June 30, 1998

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT TO BE HELD AT DIXON UNIVERSITY CENTER

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

Education, business, industry and government leaders will attend a Summit Workshop hosted by the State System of Higher Education’s Task Force for Science and Advanced Technology Education, Workforce Development and Implementation Research July 8 at the Dixon University Center.

The program will include a group of panelists who will make recommendations in several areas related to information technology and workforce development. The panel will be made up of Norman Fortenberry of the National Science Foundation, Wiley McKinzie from the Rochester Institute of Technology, William Jahn from Lehigh University and Peter Tartline from Gov. Tom Ridge’s policy office.

Following the panel discussion, business leaders representing both local and international companies will respond to the panelists’ suggestions. From there all of the participants will break up into small work groups to develop additional recommendations before getting back together to decide what will be their next steps.

The System task force was created in January with four major objectives:

· To investigate ways to ensure that State System graduates are technologically prepared for employment in the 21st century.

· To contribute to workforce development in Pennsylvania, and to increase university and business/industry partnerships.

· To investigate the feasibility of an industrial/institutional consortium or development of an institute to address these issues and to develop possible funding mechanisms for such projects.

· To consider possible pilot programs to test the viability of task force recommendations and provide educational opportunities for students.

The task force is chaired by Board of Governors member Syed R. Ali-Zaidi,

The program for the Summit Workshop was designed to address several key questions, including what level of technological expertise State System graduates will need in the 21st century, what business and industry expects of new college graduates and how the universities can work together to help meet the changing needs of employers.

A briefing paper developed for the summit states: “In the 21st century, citizens and employees at all levels of the workforce will need stronger backgrounds and increased knowledge and skills in mathematics, science and applied technology.”

State System universities already offer more than 80 different science and technology bachelor’s degrees. The most commonly offered programs are in biology, computer science/technology, mathematics and physical science.

The need for graduates in such areas is growing every year. According to a study conducted earlier this year by the state Department of Labor and Industry – and supported by national statistics – “the majority of all new jobs will be in the technology category.”

The top three fastest growing occupations in Pennsylvania are computer related. Six of the top 10 occupations require a bachelor’s degree and two require an associate’s degree.

The Summit Workshop will convene at 1 p.m. in the Recital Room of Richards Hall, with welcoming remarks to be offered by Ali-Zaidi and State System Chancellor James H. McCormick. The panel presentation will begin at 1:30 p.m. followed by the business leader responses at 2:30 p.m.

The work groups will meet in separate one-hour sessions beginning at 3:30 and 4:45 p.m. All summit participants then will reconvene to present their conclusions, with the program scheduled to conclude at 6 p.m.

The State System of Higher Education comprises 14 universities throughout the Commonwealth, and is the largest provider of higher education in the state. One of every 29 Pennsylvanians is attending or is a graduate of a System university. The State System is the 17th largest employer in the state, with more than 11,700 employees.

The 14 state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers.