When industry leaders look to the future of talent, they are seeking more than degrees. They are seeking students who are passionate about technology’s evolving landscape — those who are adaptable, innovative and ready to collaborate. These future leaders are learning to bridge the gap between higher education and industry, becoming the strategic partners of tomorrow.
The University of Tennessee’s College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies hosted the latest held it’s latest Navigating Tomorrow, Today in Higher Education webinar, Reimagining the Higher Education/Industry Partnership, on April 9, delving into how the partnership between higher education and industry is shifting to meet the demands of the emerging workforce and the modern student.
The webinar was hosted by Dan Harder, Chief Academic Technology officer and Deputy CIO at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and featured a distinguished panel of industry experts: Barry Mathis, Principal, PYA, P.C and CECS Board of Visitors Chairman; Nicholas Christian, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Cybercrime Investigations Squad, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI); Brian Bottcher, Higher Education Solution Engineering Manager, Oracle; and William LaBar, Vice President of Consulting Services, CGI.
Harder began the discussion by asking panelists to distinguish what makes a university, like the University of Tennessee, an attractive partner for their companies and fields of work.
Mathis noted that PYA measures success by outcomes, not just academic knowledge. They look for students who can be creative in applying their skills to immediate, real-world scenarios. He highlighted the strength of PYA’s partnership with the University of Tennessee by commending the way students have exceeded their high expectations.
“We have current owners that started out as interns from UT in our firm, so we are a big consumer and a big fan,” Mathis said.
LaBar added that “talent pipelines” are an immediate draw for industry leaders, especially when they can be customized to specific industry needs. He explained that the goal is to move beyond transactional relationships and build strategic partnerships centered not only on producing desired talent, but also on driving innovation, research and development.
He highlighted that the key is identifying where talent and innovation intersect with economic and business development in the surrounding region. It’s within that intersection that strong university partnerships emerge for clients.
“If you can find the vin diagram where those things intersect, and in our case our clients intersect right there, we’re able to bring our clients needs a really strong partner like UT and CECS,” LaBar said. “The expertise of the folks inside CGI bring all of those together and offer unique solutions to our clients in addition to the talent that’s coming out of university.”
Christian, representing the public sector, added that universities are valuable partners because both institutions are state-funded and share a commitment to maximizing the use of taxpayer dollars.
He emphasized that cost savings and workforce development are an important aspect of the state’s partnership with higher education. Technical training can be expensive, so the state benefits when students graduate equipped with foundational knowledge, certifications or hands-on experience. This reduces the cost and time associated with training.
“It’s not just training and cost reduction,” Christian said. “It’s also the expertise of the students and emerging technologies that they’re seeing and they’re utilizing. Because a lot of the students are using AI and using technology in ways that law enforcement hasn’t seen yet. So then we try to see, all right, what’s the criminal use case for these new emerging technologies and what can these students teach us so we end up learning more from the students.”
Bottcher added that Oracle is looking for innovative student’s who are leveraging emerging technologies. When universities integrate these technologies into their curricula, it strengthens Oracle’s platform when graduates are already thinking ahead.
“We’re always looking for ways we can change our applications and advance them,” Bottcher said. “I think the generation right now is getting a great experience where we see faculty and universities starting to incorporate that into their curriculum.”
Harder then shifted the focus by asking the panelists to share how higher education can better prepare students for careers in their respective industries.
Bottcher highlighted that Oracle offers Oracle Academy, a program that gives students and faculty early exposure to technologies, setting them up for future success. He noted that this exposure allows them to “think outside the box,” whether it be through analytics or AI.
“It’s the more exposure they can get off up front, the better off they will be,” Botthcer said.
LaBar built on Bottcher’s point, adding that it is about more than just tools, it is about real-world application. He mentioned CGI’s partnership with CECS to provide students with “experiential,” work-based learning.
“It starts with an ambiguous problem that needs to be solved that you can’t find answers for in a textbook,” LaBar said. “Because that process of how to get to that solution is just as important of a skill as a certification — if not sometimes more important than a certification you’ll have on a technology stack.”
Mathis offered that critical thinking is a major discussion point for PYA when bringing in new interns.
He noted that traditional settings often produce student’s who think in terms of once they have a degree, they are just in need of experience. However, programs like CECS and RISE offer beyond that. They allow students to experience real problems in real environments, helping them build critical thinking skills through trial and error, mentorship, listening and learning.
“When they’re working with industry partners, all of a sudden these critical thinking skills come alive; they didn’t know they were there,” Mathis said. “So, to me, one of the biggest things is stimulating that critical thinking with those interactions internally and externally with partners.”
Christian added that one of the most challenging things in law enforcement is the idea that a criminal justice degree is the only applicable degree.
