Dr. Karl Lawrence, dean, Excelsior College School of Business and Technology, will explore the intersection of higher education and the private sector, and the role academic-industry partnerships can play in supporting our region’s competitiveness in the global economy. The presentation will take place on Wednesday, March 9 at the National Register-listed University Club, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street in Albany. Albany Roundtable luncheon meetings are open to the public.

His talk, “Enabling Tomorrow’s Workforce: How Industry and Academia Collaborations Can Help Close the Skills Gap,” will show that properly leveraged, academic-industry partnerships can accelerate the skilling and upskilling of the region’s workforce, facilitate knowledge transfer and ultimately lead to social and economic gains. Dr. Lawrence will offer several insights, including a broader acceptance of workforce training for college credit, new federal education-workforce development programs, and competency-based education.

Dr. Karl Lawrence is a trained financial economist who previously served as assistant professor at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, where he headed up the University’s Wall Street Initiative, which was geared toward preparing students for careers in investment banking. From 1996 through 1999, he served as risk manager for Florida’s $125 billion pension fund. Dr. Lawrence also served as associate dean of Business at Excelsior College, chair of the Business and Economics Department at Fort Valley State University, and as an assistant finance professor at American University of the Middle East.

Application forms will also be available for The Albany Roundtable Scholarship. The scholarship in the amount of $1,000 will be awarded to a high school senior who is recommended by a member in good standing of the Albany Roundtable. The application must be submitted by a student in his or her senior year of high school, and will be awarded contingent upon acceptance an attendance at a two- or four-year college or university. Applications must be postmarked no later than Friday, April 1, 2016, and the scholarships will be awarded at the Roundtable’s Annual Meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18 at the University Club of Albany.

Reservations are required and seating is limited. The cost for the luncheon is $20, which may be paid at the door. The Roundtable also offers its guests the option of paying in advance with a credit card at www.albanyroundtable.com. The University Club will serve a hot and cold buffet from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., with the program commencing at 12:30. Reservations for the March 9 luncheon are required by Tuesday, March 8 and may be made by prepaying online, by calling 518-431-1400 (the Capital Region Chamber) or by sending an e-mail to albanyroundtable@yahoo.com.