Each year, ORAU's Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions is held to explore relevant topics in higher education. The meeting not only provides presentations by nationally recognized experts, but it also gives our university consortium members the opportunity to participate in valuable discussions with council representatives and ORAU staff in conjunction with the meeting's yearly theme.
ORAU’s 2025 Annual Meeting of the Council of Sponsoring Institutions will be held March 3-4, 2025, and the theme will be focused on advanced manufacturing. The focus will zero in on how we capitalize on manufacturing USA Institutes and newly funded Economic Development Administration Tech Hubs such as pharmaceuticals, aerospace materials, forest bioproducts, biologics, cyber security, and emerging technologies. The meeting is a great opportunity to learn more about ideas and issues relevant to our consortium members and how those intersect with ORAU capabilities.
As a preview to this year’s meeting, we spoke with Chelsea Hill, ORAU recruiting manager, who is preparing to attend her third annual meeting. Hill spoke to the fact that attending the event is beneficial to the work that she does with ORAU and why she takes the time to make sure she is present to take in new insights and information.
“In my working group, we help our customers find niche talent to fill mission critical roles for the nation,” said Hill. “We recruit early career candidates, all the way up to subject matter experts. In order to be successful in our efforts, we partner with universities to engage with students and faculty, ensuring that students understand the career opportunities that are available to them,” said Hill. “By understanding the challenges, practices, and opportunities that students and universities identify at the ORAU Annual Meeting, we can be a better resource to early career talent as well as our customers. The more we understand today’s university students, the better we can serve them and help to grow their career.”
Even for those who do not work in direct correlation with the university consortium members, there is still great value in attending the meeting. The annual meeting is filled with speakers who provide insights into what the future of STEM holds, for example.
“The meeting gives ORAU employees a chance to see what the future might look like,” said Hill. “Often, we are so busy with our projects and deliverables that it is easy to forget that the work we do is directly impacting the future workforce. Being at the annual meeting gives ORAU employees the chance to talk with students and professors who are directly impacted by our work efforts. It is very fulfilling to see intelligent minds come together to discuss our country’s potential for forward movement, emerging technologies, and a bright future.”
While the annual meeting is certainly an opportunity to look into the future, one of the biggest takeaways for Hill is not directly related to the speakers’ presentations.
“I always walk away from the annual meeting with a greater understanding of our future workforce,” said Hill. “Generation Z is full of emerging leaders who understand STEM subjects in a way that no previous generation could. I enjoy networking with students to learn about their research interests and future plans. I find satisfaction in discussing how ORAU can help them advance their careers.”
Now that you know a little more about the annual meeting, read this blog that dives deeper and explains what our consortium is!