Dr. Mark Taylor was recently invited to speak to the faculty of the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana to help prepare them to better serve today’s students. Dr. Taylor is an award-winning speaker recognized internationally as an educator, expert, and consultant who is on the forefront of transformations in educational practice and workplace management. He holds graduate degrees from the University of Arkansas and academic appointments at Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Graduate School.
“Bringing training to our campus allows us, as an institution, to move in the direction necessary for our students to be successful,” said University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana Vice Chancellor Laura Clark. Clark continued, “Our primary mission is for our students to be successful in college and this starts in the classroom. Our faculty is driven to do the best they can to create the best learning environment possible. Our students are changing and we must change with them to ensure their success.”
As an authority on the traits, developmental issues and learning outcomes of today’s young people, Dr. Taylor is dedicated to helping colleges, universities, schools and professional programs better understand and serve our students for learning, development, persistence and successful integration into the “after college” world. His work with organizations and companies focuses on helping people understand and work more effectively with the generational groups, especially our young people from “Generation NeXt”.
According to Taylor, “The young people of Generation NeXt (up to about 26 years old) are different from previous generations of students. Few schools, colleges and universities understand these differences well enough to respond effectively to bring about meaningful learning and developmental outcomes.” Taylor continued, “For most students, there is a serious mismatch between what they want and expect from a school, and what we offer. The expectations by many students of academic success with little effort are distressing and confusing to faculty and staff. I am dedicated to helping faculty and staff better understand and improve their skills in working with students for learning, development, persistence and workplace readiness.”
Building on over 30 years of experience in higher education, health care and the helping professions, including as a psychotherapist, professor, and in medical, academic and student services administration, Dr. Taylor has worked with over 600 organizations, businesses and schools in 48 states, and made presentations at numerous state, regional, national, and international events. His business clients have included Boeing Aerospace, 20th Century Fox Motion Pictures, Wal-Mart, FEMA and the U.S. Army.