Spotlight On: Debra Schwinn, President, Palm Beach Atlantic University

Spotlight On: Debra Schwinn, President, Palm Beach Atlantic University

2022-10-13T15:01:56-04:00October 13th, 2022|Education, Palm Beach, Spotlight On|

2 min read October 2022 In an interview with Invest:, President of Palm Beach Atlantic University Debra Schwinn discussed how institutions like Palm Beach Atlantic are helping mitigate labor shortages, while also touching on affordability, her outlook and priorities for the university. “As a Christian university, we find it essential to have a Judeo-Christian values-imbued focus in the workplace and to produce servant leaders,” she said.

What are some ways in which higher education institutions can help mitigate ongoing labor shortages?

Palm Beach Atlantic University is located in Downtown West Palm Beach. Several companies are moving their headquarters here. We take quite seriously the responsibility to produce students with the necessary skills and the ability to really discern how to work ethically in a workplace. We combine whole-person education with an emphasis on excellence, so that our students graduate as servant leaders. That combination is what we need in businesses today. In fact, it is what we need in the world today. We produce cutting-edge majors to that end. We started 40 new majors in the last three years, all aimed at making sure that we are providing our community what is really needed. 

What would you say are the most in-demand professional skills today in the region? 

We have an emphasis on several areas to meet the region’s pressing needs. The one that stands out at the moment is healthcare, with business coming in a close second. In healthcare, we have a desperate nursing shortage, not only in the United States but across the globe. We have expanded our very high-quality nursing program here in West Palm Beach as well as at our Orlando Campus. We also have a very strong pharmacy program, the Gregory School of Pharmacy. And we are expanding to begin a new Physician Associates program. We expect that program to have its first class in the fall of 2024. Over this past year, we have also launched several different areas that are important in business, including analytics and a bachelor’s in business administration. The new undergraduate degrees that we are launching include business economics, mathematical economics and business data analytics, which also includes coding opportunities. And we have fast tracks for a combination of programs: bachelor’s plus MBA, bachelor’s plus master’s in data analytics, and bachelor’s plus master’s in accounting. 

What is the future of liberal arts in today’s labor market? 

Palm Beach Atlantic University is dedicated to the liberal arts because, frankly, that is how you get innovation. If you teach someone skills that are scientific but without the creativity that the arts and humanities bring, you will not have the innovation of the future. Some of the smartest companies really understand that a combination is essential. That is where Palm Beach Atlantic University, with the whole-person education that we provide, is really strong. We are producing the kind of student that makes employers come back every year and ask us if we have more of those. They really like the skill sets that we teach. 

What are some of the actions taken by the university to tackle affordability? 

The first part is securing affordable housing and workforce housing for academics. We have put together a consortium with all university presidents in Palm Beach County, as this is common to all of us. We are in the business of workforce housing development, whether we are working with developers, partnering with other businesses or building it ourselves. We also need student housing, because at Palm Beach Atlantic, our student population is growing. We love that. Increasingly we need housing for graduate students, or else they cannot come because they cannot afford to live here. With the migration of so many people to Palm Beach County and with home prices and rents rising, we need housing for our faculty and our staff. Once we can figure out that puzzle, get it built and collaborate with others so that we have it available, it will allow us to recruit really well because we would have below-market rate rents and an ability to support people in getting a home here. 

The second part involves non-degree certificates. We are developing certificates not only for those already in the workforce, but even for our students. A certificate would be defined here as three courses. Careers are changing every five to 10 years now. Even if you are in the same company, your job is not the same as what you had five years ago. Being able to get up to speed on different areas through certificates is one of the various ways that we hope to serve our community. 

What is your near-term outlook both for your institution and the broader higher education sector in Palm Beach? 

I do not believe there has ever been a more exciting time for the education sector in Palm Beach County. The transfer of people from across the country into our county is amazing. It brings excitement. Yes, it brings some problems, but they are problems that can be overcome. The overwhelming opportunity is for this county to really lead this country into the future in very unique ways. We are a county that increasingly sends people off across the globe, and people from across the globe come here. Some of our majors, for example, are bilingual or all in Spanish now, because we have many connections online or even on campus with people from South America. 

What are your immediate priorities for the rest of 2022?

It is critical for us to stay mission-driven. As a Christian university, we find it essential to have a Judeo-Christian values-imbued focus in the workplace and to produce servant leaders.

We also have online options for those students who might not be able to come here on campus. We are going against the nation-wide trend of decreasing student enrollment. Our enrollment appears to be dramatically increasing. We will be looking for the best place to house graduates so they can stay right here in Palm Beach County, serving this community. 

For more information, visit: 

https://www.pba.edu/ 

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