This volume has its origins in the second joint U.S.-EU conference, which was hosted by the U.S. Department of Education, with the San Diego Community College District as the host site. It was held November 2-4, 1994, in San Diego, California. The conference theme--"New Visions: Education and Training for an Innovative Work Force"--represents a central concern of national policies as they relate to school-to-work reform in the United States and regionalization in the European Union. The framework of the conference was constructed around three critical issues of mutual concern: (1) inclusivity, (2) local leadership, and (3) small- and medium-sized enterprises. These complex issues are fully discussed in the eleven chapters of this book.
The United States and the European Union collaborated closely in the planning of the San Diego conference. The U.S. Department of Education's role was planned by Augusta Kappner (then Assistant Secretary of Vocational and Adult Education), Winifred Warnat (Director of Vocational-Technical Education), Karen Cossaro (Education Program Specialist), and Norris Dickard (Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary). In addition, the conference also benefited from the contributions of Stewart Tinsman (Director of International and Territorial Services Staff) and Samuel McKee (Education Program Specialist). Post-conference work on this project has been conducted under the direction of Patricia McNeil (Assistant Secretary Designate of Vocational and Adult Education). The staff at the National Center for Research in Vocational Education at the University of California at Berkeley--especially Susan Faulkner and Jennifer Goshay--organized and performed the administrative work for the conference. The San Diego Community College District and its president, Augustine Gallego, hosted the conference locally, and Janet Fialho and other SDCCD staff provided valuable planning assistance. The U.S. Department of Education would also like to acknowledge the European Commission for their assistance in planning the conference and the volume.
Those involved in planning from the European Union included Tom O'Dwyer (Director General for Education, Training and Youth, Directorate Generale XXII, European Commission), Brendan Cardiff (Deputy Head of Unit of Cooperation with Nonmember Countries on Education and Vocational Training, including TEMPUS and the European Training Foundation, within the Directorate Generale for Human Resources, Education, Training, and Youth), and Jose Costa (Science, Technology, and Education Advisor, Delegation of the European Commission, Washington, DC). Representatives of the European Commission and delegates from the member states of the European Union would like to thank the U.S. Department of Education, and would also like to thank the local conference hosts, the San Diego Community College District. In addition, the EU would like to welcome its newest members, Austria, Finland, and Sweden, who were attending their first conference with the United States. They would also like to acknowledge the presence at the conference of the board members of the European Training Foundation and its director.
The United States and European Union delegates joined each other in welcoming the participation, for the first time at these U.S.-EU conferences, of the following neighboring Latin American countries: Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Peru. Their contributions to the conference are greatly appreciated.
Since the conference, Augusta Kappner has become President of Bank Street College in New York City. Her successor, Patricia McNeil, the Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Education, is committed to ensuring that the successful exchange between the United States and the European Union on this vital topic area continues.
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Patricia McNeil Assistant Secretary Office of Vocational and Adult Education U.S. Department of Education | Thomas O'Dwyer Director General for Education, Training, and Youth European Commission Directorate Generale XXII |
Laurel McFarland