Brian Kibby, President of McGraw-Hill Higher Education, to Speak to First-Year Students at UMass Amherst

 

DATE:           Wednesday, Aug. 29

TIME:            Noon

WHAT:          Power Up for College Success

WHERE:       Campus Center Auditorium, UMass Amherst

 

Brian Kibby, the president of McGraw-Hill Higher Education, will share his own experiences in college with 350 first-year students participating in the Power Up for College Success program at UMass Amherst.

 

A frequent speaker on topics of leadership, innovation, talent, strategy and education, Kibby has spent nearly 20 years with McGraw-Hill and Pearson, two of the world's largest digital learning and educational services companies. During that time, he has held every core industry job, including sales, marketing, marketing director, product director, general manager and national sales manager. He was promoted to president of McGraw-Hill Higher Education last year.

 

“Brian wanted to speak to Power Up students in order to convey his own story as a student who began college struggling to make a success of himself,” says Robert Feldman, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, which offers the program. “His is a wonderful example of how one can overcome the challenge of an underprepared academic background not only to be successful academically but to reach the pinnacle of success in his field. We are thrilled to have him as this year's keynote speaker.”

 

Power Up for College Success is a one-credit program for first-year students entering UMass Amherst that focuses on skills and strategies for academic success. Participants arrive three days before fall orientation and spend two and half days familiarizing themselves with the campus and building a network of friends before the start of classes.

 

“Power Up for College Success helps students get an important head start at UMass Amherst,” says Feldman.