STEM Education: “For the Benefit of All”
Mel Schiavelli
President, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
September 25, 2008

Construction of a new building is a regular occurrence on most campuses. But the construction of a 16-story Academic Center in the heart of downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania physically stands for the region’s shift from manufacturing to a science and technology based economy. The building represents the community’s investment in its own future.  The City Harrisburg has successfully created the first non-profit science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) non-profit university--Harrisburg University of Science and Technology—in nearly a century in the Commonwealth in order to meet its own workforce needs.   Harrisburg University was chartered in 2001 and welcomed its first class of students in August 2005. The last one chartered was Carnegie Mellon University a century earlier.  We have a mission to turn the region from a net exporter of college graduates with the goal of keeping college students from leaving the region to find careers, to bring more women and minorities into the STEM majors, and to foster the creation of science and technology companies. 

The $73-million, 16 story, Academic Center is a good way to start. This is an important project for Pennsylvania and the city itself.  Pennsylvania attracts more out-of-state freshmen who graduate from high school than any other state.  But, four-years later, many students take their college diplomas and run, leaving the state with the third-oldest population in the nation and a lack of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics educated students. The brain drain is why the state struggles to attract the type of cutting-edge companies that would make it a major participant in the knowledge-based economy. The idea that innovation will stay here if it starts here was a driving force in the creation of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

The idea of an institution of higher learning contributing to the economic strength of a region is not new. One hundred fifty years ago, Penn State was among the first land grant universities chartered to do exactly that.   What is new, though, is the power behind the idea that Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania. While federal legislation and state action brought us the land grant universities, it is the business community and the chambers of commerce that have ushered in this new era of higher education beginning here with Harrisburg University. And that is certainly appropriate given the economic realities of the day.  Globalization and the flattening of the world economy have brought competition to every aspect of our lives.  And Central Pennsylvania is no exception.  The American dream in Central Pennsylvania is still found at the high end of the world’s economy. And that is now defined by one word innovation.  We believe that a STEM-educated workforce is a key driver of the Commonwealth’s economy over the next century.  The shortage of STEM educated students on our nation’s ability to compete is well documented, and our educational model was set up to address both the shortage and the needs of the workforce itself.

Perhaps this is a brain gain model to stimulate economic development.  We are able to keep tuition affordable by limiting fixed-costs thanks to strategic partnerships with area corporations and organizations.  Regional organizations helped write, develop, and teach our programs as well as supply lab space, mentor our students, host internships and provide research opportunities. Corporate faculty also teach in our classrooms with our full-time faculty, too. We are one of the few places in America where the integration of higher education with workforce development and economic development has been achieved

Politicians, pundits and even Paris Hilton are commenting on how new technologies might help solve issues such as meeting energy needs, lowering gas prices, supplying clean water, eradicating disease, and reducing pollution. But can they answer the question: Who will invent these technologies?  A recent report from Tapping America’s Potential (TAP), a coalition of 16 of the nation’s leading business organizations, shows that the U.S. is losing its ability to innovate and, in effect, its ability to compete. The report, Gaining Momentum, Losing Ground, indicates that little real progress has been made toward the goal of doubling the number of students earning bachelor’s degrees in STEM subjects. Since 2005, the number of STEM degrees awarded to undergraduate students has only increased by 24,000, to 225,000--a number that is not on track to meet the TAP goal of reaching 400,000 by 2015.

It is ironic that as political candidates call for new technologies to solve problems and as we approach the 50th anniversary of the start of operations for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (began its operations on October 1, 1958) that we are losing the STEM race after winning the “space race.” NASA’s successes and failures, as well as its bureaucracy, are well documented. Its accomplishments during the past 50 years, however, are a testament to technology, innovation, and the value science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education brings to the nation.  NASA was able to rely on a STEM-educated workforce capable of by generating the new knowledge necessary for manned space flight.  Fifty years later new knowledge is still the engine that drives innovation.  Innovation is the coin of the realm in a 21st century global economy, creating new technological concepts that drive economic growth and job creation and allowing us to prosper in the competition of the global economy. 

Innovation today still requires a scientifically literate population and a robust supply of qualified graduates. High-quality STEM education and learning environments that prize innovation and imagination produce graduates who will germinate new inventions, develop new products, and create new solutions to many of our world's most pressing problems.

In the highly competitive global economy, the United States faces the daunting task of supplying our own nation with capable science and technology workers. Collectively, India, China, South Korea, and Japan have more than doubled the number of students receiving bachelor’s degrees in the natural sciences since 1975, and quadrupled the number earning engineering degrees.  Since the late 1980s, the European Union has produced more science and engineering Ph.D.s than the United States. These countries are hungry to succeed and increasingly capable of doing so.

STEM is now, and will increasingly be, the universal languages of the global marketplace.  The nations that invest heavily in STEM education, research, and the development of a skilled STEM workforce will enjoy leadership positions. American students, however, are falling behind in the essential subjects of math and science, putting our position in the global economy at risk.

The key is to avoid having a myopic view on STEM education. STEM education prepares all students for the challenges and opportunities in today’s 21st century economy--not just for careers as a scientist.  The National Science Foundation estimates that 80% of the jobs created in the next decade will require some form of math and science skills. Engaging and rigorous undergraduate STEM education provides the foundation for the STEM workforce, for advanced study, for well-prepared K-12 teachers, and for an educated 21st century citizenry.

If the U.S. is going to be competitive, we must build a new vision of the role of education in preparing students for the 21st century workforce.  The world is changing at breakneck speed, presenting innumerable career opportunities for students with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.  And though students generally acknowledge that new inventions can solve issues such as clean water, disease eradication, and reducing pollution, teenagers aren’t entering the educational and career fields necessary to produce those solutions or for the United States to keep pace with other countries.  To reduce the gap, and prepare more K-12 and college students--especially minorities and women--for STEM careers, we must widen the education funnel so more students enter these critical disciplines. This requires making science and technology accessible and relevant, and introducing new approaches to teaching.

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania, with its combined efforts from educators, businesses, and government is a role model for other states. Our students learn STEM content and processes essential to the world of work and the region’s economic development.  Business leaders mentor students, teach as corporate faculty, and host internships. Regional organizations provide input into the courses and get the much needed employees who are able to step in and immediately fill the shortage of technically-educated workers with the essential competencies of communications, critical thinking, information fluency, and ethical and civic responsibility. The Commonwealth gets a workforce that can help drive innovation and sharpen America’s competitive edge.

The National Governors Association (NGA) recently launched Innovation America—a multi-faceted strategy to prepare the nation for a future driven by innovation and global competition. A major cornerstone of the program is the deployment of a national science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) strategy which directly resulted in creation of the Pennsylvania STEM Center Initiative.  The Governor invited Harrisburg University’s chief academic officer to join the Leadership Team for Initiative. Our mission to provide an applied science and technology education links directly with this effort.

Every generation has a seminal moment, an event of permanence that earns a prominent spot in history. For the United States, renewing our innovative spirit, revitalizing our standing in the global economy, and strengthening our participation in high-growth industries are top priorities right now. Only by encouraging students to combine strong science skills, problem-solving abilities, and creative thinking, will we be able to develop that workforce to achieve these goals.

NASA's motto is simple: "For the benefit of all".  We should adopt a similar view of STEM education.