40th Anniversary

Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs – Bass Lecture Hall
Downloadable Symposium Materials and Links to Resource s

On Oct. 19, The Ray Marshall Center celebrated its 40th anniversary with a full-day symposium, Policy Responses for the New Economy. Panels of experts from across the country examined the state of the labor market, education, and workforce development. Hilda Solis, U.S. Secretary of Labor, provided the keynote address at the luncheon program. The event closed with an evening program with former U.S. Secretaries of Labor Alexis Herman (1997-2001) and Ray Marshall (1977-1981), which was moderated by Ernest Green, former assistant secretary of labor (1977-1981).

Highlights from the panel discussions include:

A presentation of the multitude of challenges in today’s labor market, including how to increase demand for labor and reduce the high unemployment rate, strategies for addressing skill deficiencies, reforms needed in immigration policy, and new challenges brought on by global interdependence among world markets.
An exploration of education policies and strategies to improve education standards, including new incentive programs for teachers and students, and helping young people to transition into postsecondary college and careers.
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis discussing current labor department initiatives and cited the need for better enforcement of workforce safety and health and other labor standards. She indicated her support for comprehensive immigration reform and reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, with modifications.
A review of workforce development policies, including trends, effectiveness and public perceptions.Conversations with former secretaries of labor on working with Congress on labor policy issues, linking workforce investment boards with economic development, and a discussion of the success of the loan guarantee to Chrysler.

Symposium Presentations and Papers

Panel 1: Is this the “New Normal” for the U.S. Labor Market? – Watch the Video
Sponsored by the AFL-CIO, and the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

“Worrying about the Wrong Things: A Skeptic’s Look at Structural Problems in the Labor Market”
Lawrence Mishel, Economic Policy Institute

Presentation | Paper – Coming Soon

“Response of the U.S. Workforce System to the Needs of Workers during the Great Recession”
Randall Eberts, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research
Presentation | Paper – Coming Soon

“Some Reflections on Middle-Skill Jobs, the Great Recession and Workforce Development Policy”
Harry J. Holzer, Georgetown University & Urban Institute
Presentation | Paper – Coming Soon

Panel 2: Improving Education Policies and Outcomes – Watch the Video
Sponsored by the National Center on Education and the Economy, IBM, the Greater Austin Chamber, and TG
“School to Work Transition Policy – Germany and Japan”
Marc Tucker, National Center on Education and the Economy

Presentation | Paper – Coming Soon

“Towards an American Manufacturing Renaissance – The Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council and Austin Polytech”
Dan Swinney, Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council
Presentation | Paper – Coming Soon

“Improving Postsecondary Education and Labor Market Success: A Dynamic Central Texas Business-Education Initiative”
Deanna Schexnayder, Ray Mars
hall Center
Presentation | Paper – Coming Soon

Lunch & Keynote Address – Watch the Video
Sponsored by the LBJ School of Public Affairs
Introduction: Ray Marshall, Audre and Bernard Rapoport Centennial Chair (Emeritus) of Economics and Public Affairs, LBJ School of Public Affairs & U.S. Secretary of Labor (1977-1981)

The Honorable Hilda Solis, U.S. Secretary of Labor

Panel 3: New Policy Narratives for Workforce Development – Watch the Video
Sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Texas Association of Workforce Boards

“How Effective Are Workforce Development Programs? Implications for U.S. Workforce Policies in 2010 and Beyond”
Carolyn J. Heinrich, La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison, & Christopher T. King, Ray Marshall Center
Presentation | Paper – Coming Soon

“Expanding Apprenticeship in the US”
Robert I. Lerman, American University & Urban Institute
Presentation | Paper – Coming Soon

“Early Implementation of the Recovery Act”
Burt S. Barnow, George Washington University
Presentation – Barnow | Paper – Coming Soon

“Early Implementation of the Unemployment Insurance Provisions of the Recovery Act”
Yvette Chocolaad, National Association of State Workforce Agencies
Presentation | Paper – Coming Soon

An Evening with the Secretaries Reception and Program – Watch the Video
Sponsored by the LBJ School of Public Affairs, AT&T & Friends of the Ray Marshall Center
Interviewer: Ernest G. Green, Madison Asset Management Group, LLC, Assistant Secretary of Labor, 1977 – 1981

Alexis M. Herman, U.S. Secretary of Labor, 1997 – 2001
Ray Marshall, U.S. Secretary of Labor, 1977 – 1981