Hired at Stony Brook in 1989 to start the Center for Corporate Education and Training, Ms. Malone was immediately faced with a 'defense downsizing' that created a large number of displaced technical and professional workers on Long Island. Today she is plying her talents in the midst of a financial industry downsizing.

 

What geographical area and population does Stony Brook serve? 

Long Island is comprised of Nassau and Suffolk counties with a population of 2.8 million. We are the only public research campus serving a territory with a population equal to that of nineteen small states combined.  We also operate Stony Brook Manhattan for residents of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.  And we've managed the Brookhaven National Laboratory for years.

 

You are involved in two activities of considerable importance to your community, and you expect them to converge. What are they? 

Number 1: Displaced professionals. 
And number 2: the movement toward energy efficient green collar skills and jobs. New jobs will be created. Some old jobs will be transformed. For example, every architect and construction engineer in Long Island will need to learn about LEED certification and the latest green building techniques. As another example, a displaced Wall Street office worker can gain a competitive edge re-entering the job market with certification from the Project Management Institute, a curriculum we will be offering. 

 

I worked for a major job placement agency in Manhattan serving the New York City and Washington, DC markets. I quickly learned what employers in several industries need.  I became able to identify transferable skills and competencies. I learned why one person gets hired and another doesn't. I then was asked to run the agency's training center, and New York University partnered with us. That exposed me to adult and professional education, university-style. NYU was and still is a leader. 

 

What did you accomplish with displaced aerospace workers at Stony Brook? 
In the 1990s aerospace workers in our area lost their jobs in significant numbers.  Many of them called themselves engineers, but few had engineering degrees, and most had somewhat narrow technical specialties. The challenge was to boost their competencies so they could be identified as more multi-dimensional. That involved helping them with self-esteem and communications skills so they could market themselves well.  Even though they were technicians—and office workers—many of them even needed desktop computer skills. 

 

What results were you able to accomplish in five years?
We trained 700 people who experienced a placement rate in excess of 90 percent.  A network of employers and other helpful organizations emerged that has since grown and remains active and available today.

What's similar at Stony Brook today?
Our community has a huge and growing number of displaced professionals and an unclear sense of where their next jobs will be.  It will take a network of resources to solve such a big problem. Stony Brook is well-situated and well-qualified to play a major role. 

What's different today?

There are considerably more lost jobs.  A broader perspective is necessary. More education players are needed. And more education players don't view 'workforce' as an alien concept. They can see that they have a worthwhile role to play.

To be continued ...