Lest WE Forget..........WHERE we Started

Panelists say awareness is not enough and that the U.S. needs to take action.

Fri, May 02, 2008

Summit: Save STEM or watch America fail

At current rates of investment in STEM research and education, America is losing its competitive edge, panelists warn

By Meris Stansbury, Assistant Editor, eSchool News

Primary Topic Channel: Math and Science

Panelists say awareness is not enough and that the U.S. needs to take action.
Two years after a report called "Rising Above the Gathering Storm" warned that the United States is falling behind in math and science education, endangering America's competitiveness in the global economy, education leaders, lawmakers, and cabinet members met for a national summit in Washington, D.C., to discuss what progress--if any--has been made in closing the gap. Their verdict: The U.S. needs to make a greater investment in critical math, science, and research programs for these efforts to succeed.

In the two years since the National Academies issued its "Gathering Storm" report, Congress passed a bill called the America COMPETES Act, which outlined measures to improve math and science research and education. The legislation called for expanding science research by doubling the basic research budgets for the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Department of Energy's Office of Science, and the Department of Defense. It also created programs to hire and train more highly qualified math and science teachers and increase the number of Advanced Placement (AP) classes in underprivileged schools.

But the bill was only an authorization, not an appropriation, and lawmakers failed to fund many of these programs in the 2008 federal budget. (See "Final 2008 budget a mixed bag for schools.")

Though Congress passed many of the measures recommended by the "Gathering Storm" report, "we're [just] now in the process of passing appropriations to support those actions," acknowledged Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology.

"Authorizations are not enough," agreed Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va. "We won't get anywhere without funding."

Private-sector funding from Exxon Mobil, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation has supported the creation of a project called the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). In its first year, NMSI rolled out grants to launch AP Training and Incentive programs in seven states, as well as replicate a math and science teacher-training program called UTeach at 13 universities. (See "Schools aim to solve huge math problem.") But summit panelists said the federal government needs to step up its support for these kinds of initiatives, too.

Panelists cited many examples of success, such as the largest initial public offering in history and the launch of a new research university with a day-one endowment of $10 billion (equal to what it took MIT 142 years to accumulate).

Trouble is, these accomplishments are happening in China and Saudi Arabia, respectively--not in the United States. In fact, in spite of bipartisan agreement on the need to improve student achievement in STEM [science, technology, engineering, and math] disciplines, little has been done in the U.S.

In a recent op-ed piece published in advance of the summit, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, had this to say: "We are starting to see the consequences of our neglect in STEM. China has surpassed the U.S. as the world's largest exporter of information-technology products--and the U.S. has become a net importer of those products. We must redouble our efforts to ensure that America is the world's technological leader in the 21st century."

Even so, federal funding has not increased, according to reports from Tapping America's Potential and the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation. Basic research funding at federal agencies has not increased, and some programs have been cut. The research and development tax credit has not been made permanent and has been allowed to expire.

In addition, policy makers have not been able to agree on visa and permanent resident green-card reform for highly educated professionals.

G. Wayne Clough, president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, said nothing has really happened in the last two years to advance the goals of the "Gathering Storm" report. Declared Clough: "Our momentum has not only slowed--it's reversed."

Craig Barrett, chairman of the board at Intel Corp., condemned the shortsightedness of politicians and elected officials. "Unless you're a short-term program during an election [season], you won't get funding," he said. "We're not investing in the future; we're not looking forward, because we have this sense of entitlement."

"Churchill said that you can always count on the Americans to do the right thing after they have tried everything else," said Norman Augustine, CEO emeritus of Lockheed Martin. "Our nation's leaders need to follow through on their bipartisan effort in the America COMPETES Act and fund improvements to math and science education. Otherwise, our nation's greatest export is likely to be our jobs and our standard of living."

Sally Ride, chief executive officer of Sally Ride Science and the nation's first female astronaut, said it takes a long time to build a new foundation. "It reminds me of that Road Runner cartoon where the coyote keeps chasing after the road runner, and he keeps running and running until he realizes he's off the cliff and loses his footing. That's us right now," she explained.

Ride said she believes not enough people, especially parents and students, understand how important it is to take an interest in science. She cited a report from Public Agenda, titled "Important, But Not for Me: Parents and Students in Kansas and Missouri Talk About Math, Science, and Technology Education," which found that even though parents and students say they understand the importance of STEM education, they don't see how it applies to them personally.

