67th Annual Meeting of the ORAU Council of Sponsoring Organizations

Steve BarkanicSenior Director of STEM Policy & Programs

Steve.Barkanic@bhef.com

March 14, 2012

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BHEF OverviewFounded in 1978, BHEF leaders work together to advance solutions to our nation’s most significant educational challenges to enhance U.S. competitiveness

• Diverse Membership Fortune 500 CEOs and senior executives University presidents Select government and foundation leaders

• Long History of Member-Led Initiatives Business-university research collaboration Diversity College readiness, access and success STEM Workforce ©BHEF

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STEM Higher Education & Workforce ProjectGoals: Through a strategy of regional pilots influencing national policy and practice, the project aims to address workforce needs by:

1. Increasing STEM student persistence, particularly women and underrepresented minorities

2. Deepening STEM learning and relevance with a focus on the first two years of college

3. Increasing the alignment of undergraduate STEM education and degree production with government and industry workforce needs, with a focus on high-demand STEM fields

4. Developing a national network to scale evidence-based practices and influence broader policy through collaborations among government, and business and higher education association members

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Project Engagement Model

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Regional Pilots

Data Analysis

Modeling

Influence Policy/Practice

External Collaborators

(AAU, AIA, APLU, BISEC)

BHEF/BHEF Members

Key Government Agencies

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STEM Project Strategy and Sample Products

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Regional Strategy• Focus on the First Two Years of College• Create 8 – 10 Unique, Sector-Focused Regional Pilots

– Directly align with local workforce needs– Developing new STEM educational models, e.g. cyber teaching hospital,

PSM

• A Menu of Research-Based Interventions:– Earlier Internships – Redesigned courses and new teaching methods focused on active student

learning– Undergraduate mentoring  and career guidance by STEM professionals– Cohort and team learning experiences, themed residential communities,

STEM competitions, and other enriched supports  – Cognitive tutors

• Pilots Serve as Central Hubs– Serve as inputs to the U.S. STEM Education Model 2.0 – Create a network for scaling and exporting learning

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Regional Strategy: Potential Partners & Sites

Maryland: University System of Maryland; SAIC; BAE Systems; Battelle Memorial Institute; EADS; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Office of Naval Research

Ohio: Battelle Memorial Institute; The Ohio State University; Case Western Reserve University; GE

Missouri: Washington University in St. Louis; Boeing; Monsanto

Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin System

Nebraska: University of Nebraska; Union Pacific; Peter Kiewit (global engineering)

California: 3 sites—San Francisco area; mid-coast; southern CA various partners

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National StrategyPotential Partners• Aerospace Industry of America• American Society for Engineering Education• Association of American Universities• Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities• National Defense Industry Association• TechNet • Professional Societies, US Chamber; Business Roundtable; Others

Potential Activities• National examination of postsecondary STEM and workforce

alignment• Learning from regional pilots to inform the national strategy and

engage with state and federal government• Working with partner organizations to bring regional prototypes to

scale

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Key TakeawaysBHEF’s Member Universities and Companies are:• Focusing on the first two years of undergraduate and graduate

Professional Science Masters (PSM) • Collaborating through regional projects to meet local STEM

workforce needs, e.g. cyber security

Developing ‘Game-Changing’ Educational Models• Professional Science Masters (PSM) • Cyber Security Teaching Hospital

Building a Network of Networks• Replicate outcomes from regional projects nationally• U.S. STEM Education Model 2.0 will show key leverage points• Align national industry and academic partners to benefit from

large memberships9

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For additional information:• BHEF STEM Higher Education and Workforce Project: http://

bhef.com/solutions/stem/hewp.asp

• BHEF STEM Research and Policy Series: http://www.bhef.com/publications/research-briefs.asp

• BHEF’s U.S. STEM Education Model: http://forio.com/simulate/bhef/u-s-stem-education-model/overview/

• BHEF’s Online Resource Center: www.StrategicEdSolutions.org

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©BHEF