Sean Burrage, Chancellor of the State System of Higher Education, recently traveled to Asia with Gov. Kevin Stitt on a trade mission focused on international workforce needs and avenues of global partnership.
“Ensuring we have a world-class workforce is one of my top priorities,” said Gov. Stitt. “I was thrilled to have Chancellor Burrage join me on this trip so we could get a better picture of education systems and workforce needs around the world.”
Meeting with government, industry and education leaders in Japan and South Korea, Burrage and other members of the Governor’s delegation discussed evolving workforce demands in key sectors such as energy, aerospace, and manufacturing; innovations in technology and operations; and opportunities for deeper collaboration between academic institutions and businesses. The delegation outlined Oklahoma’s commitment to embracing worldwide investment and engagement as an industry and education partner.
“Gov. Stitt did an incredible job leading the mission, communicating clearly that Oklahoma is open for business,” said Burrage. “The State Regents and our public colleges and universities recognize that graduates must be ready to compete successfully on an international stage. The mission provided an opportunity to learn directly from administrators, employers and educators about successful initiatives and challenges faced in other nations.”
The State Regents are the coordinating board for the 25 public colleges and universities of the Oklahoma state system of higher education. The State Regents prescribe academic standards of higher education; determine functions and courses of study at state colleges and universities; grant degrees; request appropriations on behalf of state system institutions; set tuition and fees; approve institutional allocations; upon review, provide final approval of institutional budgets following governing board approval and submission; and manage numerous scholarships and special programs. The nine citizens who comprise the board are appointed to nine-year terms by the Governor and confirmed by the state Senate.