“What we struggle with is, we need more than just criminal justice,” Christian said. “Criminal justice is important, but for our cybercrime investigators, 95% of the work we do is financially motivated. So, it really helps me to have somebody with an accounting background, but also knows how to do computer science and other programs. That well-roundedness is really what we struggle with. We get somebody that tries to fit in a specific box and realistically we need skill sets in multiple areas.”
Christian noted that it is difficult to take a “street cop” and make them a cyber agent because they lack the needed technical foundation that is built from studying computer science or other related fields. He added that the public sector looks for interdisciplinary, tech-savvy students — those who are passionate about technology and want to contribute.
LaBar echoed that the interdisciplinary approach is a big driver in promoting student success.
Harder introduced a new topic, asking panelists how they measure the success of their partnerships with higher education institutions and what learning curves that have encountered.
Mathis highlighted that, at PYA, effort counts, but results matter. They understand that students lack industry experience coming out of school, which is why PYA places value on programs like CECS and the RISE initiative. These programs provide students with real-world exposure — an “ecosystem” that helps them start building experience before they enter a firm.
He added that one of the challenges for PYA is onboarding talent with experience in emerging technologies. Additionally, he noted that working with academic researchers can also be difficult due to misaligned timelines between research cycles and the faster pace of the firm.
“I think the way you combat that is just be open and honest,” Mathis said. “It’s just communication and setting goals and saying, ‘Look, we know that we’re not going to be able to do this to the entire research period, but we certainly want to impact what we have.’”
LaBar mentioned that while preparing for the panel, he came across a phrase that stuck with him: “Sometimes universities think in semesters and industry thinks in sprints.” He explained that this mindset can cause friction as businesses often move at agile, fast-paces, while academia works in longer, less flexible timelines.
The key to overcoming this gap is to build relationships based on trust. LaBar added that both sides need to understand each other’s constraints. This effective collaboration, with open communication, leads to mutual benefits to both the institution and the company.
Bottcher agreed with LaBar’s point about semesters versus sprints. He added that he is encouraged by institutions innovating their models, such as changing to block versus semesters. He added that when evaluating partnerships, he is looking for universities that are willing to adapt.
Christian added that a unique challenge from the law enforcement side is information sharing. He noted that a lot of the work is sensitive or classified, making it difficult to engage deeply with academic partners unless they go through the right security protocols and clearances.
“I feel like it’s not always a two-way street,” Christian said. “Sometimes a one-way street. I guess how we combat that is to point them in the direction where they can get their programs the clearance they need to receive the information that we want to give them.”
Harder transitioned the panel to explore what panelists see as the largest untapped opportunities in collaborating with academic institutions.
LaBar emphasized the opportunity for industry and academia to think of themselves as “co-innovators,” not only in fostering talent pipelines but also in research and problem-solving. He highlighted the growing potential of engaging students earlier — through dual enrollment, undergraduate research and industry-led capstone projects.
“I think the more we can bring the industry into the classroom or the classroom into industry earlier in the pipeline, would be a really exciting opportunity and make those work-based learning experiences credit-earning,” LaBar said.
Mathis agreed, praising the interdisciplinary, project-based approach that CECS offers. He noted that the young people of today are often self-taught and experienced with powerful tools, like building their own large language models.
“The young people that are coming through academia today, they’re already in some cases self-taught in a lot of areas,” Mathis said. “They’ve been exposed and understood massive amounts of information, and really our job is how do we mold that into something.”
Mathis advocated that the greatest untapped opportunity is co-developing products and services alongside students during their academic journey.
“I think tapping into that investment from their perspective and giving them the respect that, ‘Hey, what you’re learning on your own and how you apply it through the program is valuable. Let’s work together,’” Mathis said.
Christian added that, through the law enforcement lens, academic partnerships offer cost-effective research and development, especially valuable for government agencies without dedicated research and development departments. He noted that students often work with emerging technologies in new innovative ways — sometimes before law enforcement even knows of them.
“We need to be going to these kids more often and saying, ‘Hey, what’s new, what are you doing?’” Christian said. “It also helps us work our investigations because if they’re using it, so are the bad guys. So, we would like to learn more about that from them.”
Harder shifted the conversation to artificial intelligence. He noted that AI seems to permeate much of the modern world. He asked the panelists to share what AI means to their industries and how institutions, such as the University of Tennessee, can better prepare students to thrive in this ever-evolving landscape.
Bottcher shared that a few years ago, he spoke with a registar and she was teaching a creative writing class and utilized AI as a tool to leverage communication. He added that it is exciting to see universities embrace AI, because many people are learning it “on the job,” while students are able to experience it through coursework or critical thinking.
