Chronicle of Higher Education

An education on higher education for the next president

September 12, 2008

President France Córdova was among several higher-education leaders  asked for their advice for the presidential candidates.  Here are her comments.

Attracting more domestic students into science, engineering, technology, and math -- what we call the STEM disciplines -- has been identified as a national imperative, asserted by scientific societies, national organizations of universities, business groups, the National Science Board and federal science agencies, Congress, and the current American president.

That comes in response to reports such as "Science and Engineering Indicators, 2004," published by the National Science Foundation, which stated that during the previous 30 years the United States had fallen from third to 17th in the world in the number of 18- to 24-year-olds with science degrees. American universities are fortunate to have attracted many bright students from other countries to earn degrees in the STEM disciplines. Because of U.S. visa restrictions and competitive opportunities in their home countries, not all of those students stay. Yet they advance scholarship and research with their professors while they are here, enhancing our nation's achievements in science and engineering. The challenge is to encourage domestic students to concentrate in such disciplines.

Fifty years ago, when our nation was jolted into the space age, Congress approved the National Defense Education Act, improving science and math teaching, strengthening Ph.D. programs, expanding need-based college loans, and sharpening teacher proficiency in foreign languages and culture. It succeeded in attracting students to STEM fields, with profound results. We answered the challenge then, and we can do it again. President John F. Kennedy's imperative to send people to the moon can be matched today by imperatives for energy independence, environmental sustainability, and economic growth, along with advancements in education, medicine, health-care delivery, food safety, and security.

When I joined Purdue University, a year ago, I launched a "tiger team" to consider how to attract students — especially women and minority students, a relatively untapped talent pool — into the STEM fields. We laid out a road map that advocates four years of high-school math (required in many other countries); encourages the "marketing" of the lure of scientific exploration, starting in elementary school; and calls for more partnerships in this effort from for-profit and nonprofit enterprises that clamor for graduates in science and engineering. We also suggest initiatives to improve the scientific experience in the classroom, especially in the initial college years, when students often find themselves in a class with hundreds of others.

We are in the midst of a presidential campaign, preparing to elect a leader whose policies and actions will set a course for our nation through the 21st century. Energy, the environment, and the economy have emerged among the major issues. Our ability to meet those and more challenges hinges on our success in training American students in the STEM fields.

It is my hope that our presidential candidates will move that effort to the forefront of the national debate and advocate proposals to position our country for global leadership. The goal is building a national commitment to educate a competitive work force in an increasingly technical world — one in which knowledge and innovation are the essential ingredients for success.