Industry Bridge to Faculty (IB2F) Event Planning Guidelines

Submitted by Sandra Porter on 24 June, 2024.

Created by Julie Griffin, Johnston County Community College.

Purpose of IB2F:  The intention of this type of event is to encourage those working in industry to consider faculty positions upon retirement or as an adjunct supplementing current industry positions.

Planning:

1. Create an Eventbrite ticket or Google Form for industry attendees to register for the event

2. Create a second Eventbrite ticket or Google Form for panel members and the event planning team to register for the event

3. Send out an outreach email (below).

4. Review registration and attendee information for catering numbers.

5. Order food and request delivery.

6. Select and approve panel members.

Consider inviting panel members who are community college faculty that transitioned from industry, former community college student working in industry, and department chairs to explain benefits and responsibilities of community college faculty positions

7. Create panel questions and share with panel members prior to the event.

8. Panel Questions  (below).

9. Event agenda (below).

10. Create punch card with all colleges represented; attendees visit all community college (CC) tables, enter to win door prize.

Outreach email example Outreach email
Help Improve Your Bioscience Workforce Talent Pipeline!

For the company: NC Community Colleges recognize the value of skilled professionals and seek to attract part-time (adjunct) faculty from industry. Specifically, our team* would like to be aware of prospective employees who might be interested in part-time adjunct teaching positions and invite them to an information evening February 29, 2024, at 6pm – 8pm at Alamance Community College, Biotechnology Regional Center of Excellence Building, 1247 Jimmie Kerr Rd. Graham, NC 27253. 

For your employees: are you interested in part-time or full-time teaching in the Biosciences? Or are you about getting ready to retire from industry and considering taking on a part time teaching gig at a community college?  If you have experience in bio/life science manufacturing, quality, maintenance, automation, laboratory technology, clinical research, or another related area, you may be qualified to teach. Our Community Colleges* recognize the value of skilled professionals and are seeking to hire part-time (adjunct) faculty.

The event will highlight the benefits of skilled professionals sharing industry experience at local community colleges in order help build the Bio/Life Science Teaching talent pipeline and consequently the bioscience workforce.

  • HR Professionals will share community college benefits.

  • College faculty will share what it is like to work in the classroom.

  • Biotech Department Chairpersons will share current job openings.

  • An event panel will include an industry professional who transitioned from industry to teaching at a local community college.   

* NC Community Colleges represented at this event: Alamance Community College, Forsyth Tech, Wake Tech, Wilson Community College, Central Carolina Community College, Vance-Granville Community College, Durham Tech, and Johnston Community College.

Please use the Eventbrite Form to register and please share this information with employees who might be interested in this event.

This event is being sponsored in conjunction with the NSF ATE InnovATEBIO Center, and the NC Biotechnology Center (Piedmont Triad Region Biotechnology). Light dinner will be provided.

Panel Questions example Panel Questions example

1. “Welcome” and panel introductions

2. CC background and benefits (presented by Human Resources)

a. How do you get hired by a community college?

b. What is the retirement system like for full-time employees?

c. What education background is required for faculty and corporate trainers? Do education requirements differ for curriculum courses vs. continuing education?

3. What does the biotech program look like? What is BioWork? (Department Chair)

4. What are the roles of FT/adjunct faculty? (Department Chair)

5. What is difference between curriculum and coned? (Department Chair)

6. Can you talk a little about the roles of community college Adjunct/FT Faculty, SME (Subject Matter Expert) for Customized Training, and how these roles allow you to share your experience with students?

7. Possible questions to ask panel members:

a. How have you seen biotech education experience impact your industry?

b. What has it been like to teach as an adjunct at the community college?

c. As an instructor how has your past experience in the industry added to what you teach and how you shape your lessons?

d. What did you bring to teaching from industrial experience?

e. From your experience as a former biotechnology student, could you share your insights into the student’s perspective of the biotech program? In other words, what was it like to be a biotechnology student?

f. As someone who has gone through the Biotechnology program, what qualities or characteristics do you believe are essential for a Biotech instructor to possess?

g. Allow time for audience questions.

Event agenda example Event agenda example

  • 6pm-6:30pm: dinner and networking

  • 6:30pm-6:45pm: panel member introductions

  • 6:45pm-7:30pm: panel members answer questions

  • 7:30pm-8pm: networking with CC representatives at tables
Contributing Biotech Program
Johnston Community College