Recently there has been a great deal of attention devoted to Kentucky’s “STEM crisis” – the need to increase the number of college graduates in the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and math) in order to effectively compete in a global, 21st century economy. A 110 member STEM Task Force (bios) recently assembled by the Council on Postsecondary Education includes some of the state’s most influential leaders from business, education, government, and nonprofit agencies (including Union College president Edward de Rosset, Bellarmine University Dean of Arts & Sciences Rob Kingsolver, Midway College Provost Sarah Laws, Georgetown College chemistry professor and CASE 2006 Kentucky Professor of the Year Frank Wiseman, and a number of AIKCU alumni).

Last week the STEM Task Force issued its report, Kentucky’s STEM Imperative: Competing in the Global Economy, which provides eight recommendations for solving Kentucky’s STEM crisis. Some of these recommendations include: a statewide STEM awareness campaign; educational incentives for STEM students, teachers, and institutions; improving teacher preparation and professional development for STEM teachers; and creating and leveraging public-private partnerships that connect business and education interests (the full list of recommendations can be found in the press release here or in the full report here).

University of Kentucky President Lee Todd chaired the Task Force. “Kentucky has the opportunity to be the state that others follow to remedy the STEM crisis,” said Todd. “Collaborative and coordinated strategies to resolve the STEM crisis must engage all sectors and all citizens.”

While they may be more widely known for their historic traditions in providing broad-based liberal arts education, Kentucky’s independent colleges and universities are already engaged in a number of initiatives to address some of the critical STEM shortfalls identified by the Task Force.

“This is an area where our campuses really shine, as they produce high percentages of the state’s bachelor’s degrees in math and the sciences at very little cost to the Commonwealth,” said AIKCU President Gary S. Cox. “What’s more, the liberal arts underpinnings of these programs ensure that well-rounded graduates are equipped to deal with the complex, constantly evolving challenges of the global marketplace.”

AIKCU campuses are doing a number of things to further develop that STEM pipeline at all levels, from working with elementary students to partnering with the state’s research universities on undergraduate research opportunities to redesigning math curricula to providing scientific lecture series for the general public.

Added Cox, “Kentucky has a long way to go, but the momentum that the STEM Task Force has provided is encouraging for our campuses as they continue to work with the public postsecondary institutions, K-12 education, and the business community to address STEM issues and make Kentucky a major player in the global economy.”

Following are some examples of initiatives underway on AIKCU campuses to promote the STEM disciplines. See Click here for a more extensive list.

Alice Lloyd College recently completed a $2 million renovation of its Andersen Science Center, which houses the facilities for all of the laboratory portions of the biological and physical science courses.

Over the past five years at Asbury College, 100% of chemistry major graduates who apply to graduate schools have been accepted. Of students applying to medical school, 90% have been accepted. Many students do their senior research with professors at the University of Kentucky and other major institutions around the nation.

In 2003 Bellarmine University completed a the $6.5 million Norton Health Science Center (2003), which boasts 28,525 sq. ft. of space that is home to most of Bellarmine’s physical sciences with state-of-the-art laboratories, faculty offices and classrooms. Other BU research facilities are scheduled for renovation in the spring of 2007.

Berea College’s Carter G. Woodson Math and Science Institute is a focused Upward Bound program designed to serve high school students with great promise and limited family resources, providing them with skills and motivation to be successful at the post secondary level. Woodson Institute’s added purpose is to recognize and develop participants’ potential to excel in mathematics and the sciences and encourage them to pursue college degrees in these fields. Woodson Institute participants enroll at the 9th or 10th grade level and continue in the program through high school graduation.

Brescia University is part of a program through the Owensboro Alliance for Education to link area educators with local employers who are highly dependent on STEM skills.

Campbellsville University’s Clay Hill Memorial Forest serves as a 150-acre site for environmental research, an environmental studies institute during the summer for public school teachers, and a site for the study of best practices for the timber industry. It also hosts visits by approximately 2,000 public school students a year.

Centre College has obtained an NSF-LSAMP grant that has enabled the college to bring incoming first-year students and upper-level underrepresented students to work in science labs during the summer. This will begin in the summer of 2007.

Each summer Georgetown College hosts the Pre-College Academic Experience in Mathematics and Science (PAEMS). PAEMS is a twelve day residential program, usually for rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, in which students gain exposure to a number of scientific disciplines via classroom and laboratory experiences and field trips.

Kentucky Wesleyan College, in collaboration with the University of Kentucky College of Engineering, Brescia University and Owensboro Community Technical College System will offer “Statics,” a core engineering course, in the spring of 2007. The three local institutions also plan to jointly develop other core engineering courses in the near future.

Lindsey Wilson College recently opened the 42,000-square-foot Jim and Helen Lee Fugitte Science Center. The $9 million project, which was funded almost entirely with private gifts, allows Lindsey Wilson’s curriculum to expand in mathematics and science and also offer additional support programs to area high school teachers and their students.

Mid-Continent University is in the initial planning and evaluative stages to develop a mathematics major for traditional undergraduates at the university’s main Mayfield campus.

Midway College has placed a priority on improving K-12 math and science by focusing on teacher education in STEM disciplines: secondary mathematics, middle school science, and secondary biology.

As part of the Appalachian Mathematics and Science Partnership (AMSP), Pikeville College has implemented an inquiry-style physics course that is required for all Pre-service teachers. Pikeville College faculty have also worked inquiry-style aspects into other science courses.

St. Catharine College is in the process of launching the state’s newest teacher education program. The program emphasizes field-based studies and will include middle school science and environmental science and sustainability will be a thread in all of the programs. After program approval, middle school mathematics is the next planned area.

Recognizing the need to address incoming students who may be under prepared for college in the area of mathematics, Spalding University adopted new mathematics placement criteria in Spring 2006, in alignment with CPE’s policy for public institutions, with a change in curriculum in an effort to better prepare student for success in college algebra.

Thomas More College has a history of excellent preparation of science undergraduates for advanced study. A recent Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Sciences article found that no college or university in the Commonwealth, public or private, had produced more undergraduates that went on to complete their Ph.D. in physics over the past twenty-five years than Thomas More College. Impressive numbers were also cited for biology and chemistry, ranking sixth and twelfth respectively.

Each fall, Transylvania University’s division of natural sciences and mathematics hosts a Science Day for high school students in the surrounding area. Transylvania students and faculty present demonstrations and lead discussions on science opportunities as careers. This year, the high school students had the opportunity to listen to a recent Transylvania graduate who is working in the computer industry in developing games and other new products for this industry. Each spring, Transylvania hosts a group of middle school female students to help them see directly the opportunities science careers offer them and how they can attain these careers.

Union College participated in the Appalachian Mathematics and Science Partnership (AMSP) Math Explorers program. Union math majors have been involved tutoring other undergraduate students who need particular help with classes, thus helping to improve math skills. In addition, they have encouraged some of our better students to consider a career in math, or math education.

University of the Cumberlands hosts two events for high school students designed to serve, encourage, and foster further interest in science and mathematics: the Chemistry Symposium/Science Olympiad and the regional high school mathematics contest.

To get more information on the STEM Task Force, including the full report, member bios, meeting notes, and more, visit the CPE website: http://www.cpe.ky.gov/news/reports/cpe_reports/stem.htm.