Charles Vest, president of the National Academy of Engineering and former president of MIT, believes Americans are simply too comfortable and are riding out the momentum gained by the rise of STEM education in the 1950s and 60s.

"The enemy I fear most is complacency," said Vest. "The science and engineering talent, tools, and research required to prosper and be a world leader in this century do not grow on trees. We urgently need to invest in people and knowledge and create well-paying jobs. We must again be the ‘can do' nation--building a strong, competitive economy and meeting the challenges of energy, security, healthcare, and global change."

Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., said he believes the U.S. is falling behind in STEM education because Americans "value the fruits of science, but they don't know where they come from. That's why we're currently under-investing in R&D in every sector. It's a result of the 1950s, where we had a bimodal population. We basically told people: ‘If you're not going to be a scientist, then don't bother studying science.'"

Wolf attributed the lack of appropriations to the state of the country's fiscal health. Because of the nation's $54 trillion debt, and with the dollar decreasing in value every day, America simply doesn't have the funds needed to support STEM programs or provide more for the National Science Foundation and NASA, he said.

"Every science program is under discretionary spending," said Wolf. "This needs to change; but how? Should the U.S. declare bankruptcy?"

For many panelists, boosting the federal investment in STEM-related research and education begins with creating a greater sense of urgency.

"The initial [Gathering Storm] report helped to start and maintain public focus," said Vest, "but now we must establish a sense of urgency, not just awareness."

Tom Luce, CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative, said the summit's goal is to help move the report from the playing field to the goal line.

"We're here to help implement strategies, not just talk about what the report says. It's more than just a report--it's an action plan that needs to be developed," said Luce.

According to Clough, Congress and the general population need to understand the link between this report and the economy. He said Americans need to care about the COMPETES Act and many other calls to action delivered by the report, because without STEM education, America won't be able to compete globally--causing a stagnation of median income and a lower standard of living.

"People at the state level get what's going on. We're just lacking the will at the national level," he said.

Concluded Vest: "Tell your representatives and senators--as well as your favorite presidential candidate--that funding math and science education, investing in basic research and development, and welcoming the best and brightest from around the world is the only way to guarantee that their children and grandchildren will enjoy the continuously rising standard of living that Americans have come to expect.

"America can't afford to wait while the rest of the world surges forward. The Cold War is over. Globalization and modernization are racing ahead, there are billions of new competitors in the economic race with the United States--and we are falling behind."

The ART & MASTERY of BEING a "PLUSER!" (Collaboration on Steroids)

A LOOK at WHAT WORKS! (Coming to a Regional Center Near Us Soon!)

OUR continuing work with the URC

Schools set to boost economy

WSU head seeks joint effort with businesses

BY ROBIN ERB • FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER • February 25, 2009

Whether it's stem cell research, a new rare isotope energy facility or innovations in manufacturing, Michigan's three largest universities -- combined -- are an economic powerhouse.

But it will take collaboration among those universities, businesses, government and other higher-education institutions to transform the state's economy, Wayne State University President Jay Noren said.

Speaking to more than 200 who gathered for a Detroit Economic Club luncheon Tuesday, Noren said Michigan "stands at a crossroads unparalleled in its history."

He called on businesses to partner with the University Research Corridor, a partnership between WSU, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.

"The decisions we make, and the actions we take now, will determine the economic and social well-being of our state for generations. But neither business, nor government, nor our public universities can do what needs to be done on their own," he said.

The three universities offer different strengths -- MSU as a land-grant university with a history as an economic driver for the state, U-M as a nationally ranked mega-university and WSU as an urban research university with opportunities for community outreach.

Further, he said, moving Michigan toward a knowledge economy doesn't mean abandoning its manufacturing base. Rather, university innovations help position those industries for the future, he said.

Though other universities offer research, the three are the only Michigan institutions classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a having very high research activity. The partnership, forged two years ago, soon will become more tangible.

In remarks after Noren's public speech, he and MSU President Lou Anna Simon said the universities are working together to name an executive director for a URC office that will soon open in Lansing.

Contact ROBIN ERB at 313-222-2708 or rerb@freepress.com.

