The next Castle Country Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) General Board Meeting is slated to take place on Nov. 12. This meeting will begin, as always, at 8 a.m.; however, due to the spike in COVID-19 cases in the area, participants are being asked to join via Zoom.
This month, the presenter will be Dr. Gary Straquadine of USU Eastern, who will be speaking on vocational programs that are offered through the university. It was stated that the presentation will be highly relevant in today’s economy as vocational education is pivotal to the growth of Castle Country.
“From Carbon College to the College of Eastern and now Utah State University, the heart and soul of post-secondary education in Castle Country has focused on workforce development,” Dr. Straquadine said. “Utah State University Eastern is uniquely positioned and strategically focused on training for employment and career progress through less-than baccalaureate degree training. Yet, to better meet business and industry training needs, USU Eastern has undertaken an extensive review and revitalization of technical education and workforce training.”
Today, there are more than 25 technical education programs offering industry-approved certificates between the three southeast campuses. “All technical education programs in health professions, business, information management and the skilled trades have been innovated, expanded and reformed to better meet regional training expectations,” Dr. Straquadine continued. “As it has been well researched and demonstrated in rural Utah, education, specifically technical education, is a catalyst in economic development.”
Dr. Straquadine is the Associate Vice President for Career and Technical Education (CTE) in Southeast Utah and has had many titles at the college in the last five years. Currently, he is responsible for the technical education programs at three regional campuses: USU Eastern, USU Moab and USU Blanding. He completed his Bachelor and Masters degrees from New Mexico State University. Furthermore, his PhD was earned at the Ohio State University. Dr. Straquadine is a tenured professor with an impressive portfolio.
The meeting will be available via Zoom at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85262939769.