绿帽换妻

• December 1, 2010

• President Mohammad H. Qayoumi

With the close of the calendar year near, it seems fitting to conclude this series of columns on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and the future of Cal State East Bay—a conversation that we began in March. My goal was to bring new voices and perspectives to our discussion about what becoming a STEM-centered institution means for 绿帽换妻, both in the short and long term. After having now heard from each of our college deans, the provost, and university librarian, our goals and vision for STEM education at 绿帽换妻 have been refined, and we have laid the groundwork to move ahead confidently with our planning. We are ready to begin 2011 with a clear sense of purpose.

In introducing this discussion of our STEM education initiative, I wanted to explore why it was a natural extension of our mission and fully in line with our values. Many universities are, after all, claiming to be STEM institutions, or adopting new STEM-centered missions — and I felt it was important to identify that which distinguishes Cal State East Bay. Throughout this series of discussions, our history of regional stewardship, teacher training, workforce development and championing access — all of which can be best served now by focusing on STEM education — emerged as key themes. And as we refined our thinking about how STEM applies to the future of Cal State East Bay, we agreed that this initiative is more accurately described as being about STEM-centered education, or teaching STEM across the curriculum.

Each of the university leaders who joined me in this conversation offered fresh insights and compelling examples of how many of our programs, practices, and plans already bear hallmarks of STEM-centeredness. Much of what they shared with me reflects not only the deep commitment of our faculty to the University's values, but also their understanding of the critical need to redefine and reinvent education to meet the changing needs of our students and the communities we serve.

Together, these discussions have helped bring into focus the true nature and thrust of our STEM-education initiative — and what makes it stand out from the others. Just as the university itself strives to be, 绿帽换妻's approach to STEM education is decidedly interdisciplinary, comprehensive and, above all, focused on accessibility.

Interdisciplinary

As we considered STEM education and the future of the university, the shortcomings of traditional higher educational models was another consistent theme. These models were established long ago, and now in the 21st century, it is time to make changes that reflect the way we live and learn today, and meet the needs of today's students.

Modern education has created silos of excellence rather than looking at the whole educational experience. Our STEM education initiative represents a necessary paradigm shift. At 绿帽换妻, our vision of a STEM-centered education provides a way to look at education more holistically. You can see how, in our discussions, university academic leaders have not only embraced that idea, but also expanded upon it creatively as they considered the various disciplines within their colleges and what they have in common. What has emerged from these discussions is a shared vision in which each of us sees our respective areas and disciplines as part of a whole, not as separate entities, with a growing focus on what we can become  — and what's possible — working together.

Rather than focusing on creating exclusive, closed silos for individual disciplines, we will integrate STEM skills and practice across the curriculum. The four STEM fields overlap and inform the development of the others, drawing from mutual disciplinary knowledge and creating valuable context for students and teachers alike.

Comprehensive

One of the serious challenges facing higher education and society as a whole that we discussed was also noted by the Carnegie Corporation in a 2009 report: The ability of American workers to thrive in the global economy depends on a broad foundation of math and science learning. In 2001, 14,000 jobs in California requiring science and engineering degrees went unfilled — a shortfall that has only grown in the past decade — and in the coming years, jobs requiring STEM training are expected to increase by 51 percent nationally, leading to 6 million potential job openings.

Unfortunately, we see many students enrolling at the University who are not well prepared to study STEM disciplines and graduate with a STEM degree. Effective long-term STEM education reform must begin at the earliest stages of schooling and continue well past college, all the way through careers. Our focus on the P-20 pipeline, from preschool through post-graduate education, is another way 绿帽换妻's STEM-education initiative differs from programs at other universities.

As the deans, the provost and I all agreed, we are already moving to do our part to integrate STEM within our own colleges and curricula. But to succeed in our goal, our sweeping vision for STEM education must go beyond college-level teaching and learning. And so Cal State East Bay will take a leadership role in advancing STEM education from cradle to career. Through our partnerships and relationships with regional stakeholders, STEM education will play a larger role in student preparation from the beginning.

