Track Objective:

Celebrating which programs are working, while finding consensus on which can scale up.

OUTCOME: Produce a national leadership consensus on implementing programs that demonstrate success and can scale to a national level.

 

Track Sessions:


 

Session 303:
Extending the Welcome Mat: Attracting and Retaining STEM Majors

Thursday, June 28
10:45 am – 11:45 am

Room C2

Gary R. Bertoline, PhD, Dean, College of Technology, Purdue University
Mark R. Ginsberg, PhD, Dean, College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University 
Christine McEntee, CEO, American Geophysical Union 
James M. Gentile, PhD, President and CEO, Research Corporation for Science Advancement (moderator) 

Less than half of students who start out majoring in STEM graduate with such a degree.  Reasons range from unpreparedness to boring coursework to feeling out of place. The recent PCAST report recommends engaging students in active learning, closing the math-preparation gap, and replacing standard laboratory courses with discovery-based research courses as possible solutions.  Panelists will discuss these recommendations as well as other ways to improve the undergraduate learning experience and increase the retention rate.  In addition, they will examine teaching methods that have proven successful at their institutions and what universities can do, beyond the classroom, to keep students on the STEM track.


 

Session 403:
Strengthening STEM Philanthropy:
Investing in the Best

Thursday, June 28
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Room C2

Michele Cahill, Vice President, National Program, Carnegie Corporation of New York 
Linda Rosen, CEO, Change the Equation
Beth Shiroishi, President, AT&T Foundation
Michael Simpson, D.Env., STEM Council Chair, Fellow and Senior Principal Leader, CSC 
David J. Ferrero, EdD, Senior Program Officer, US Programs, Education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (moderator)

This session will explore several leading foundation models that emulate results, partnership, and collaboration and what sets them apart from other STEM programs.  You will be able to identify core themes to apply to your program, open up a new framework of partnering for success, and hear from foundation experts on just what makes these programs a wise investment for their foundation.  How do these organizations create metrics that matter?  What tools do they leverage to capture their results?  How can you leverage the framework of their model to integrate and apply to your funding strategy?


 

Session 503:
Implementing the New STEM Standards in U.S. Schools

Thursday, June 28
3:45 pm – 4:45 pm

Room C2

Diane J. Briars, PhD, Immediate Past President, National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics
Auditi Chakravarty, Vice President, AP Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, The College Board
Robert J. Morse, Director of Data Research, U.S. News & World Report
Stephen L. Pruitt, PhD, Vice President for Content, Research and Development, Achieve
Susan Bodary, Partner, Education First (moderator)

The Common Core, the new Science Standards, and the redesign of the AP Science courses are all part of a national effort to expand the pipeline of students prepared for success in STEM majors and careers. These new standards focus on deep understanding of key STEM concepts and on hands-on application of these concepts inside and outside the classroom. This panel will provide an overview of the new standards and the efforts underway to implement them.


 

Session 603:
New Undergraduate Education Models for New Workforce Needs

Friday, June 29
9:45 am – 10:45 am

Room C2

Eric Chapman, Deputy Director, University of Maryland Cybersecurity Center
Debbie Hughes, Associate Director of STEM Policy and Programs, Business-Higher Education Forum
Christopher Valentino, Director & Technical Fellow, Northrop Grumman
Stephen Barkanic, Senior Director, STEM Policy and Programs, Business Higher Education Forum (moderator) 

Through system dynamic modeling of the U.S. STEM Education pipeline, the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) has demonstrated that the first two years of college represent the highest leverage point for increasing STEM degree attainment, of which over half of undergraduate students currently switch out of a STEM major, and retention, as well as maximizing the return on investment for business to directly influence its workforce needs.  As illustrated in the recent report of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, increasing college STEM student retention from 40% to 50% would generate two-thirds of the President’s goal to add 1M new STEM graduates.  BHEF’s STEM Higher Education and Workforce Project seeks to catalyzes deep and mutually beneficial  partnerships between universities and companies that specifically addresses regional workforce needs, while serving as proof points across the country of intervention strategies that deepen undergraduate STEM learning, increase STEM graduation rates and connect students more effectively with STEM careers. In this session, business and university representatives from two of the pilot projects, Maryland and Missouri, will describe their unique collaborations, the impact their work is having on STEM undergraduate education in these regions, and the implications for STEM higher education nationwide.