Clemson appoints associate vice president for workforce development

CLEMSON, SC – November 15, 2011 – Underscoring its commitment to improving South Carolina’seconomy, Clemson University has appointed the chairman of its industrialengineering department to an expanded role as associate vice presidentfor workforce development.

Anand Gramopadhye,who also is director of the newly created Center for WorkforceDevelopment, will support the vice president for economic development tohelp meet the needs of the state’s evolving manufacturing sector.

Gramopadhye will develop initiatives and spearhead fundingopportunities designed to bolster workforce training across the state asClemson builds on new programs for key manufacturing sectors.

John Kelly, vice president for economic development, said Gramopadhyewill play a pivotal role developing new and innovative educationprograms.

Clemson has formed a universitywide front in its bid to elevate SouthCarolina’s workforce to meet the needs of South Carolina’s 21st centurymanufacturing industries, Kelly said. For them to prosper, the stateneeds an innovative workforce. Part of Clemson’s job is to help speedthese innovations to market, he said.

“Today’s employers, particularly in the automotive and aviationindustries, need an applicant pool rich with qualified technicians andengineers,” Kelly said. “Dr. Gramopadhye, in this expanded role, willensure the university’s resources are channeled efficiently andeffectively.”

Clemson recently announced three workforce development initiatives.

• Clemson announced in September it received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to create a center for research and education in sustainable vehicle systems at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) in Greenville. It is to promote the development of anengineering workforce that will overcome technical barriers and helpcommercialize the next generation of advanced automotive technologies.
• In October, Clemson and its partners were awarded a $2.3 million grant by the National Science Foundation to create the Center for WorkforceDevelopment for aviation and automotive technology education. Inpartnership with technical colleges and industry, the collaboration willdrive workforce development by providing technicians for the state’skey manufacturing industries in areas that most need labor with specificskills. It creates satellite resource centers at three locations:Florence-Darlington, Greenville and the Charleston area.
• Also in October, Clemson was part of a statewide educationconsortium led by Florence-Darlington Technical College that was awardeda nearly $20 million grant by the U.S. Department of Labor to developonline courses in foundational math, science and technology in a29-county region.

Gramopadhye joined Clemson in 1992 as an assistant professor. He wasnamed chairman of the industrial engineering department in 2003 andassistant to the dean of the College of Engineering and Science in 2010.He earned a bachelor’s degree of engineering in production engineeringin 1992 from the University of Bombay, India, and a master of science in1989 and a Ph.D. in 1992, both in industrial engineering, from theState University of New York, Buffalo.

Gramopadhye said that for South Carolina to attract industry,workforce and economic development initiatives are critical for thosecompanies to compete in the global marketplace. If Clemson does not helpprovide a talent pool, these employers will struggle to compete andSouth Carolina risks losing thousands of manufacturing jobs toneighboring states.

“The university has a central role to play in developing theworkforce of the future,” Gramopadhye said. “If we fail to act, SouthCarolina will not only lose valuable jobs, it also will see a wealth ofyoung talent leave to seek employment in competing states aftergraduating from our colleges and universities.”

Provost Dori Helms said Gramopadhye’s new role also will help furtherClemson’s academic programs and strengthen its reputation in theacademic arena.

“Our students are the core of the university’s mission,” Helms said.“Dr. Gramopadhye will enhance our students’ experience at Clemson andbroaden their education.”