No Foolin'

The disconnect in science education

Posted: 23 Feb 2009 06:11 PM PST

Every year, Project Tomorrow administers the annual SpeakUp survey of students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Every year, we hear from U.S. students that they are fascinated by technology, love learning, and want more. Results from the over 300,000 participants in the 2008 survey should be available soon.

While we wait, let’s look at some interesting data from the science questions from 2007.

In the U.S., STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) is a hot topic these days. Pundits bemoan the lack of basic science literacy, blame American students for apathy, and predict we will be crushed by global competition. But who ever asks students what they are interested in or how best they learn?

In looking at the report, Inspiring the Next Generation of Innovators: Students, Parents and Educators Speak Up about Science Education, you immediately see the glaring inconsistencies in how students learn, what fascinates and excites them, how teachers want to teach, and what’s actually happening in classrooms. What does it mean for the future when less than 40 percent of these students see learning science as important for making informed decisions in the future? How does that square with the same students reporting that they “…are open to learning science and pursuing STEM careers—intrigued by opportunities to participate in hands-on, group-oriented, “fun” experiences, as well as by opportunities to meet with professionals and use professional-level tools.”

It’s obvious that students are experiencing a disconnect. They are interested and intrigued by science — but not in school.

• Students report that their especially fun or interesting learning experiences using science and math have been hands-on and group-oriented.
• Students are interested in pursuing careers in STEM fields — when they know about them.
• When asked about the essential features of their imagined ultimate science classroom, the leading answer for students in grades K-2 and in grades 9-12 was “teachers excited about science”. Students in grades 3-5 were more interested in “fun experiments” (69 percent). Other highly essential features for students in grades 3-12 were “real tools” (standard lab and technology-based tools) and being able to do “real research,” including online research on computers.

Imagine that — students want teachers who are inspired and inspiring, who bring the classroom to life with real world tools and examples. These teachers are out there, students want and need them, but apparently are getting them too rarely.

This disconnect is reflected in the teacher responses as well.

• Just 25% of teachers say they’re using inquiry-based methods with their students; methods that both educators and researchers argue are essential for the development of scientific literacy.
• Only 16 percent of teachers reported they are assigning projects that help students develop problem-solving skills.
• Teachers report that 21st century tools and projects would help — but lack the time and funding to implement them, and feel constrained by mandated curriculum.

But the biggest disconnect is that most K-12 school administrators don’t see this problem. Here’s the percentage of each category that gave a passing grade to their school for preparing students for jobs of the future.

K-12 Administrators: 57%
Teachers: 47%
Parents: 47%
Students: 23%

This perception gap is a crucial indicator that we are not only failing our students in providing the relevant, inquiry-based, hands-on science education they hunger for, but that we are fooling ourselves about it. What’s worse?

Full report (PDF)

File under: Philosophical Discussion 101 (AND I couldn't agree more!)

On Practical Wisdom Skills, Brilliance and the "Moral Will to DO the Right Thing"

Dr. Orady DELIVERS! Congratulations!

SME Press Release

SME Education Foundation, Siemens PLM Software, and National Science Foundation Invest in Future Engineers

Awards In-Kind Software Grants to University of Michigan-Dearborn and Westfield Vocational-Technical High School

DEARBORN, Mich., February 2, 2009 — Future engineers will compete in a digital world in a global economy by having greater control through a single source of manufacturing knowledge.

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation, www.smeef.org, today announced a joint in-kind software grant with Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division and a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, awarded to the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UM-Dearborn) which will give students access to the same PLM applications that are used by multi-national corporations in key industries around the globe.

The range of software provided includes Teamcenter® software, Siemens PLM Software’s digital lifecycle management solution and the world’s most widely used PLM portfolio; and Tecnomatix® software, Siemens PLM Software’s best-in-class digital manufacturing solution. UM-Dearborn undergraduate and graduate students will use the software to acquire skills in simulation, robotics, manufacturing processes, facilities planning and product data management.

“It is critical that we retain global leadership in developing world-class engineers and technologists,” says Khalil S. Taraman, PhD, FSME, PE, D.I.T., chair of Manufacturing Engineering at Lawrence Technological University and president of the SME Education Foundation.

