Business a vital partner in STEM education
The students attending the 17 member institutions of the Minnesota Private College Council (MPCC) who have declared undergraduate majors in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degree programs are recruited nationally for leadership positions in business and industry, due to the strength of MPCC schools in the sciences and math. However, the status quo is not sufficient for the future.
The demand for STEM discipline graduates will mushroom in the next ten years with the projected 20 to 33 percent increase in scientific and technical occupations. Demand will be compounded by the retirement of baby boomers currently at the helm in these fields.
The need to increase the number of students choosing STEM majors has been a clarion call from the corner offices of business. That call is now being clearly heard in the halls of academia and government.
In January, the University of St. Thomas School of Engineering sponsored the symposium "Engineering Minnesota’s Future." In the keynote address, George W. Buckley, chairman, president and CEO of 3M, said, "We are in a global innovation economy…we must encourage innovative thought and recognize the foundational role of mathematics."
Undergraduate research clearly shows students the foundational role of mathematics. Whether the topic is science- or sociology-based, its analysis becomes mathematical at some point and usually requires technology competence. Research also develops cross-disciplinary analysis and critical thinking skills. The Minnesota Private Colleges Scholars at the Capitol event provides a venue to showcase the student research done on all our MPCC campuses.
Ronald Bennett, Ph.D., dean of the St. Thomas School of Engineering, emphasized the importance of cooperating with industry when addressing skill development and course and degree offerings. "St. Thomas has been intentional about asking industry what it needs from STEM graduates," he said.
Recognizing the need to be proactive in meeting the challenges of the global economy and changing demographics, Gov. Tim Pawlenty convened the Minnesota Biosciences Education-Industry Partnership Council in 2005. Members of the Council include representatives from each of the higher education systems K-12 specialists, industry associations and businesses that need to employ individuals with STEM degrees.
At a recent Biosciences Education-Industry Partnership Council meeting, discussion turned to the important role of internships in STEM education. Peter Nash, CEO of Camas, Inc., currently in the review process with the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics for licensure of its product to prevent bovine respiratory disease, shared an example of the success his company had with interns. "We secured interns from Gustavus Adolphus College to do lab assessments during development of our product. It was productive as well as cost effective for us and a positive experience for the students," he said.
Camas executive Brad Mitteness, who formerly worked with business development at the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), noted the importance during product development of "leaps in innovation." "These leaps require innovative thinking across disciplines," he said.
The rigorous STEM studies provided by a liberal arts education can help graduates hone cross-disciplinary analytical skills which support the innovative thinking necessary for leaps in process and product development. This is one of the many strengths that Minnesota’s Private Colleges bring to the partnership between business and education. Working together, we can expand the STEM graduate pipeline that will enable Minnesota to compete and succeed in the global economy.