“One of the examples that one of my co-workers presented this morning was leveraging AI to write groovy scripts, which in the past was a mundane task that we were hiring developers for,” Bottcher said. “He did this in a very short period of time and what it did was it actually created a financial aid package for a potential student. It was incredible to see.”
Christian remarked that the discussion of AI was reminiscent of Clippy, an old Microsoft assistant. He noted that like Clippy, which was revolutionary for its time, AI is changing how the world does business. He emphasized the importance of maintaining human elements, especially with a rise in AI-generated resumes.
“I think the message there is that we have to maintain that human element,” Christian said. “People see when you use AI and you submit that to a panelist — or one of us here — we can run those through other AI to tell us if it’s AI. So, that would be a warning to people that have that capability at their disposal.”
He also noted the cybersecurity risks of AI, warning that criminals are using it for phishing and spear phishing. He added that they are seeing changes in cyber hygiene and working on legislation to address unethical use.
LaBar offered that AI is fundamentally changing the way people work — from analysts to developers on project managers and corporate teams. While it raises expections around efficiency and output, people must understand that it is still just a tool that must be used responsibly.
“We have to also be careful that we’re not becoming overly dependent upon tools,” LaBar said. “It’s just like the brain — a muscle that we have, and if we don’t exercise and use it, we’ll lose it. So, we need to figure out how as we’re training the workforce of tomorrow, we’re making sure they know how to use the tool, but also teaching the critical thinking skills that allow them to use the tool responsibly in different types of settings.”
LaBar mentioned that in working with fourth-year students and faculty to integrate GenAI tools into coursework, a key concern was whether students would still learn the material. To combat this problem, students were required to explain how they used AI in their final projects.
Mathis offered a recurring question he has received: “Will AI replace people or take our jobs?” He emphasized that individuals who have been trained to use AI effectively and efficiently are more likely to be in demand than those who aren’t. He added that job postings today do not always include AI, but they will eventually.
He noted that one of the foundational certificates that CECS offers is AI 101. This course if an effective starting point to help students understand that AI is more than an app, it is a set of tools, libraries and models.
“I think AI is going to do for the world what Excel did for the accounting industry,” Mathis said. “At some point, everybody’s going to be involved in some way or some other fashion, and I think having it at the foundation of the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies — so that at least you understand what it is — is going to make you better when you get to how to apply it to your discipline.”
LaBar built on Mathis’s point, adding that AI offers the opportunity to rethink how universities partner with the private sector. He mentioned that, in any regional ecosystem, major upskilling of the workforce across small businesses, startups and large companies is needed. He offered that the initiatives at the University of Tennessee could be a powerful engine for this.
Harder then moved on to the Q&A segment. He began by asking Christian what certifications he looks for in graduates, such as AWS certifications.
Christian explained that in Tennessee, those certifications are called “preferred qualifications.” He noted that the minimum qualification to be an agent is a four-year degree in any field, but for cyber agents, technical degrees are preferred.
Mathis highlighted that, for those going into tech, compliance or audit fields, the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) certification is offered through CECS along with other valuable certifications.
LaBar offered that CGI is looking for certifications and experience in cloud platforms, data science and programming stacks. However, beyond that, they look for a person’s ability to dive deep, learn and apply skills across multiple frameworks. The ability to adapt is even more important than having a credential.
Harder then shifted the discussion to highlight the non-traditional student — such as adults starting a second career with additional education, asking the panelists how industry is utilizing that demographic.
Mathis highlighted that whether someone already has a degree, they can utilize the interdisciplinary programs offered at CECS as CECS is tailored for adult learners starting fresh. LaBar noted that it goes along with upskilling, adding that CGI is exploring federal workforce development grants. He stressed that it is vital to help mid-career professionals re-enter the work-force with future-ready skills. Bottcher added that in higher education, they are working to make systems increasingly flexible for nontraditional students. At Oracle, he has seen people pursuing new certificates to advance their careers.
As the discussion concluded, Harder asked the panelists to share their final thoughts about the opportunities with higher education, students, faculty and their industries.
Mathis shared that traditional academic paths still matter, but programs like CECS offer flexible, industry-centered opportunities for nontraditional learners, bridging education and career with real-world collaboration.
LaBar emphasized the need to erase the line between school and employers, noting that real-world, project-based learning can turn communities into engines of innovation and workforce development.
Christian added that cybersecurity depends on public-private partnerships, and sharing threat intel with colleges is protective and helps inspire students to serve with purpose, not just pursue a paycheck.
Bottcher concluded that Oracle has a desire to help higher education by sharing tools and data insights, adding that better analytics and AI access can leverage student success and partnerships.
To learn more about the College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies, visit cecs.utk.edu. To register for upcoming webinars or watch previous webinars on demand, visit the CECS webinar page.