A Busy Summer - Welcome Back

The Education Foundation board, staff and volunteers have been hard at work over the summer to ensure an exciting and even more successful 2010 - 11.

Here are some highlights:

Business Education Summit plans are shaping up – be sure to mark your calendars for October 27, 7:30 a.m. at Trident Technical College. Our focus this year will be on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education and how we can ensure a world-class workforce for our current and emerging high tech businesses. Committee chairman Chad Vail, President of Junior Achievement of Coastal South Carolina promises the best Summit ever. The keynote speaker will be Susan Lavrakas, Director of Government Relations for BAE Systems, national office and a national expert in STEM education.

Mathematics: Pathways to the Future - Do the exit requirements for high school mathematics match the entry requirements for college math? Are schools and colleges teaching the math skills the business community needs? These were the questions addressed at the highly successful June symposium of The Education Foundation’s P-20 Council (pre-school through graduate education). Educators from K-12 met with two and four-year college educators to exchange ideas, best practices and common issues regarding alignment of requirements and assessments. Next steps include broadening the discussion to include alignment of science and technology across educational levels. Stay tuned for more exciting developments from the P-20 Council.

Principal for a Day has become one of the Trident region’s most popular event. Executives, mark your calendars for December 2 – we will be accepting applications in September. Look for more news in next EdBiz Link.

Virtual Bake Sale - In a final push to conclude the 2010 fiscal year with a bang, The Education Foundation board of directors conducted a “virtual bake sale” to raise funds at the close of the year. Virtual cookies, pies and cakes sold at a brisk clip and $1400 was raised in 24 hours! We welcome your creative ideas for additional fundraisers.

New website - We have been hard at work at creating a new interactive user friendly website which will launch August 13.

The Education Foundation Announces New Board of Directors

The Education Foundation, announced its new board of directors for its fiscal year 2010 - 11, which began on July 1, 2010. The Chamber welcomes new Chairman of the Board, David Ramey, Director, Marketing and Communications, LS3P ASSOCIATES LTD. who will serve for one year. Click here for the board list.

Meet David Ramey - New Chairman for The Education Foundation

How and when did you first become involved with The Education Foundation? Education has always been a passion of mine in my career and also as a father, I want to ensure that my children and all children in our community have access to the best education possible. In 2006, I was presented with the opportunity to work with Deb Campeau of Trident Health System, on a funding project to connect rising seventh graders with specific fields of study such as science, engineering, and technology. This amazing experience, coupled with my involvement in other areas of education, led me to serve on the Horizon Committee with The Education Foundation that was identifying the skills that will be needed in the 21st century workforce. This was a great experience and soon after, I joined The Education Foundation Board.

As the Chairman of The Education Foundation what are your goals for the coming year? We are at a pivotal moment in The Education Foundation’s history. We have spent the past few years identifying our region’s economic priorities and the skills needed by our major employment sectors. We have visited schools in our three counties as well as schools in other parts of the country to learn about the most effective “career academy” models that combine core academic learning with career preparation. My goal is to lead the charge as we take what we have learned, build on what is in place and focus our energies on achieving world-class career academies that align with our economic needs. We will focus on a few academies at first and as we do this I want to make certain that we are setting the stage for career academies to burgeon throughout our region in the coming years.

How can businesses become more involved with schools? Where do I begin? There are countless opportunities for businesses to become involved in the local school systems and countless reasons to do so. Our community has amazing programs in place such as Principal for a Day and the Adopt a Teacher Program, where our business community can witness firsthand the progress of our schools as well as current needs. There are also avenues available to introduce various industries through career cluster guidance efforts to school age children to expose them to a variety of career options. These children are the future of our community and the businesses that comprise it, open your doors to them, offer job shadowing opportunities and high school internships.

Who or what is your inspiration or motivation? My father has always been an inspiration to me. He taught me from an early age not to dwell on those things that have happened in the past but to focus my efforts and attention on the future where I have the ability to create change and positively impact the lives of others.

What is most satisfying about your job? I am fortunate to work for a firm that has a culture centered on community service where participation in local organizations is not only supported, but encouraged. This philosophy has allowed me to become involved with many organizations that work to improve all areas of our community. The beauty of architecture is that it is not limited to one industry, through my work at LS3P I have the opportunity to touch all sectors that our area has to offer, this has allowed me to learn about the needs and initiatives of many industry-specific organizations and to become involved in their efforts.

Family: Wife Gretchen, daughter Kathryn 10, son Will 8, son Hunter 6

Favorite Books: Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell and Trusted Advisory by David Maister

Favorite Websites: www.Stateline.org - a nonprofit, nonpartisan online news site that practices journalism in the public interest by reporting on emerging trends and issues in state policy and politics.

Hobbies: Skiing, hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, golf

WISE Update!

Congratulations to the Workplace InStitute for Educators (WISE) Class of 2010 who completed the program June 18 with their Practicum Report and graduation session at the South Carolina Aquarium. The members of the Class of 2010 were enthusiastic about sharing their individual worksite practicum experiences they completed during that week and they provided great feedback on their experience during the course year.

After lunch provided by Laura Alberts Tasteful Options (also a practicum site), the class members received their graduation certificates in the presence of friends, family, sponsors and members of The Education Foundation Board of Directors including Allen Wutzdorff, Executive Director; Deb Campeau, Chair; Brad Davis, Immediate Past-Chair and Joan Ustin.

Many thanks to WISE sponsors and practicum hosts. We are gearing up for a new class and look forward to another successful year. WISE 2010 - 11 applications are still being accepted until August 27. Click here to fill out an application. For more information contact Suzi Raiford at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .'; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text80340 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //--> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Click here to see the list of graduates.

Business Support Needed for First Day of School

The Education Foundation engages the business community in helping prepare students for careers of the future. The health of our region’s economy depends on the number and quality of our graduates -- we all win when we have a talented and productive workforce.

The four school districts in our region will be beginning a new school year very shortly and we would like to start the year with a show of support from the business community in supporting parental involvement in education by providing time out of the office for your employees to take their children to school on the first day. As well, we ask you to allow your employees time off throughout the year to participate in activities at their child’s school. It is a great opportunity for the business community to show their concrete commitment to parental engagement in their children’s education.

In addition, one of our school districts has a unique opportunity for businesses in the county. Please see the 2010 FDF Honor Roll flyer about the Charleston County School District First Day Festival August 15 from 1 – 4 p.m. to learn how your business can be involved. We want to see great representation from the region’s businesses on their First Day Honor Roll!

Each year your participation in the launch of a new school year has been very successful in giving children a great boost. It helps celebrate those who teach and influence children in our public school system. Your willingness to give parents time-off from work to participate in their child’s education has been a significant factor in our success.

We encourage you to offer your employees this opportunity to take their children to school and participate in the activities planned for the start of the new school year. It will have an immeasurable impact on both child and parent.

Executive Committee - August 6, 8 a.m.

Board of Directors - August 13, 8 a.m.

ROI Committee - August 18, 12 p.m.

Master Plan Task Force - August 31, 8 a.m.