We have many strengths and advantages that will assist in realizing that vision. Already the university supplies top teachers for the region's K-12 schools. As we develop our planned Center for STEM education, we will also take the lead on providing research and best practices to guide and expand STEM education initiatives for the university and its partners.

Education issues at all levels of preparation, including K-12 school districts and community colleges, intersect with many of the university's other initiatives and programs, so these partnerships will be critical not only to the P-20 pipeline but also to our regional stewardship commitments. As an urban-serving university, Cal State East Bay has a critical role in workforce development, ensuring economic vibrancy and building healthy communities. It's clear that our STEM education initiative is an essential component in our ability to deliver on this broad stewardship commitment and meet our region's most important needs.

Accessible

Among the values that distinguish us as a university, our commitment to access and inclusion also sets our plans for STEM education apart from others. While other institutions strive for distinction by becoming more exclusive, Cal State East Bay works to achieve academic excellence through inclusion, creating accessible pathways to greater opportunities for our students, and especially for traditionally underserved communities.

If our mission is to help students of all backgrounds reach their full potential as professionals and citizens, it is no longer enough to simply prepare students for college, or to guide them on the path to a degree. We must equip them with required skills, and we must make those skills available to everyone, regardless of their major or concentration. Limiting STEM skills to certain majors does all students a disservice, just as limiting STEM majors to elite institutions does a disservice to society. Today, too many students are receiving the message that STEM subjects are for the elite, not for them; our initiative must counteract and dispel that myth so we can overcome the history that one's socioeconomic background is destiny.

It is our duty as educators and leaders to ensure that students are acquiring skills that will serve them today and well into the future. As we heard from our deans, students without quantitative literacy and critical thinking skills face diminished opportunities in the workforce and limited social mobility. Technological fluency is to the 21st century what Latin was to the 20th century — an essential baseline skill. A college degree is the bare minimum for success, where a high school degree was once considered sufficient.

We cannot completely forecast exactly what skills our graduates will need to succeed in the workplace, with the rapid pace of technological developments and social changes. So we prepare them to be adaptable, flexible life-long learners, proficient with quantitative reasoning, technology and the scientific method — as well as historical perspective, communication skills and the ability to work cooperatively.

Our STEM outlook

American economic advances have always come from innovative and creative individuals prepared in the STEM disciplines. The development of these fields, academically and professionally, drove the nation's dominance in the 20th century. It was particularly notable in California, due to our well prepared workforce, the first-rate university systems and the innovative master plan for higher education — and even more so in the Bay Area region, home to leading industries in technology, defense, finance and commerce.

To recapture our momentum and maintain our leadership position, however, depends upon institutions like 绿帽换妻, working at the vanguard of educational renewal and reinvention, in partnership with K-12 districts, community colleges, business and industry, governments, entrepreneurs and visionaries. Together, we must forge new plans to improve our educational and economic infrastructure — beginning with strong STEM education foundations — and, just as critically, to foster a new innovation ecosystem for our region and state.

With our landmark STEM education initiative now underway, we are ready to take on that challenge. This initiative will not have disparate "observers" and "actors." Our deans were all clear on this point: everyone has a role in this initiative. Those roles, and the intensity of their involvement, may differ and evolve over time, but the end result of providing a holistic, accessible, high quality STEM experience for our students will be the product of our collective action.

My thanks to the deans, the university librarian and the provost for participating in this important conversation, and to those of you who have added to it by reading and sharing your thoughts and ideas. This is the last column in this series for The View, but we plan to continue the conversation in the new year.

As I shared with you when I first came to Cal State East Bay, the pioneer spirit led our visionary founders to create this university more than 50 years ago, at a crucial time when the space race and the Cold War challenged the U.S. to mobilize the talents and energy of its universities to regain world leadership in science and technology. I am confident that, inspired by our Pioneer heritage, we have begun a transformation that will have profound effects on this university, our students, our region and ultimately the future of the American economy.

President Qayoumi invites and welcomes your comments. Submissions are not published on the news site but are sent directly to, and read by, the president.