Washington, DC—For the first time, hundreds of business executives, HR managers, educators, policymakers, government officials, technology experts, philanthropists, community leaders, and association chiefs will gather on a national stage to develop solutions to the jobs crisis in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. At a time of high unemployment with many STEM jobs going unfilled, the conference will organize the broad array of STEM workforce issues, from how to engage young students to how technology can better align educators with job creators and the skill sets required. Another key objective of the summit is to find effective ways to increase public awareness of STEM and its connection to jobs.
The inaugural U.S. News STEM Solutions 2012: A Leadership Summit, taking place June 27-29 in Dallas, Texas, will result in a national consensus on best practices and the next steps, both short- and long-term, for ensuring a competitive workforce. "We are at a critical juncture in America today," says Brian Kelly, Editor and Chief Content Officer of U.S. News & World Report. "Maintaining our global competitiveness, our economic health, our national security, and our innovative spirit all depend on an abundant pipeline of tech-savvy workers."
Keynote presentations, including seven plenary discussions, will address top-level issues, such as the need for results in STEM education, implications of the forecasted skills gap, and finding common ground between college presidents and business CEOs in addressing the education-to-jobs disconnect. "Along with co-producers, U.S. News & World Report and Innovate+Educate, we are extremely proud to unveil the content for 'STEM Solutions 2012,'" says Edie Fraser, CEO of STEMConnector. "We have curated a slate of exceptional presentations around the theme 'Where STEM means jobs' that will likely define the national conversation for years to come."
The following is a small sample from the host of forward thinkers participating in keynote panels:
- Dean Kamen, Founder, FIRST
- Ellen Kullman, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, DuPont
- Wes Bush, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Northrop Grumman Corporation
- NBA Hall of Fame and Global Cultural Ambassador Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Joel L. Klein, Executive Vice President and CEO, Education Division, News Corporation
- Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Rick Stephens, Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Administration at The Boeing Company
Discussions will move beyond the critical but frequently debated issue of STEM workforce shortages and into the realm of specific solutions, according to Jamai Blivin, President and CEO of Innovate+Educate. "Anyone who plans to be part of the future of STEM education and employment in this country will want to join the conversation taking place at STEM Solutions 2012," she says.
A curriculum of 20 breakout sessions is organized into tracks, according to the Summit's five overarching objectives:
- The Demand Side addresses America's immediate need for "three million jobs in three years." Designed to facilitate the matching of supply and demand, sessions will focus on employer challenges in workforce planning and successful outcomes through partnerships;
- The Supply Side covers education in relation to America's STEM future. Sessions such as "Post-Secondary Pathways to STEM" are geared toward fostering communication with educators and policymakers about needed skillspecific innovations;
- Seeking the Best Return on Investment celebrates programs that are successfully aligning skills with jobs. This track includes sessions like "Undergraduate Education Models for New Workforce Needs" and "Strengthening STEM Philanthropy: Investing in the Best";
- Policy, a Start but Not a Finish is intended to help form a national consensus on how to implement successful programs and includes sessions on subjects such as funding national resources and the K-16 pipeline; and,
- Communications will explore how to raise public and political awareness.
Aimed at reversing the detrimental impacts of the growing disparity between job skills and employer need, sessions will delve into the lack of mentors, STEM innovators in arts and entertainment, and building the STEM brand. In addition, the first day of the conference is dedicated to introducing the Multi-state STEM Network, an organized collective for advancing STEM through knowledge sharing. Presented in partnership with Battelle Memorial Institute, the 10 separate workshops will bring together representatives from a dozen states who will present case studies of successes and lessons learned.
"We left no stone unturned in our goal of amassing the brightest stars of STEM," says U.S. News's Kelly. "Still, the stellar content would be meaningless without an audience. We're looking forward to seeing an exchange of ideas among thousands of passionate participants."
STEM Solutions 2012 was created to help anyone with a stake in our country's STEM workforce achieve his or her goals. Interested participants can find more information about participation at http://www.USNewsStemSolutions.com.
U.S. News STEM Solutions 2012—A Leadership Summit is a mission-critical event focused on the shortage of science- and tech-related skills in the American workforce. U.S. News & World Report, together with Innovate+Educate, STEMConnector™ and more than 50 key organizations will bring together for the first time on a national stage major corporations, leading educators, top policymakers, and education technology companies to create a collective that will fill jobs now and advance the future STEM workforce. Held June 27 – 29, 2012, at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, in Dallas, Texas.
U.S. News & World Report is a multi-platform publisher of news and analysis, which includes the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine and www.usnews.com. Focusing on News, Opinion, Education, Health, Money, Travel, and Cars, U.S. News has earned a reputation as a leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. Its signature franchises include its "Best" series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, and more.
Innovate+Educate is a national non-profit led by Fortune 500 companies with a goal of aligning STEM education and workforce efforts on a state-by-state basis.
STEMConnector™ is a resource center and network that helps bring together the many STEM projects around the country with a website of more than 3,000 organizations dedicated to STEM education; jobs and diversity are key priorities.
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Media Contact:
Alexi Turbow, Communications Relations Coordinator | U.S. News & World Report
Phone: 202-955-2155
Email: aturbow@usnews.com
Kimberly Hardcastle-Geddes, Vice President | MDG
Phone: 619.298.1445 x116
Email: kimberly@marketingdesigngroup.com
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S. Spruill of GA 9:06PM May 27, 2012
Than Nguyen of TX 10:34PM April 28, 2012