tells us that the financial markets
are excellent leading economic indicators. The message they are giving us
now is very different from what is being
discussed in today’s news headlines. For
the past 30 years, Professor Peter Ricchiuti has helped cut through the jargon
and put the issues in a clear, entertaining, and understandable format.
ROBERT SCOTT
Beyond the 82nd Legislative
Session: What to Expect
Friday, September 30
2:30–3: 45 p.m.
Commissioner of Education Robert
Scott discusses future directions for the
state’s education system, including the
challenges that lie ahead in addressing
the needs of public education and the
expectations for students, campuses,
and districts to meet significantly higher
performance expectations in 2012. The
commissioner also provides updates on
school accountability and school finance.
Scott has long been considered one
of the most thoughtful and innovative
education policy experts in state govern-
ment. A graduate of The University of
Texas School of Law and a member of
the State Bar, Scott has provided stra-
tegic leadership to the Texas Education
Agency for a number of years, serving
as the agency’s chief executive during a
massive reorganization of its functions in
summer 2003.
CONSUELO KICKBUSCH
Valuing Diversity
Saturday, October 1
1:30–2: 45 p.m.
Learning to accommodate cultural differences is important for managers and
employees in order to be successful in
the work environment. Moreover, it is
important in parenting and education, as
well. Lieutenant Colonel Kickbusch will
provide her personal story of challenges
and triumphs as a child of the barrio who
succeeded in spite of many cultural,
social, and educational obstacles. She
emphasizes that appreciation of diverse
cultures and their contributions to today’s
society is a very important element of
team-building and teamwork, which
makes for a successful, productive work
environment. She guides participants to
a better understanding of cultural differences and similarities and enables audiences to look inward at themselves, their
work environments, and their communities, motivating people to take action.
JACK GRAYSON
What Lies Beneath: Uncovering
Waste in District Operations
Sunday, October 2
7:30–8: 45 a.m.
Are you looking for ways to save your
school district money? Identifying and
reducing waste and creating greater
operational efficiency is common sense,
but it’s not yet common practice. In
these times of financial scarcity, a
source of funds commonly overlooked
is cutting waste in your school district.
Jack Grayson, CEO of the American
Productivity and Quality Center (APQC),
the Houston-based nonprofit that created the Baldrige Award, will provide
a roadmap for finding new resources
through instituting Process and Performance Management (PPM) in district
operations. Grayson, who will be joined
in this session by Executive Director of
APQC Education Fred A. Bentsen, will
show you how waste reduction can be
your main source of increased resources
in the years to come and will give you
concrete steps to begin using PPM in
your district.