“Siemens PLM Software is a powerful enhancement to every level of curriculum.”
“The experience gained in the use of these tools better prepares our students for tomorrow’s highly-competitive manufacturing jobs requiring minimal job training and a full knowledge of modern technologies and tools,” said Dr. Elsayed Orady, professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering at UM-Dearborn. “Siemens PLM Software’s grant provides access to PLM technology which is normally unaffordable by colleges and universities, and it gives our students a distinct advantage by using the same PLM technology that is widely used by leading manufacturing companies all around the world.”

In addition, selected high school students and teachers from the Detroit Public Schools and Oakland Schools, participating in UM-Dearborn School of Education’s Fostering Interest in Information Technology (FI 3T) project, a three-year program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), will also receive hands-on experience with this state-of-the-art software.

Musut Duran, the program’s director and associate professor of education, has designed after-school, weekend, and summer activities designed to engage these high school students in rigorous study and practical experience. “Our goal is to engage secondary students in activities that will reinforce their high school education and encourage them to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and math,” Duran said.

Westfield Vocational-Technical High School GrantThe SME Education Foundation and Siemens PLM Software also awarded Westfield Vocational-Technical High School in Westfield, Mass., an in-kind software grant valued at $14.3 million which includes NX™ software, Siemens PLM Software’s comprehensive digital product development solution; and Solid Edge® software, the core CAD component of the Velocity Series™ portfolio, a comprehensive family of solutions addressing PLM needs of the mid-market.

The SME Education Foundation has also provided an additional $50,000 for new computers.

The SME Education Foundation and Siemens PLM Software are offering their support to the academic community by giving schools the opportunity to use the latest, state-of-the-art PLM tools in their curriculum. For more information and online grant application visit Siemens PLM Software Grant, please complete the grant application and return it to the SME Education Foundation for approval and processing.

About GO PLM
Siemens PLM Software’s GO PLM™ program, which leads the industry in the commercial value of in-kind grants it provides, brings together four complementary community involvement programs focused on academic partnership, regional productivity, youth and displaced worker development and the PACE (Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education) program. GO PLM provides PLM technology to more than one million students yearly at nearly 10,000 global institutions, where it is used at every academic level – from grade schools to graduate engineering research programs. For more information on GO PLM and the partners and programs it supports, visit www.siemens.com/partners/goplm.

About Siemens PLM Software
Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division, is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services with 5.9 million licensed seats and 56,000 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens PLM Software works collaboratively with companies to deliver open solutions that help them turn more ideas into successful products. For more information on Siemens PLM Software products and services, visit www.siemens.com/plm.

About the SME Education Foundation:
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation was created by SME in 1979 as a means of transforming manufacturing education in North American colleges and universities. As one of the nation’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing manufacturing education, its approach is to inspire youth to pursue careers in manufacturing; support students studying for a career in an engineering-related field, and prepare these students to participate in a global economy. The Foundation has provided more than $24 million in grants, scholarships and awards. Visit www.sme.org/foundation.

No. 20090007

If you have any questions or comments, please contact SME Public Relations by phone (313) 271-1500, e-mail communications@sme.org, or Fax: (313) 425-3403

At the HEART (Creativity & Innovation) of the BRILLIANT suggestion by Dr. Orady to visit The Henry Ford museum

Immigrants can inspire innovation

BY TOM WALSH • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • February 12, 2009

"Could Silicon Valley become another Detroit?" asks an essay in the Feb. 2 edition of Newsweek magazine.

This was not meant as a compliment. Detroit's name was invoked, as it so often is, to conjure an image of bleak, post-apocalyptic desolation.

"One Detroit is enough," echoed Thomas Friedman in his New York Times column Wednesday.

Astute historians, of course, know that Silicon Valley is already another Detroit -- a bustling hub of innovation and wealth creation just as Detroit was in the 1910s and '20s.

In 1914, Henry Ford lured workers from all over the world to Detroit by promising a wage of $5 a day, as he pioneered the automobile industry alongside Ransom Olds, the Dodge brothers, Billy Durant and other legendary entrepreneurs.

That same year, Detroit-based Kelvinator Co. made the world's first refrigerator. A competitor sprang up nearby called Guardian Frigerator which General Motors bought in 1919 and moved to Dayton, Ohio.

Elijah McCoy, a son of escaped slaves who had a machine shop in nearby Ypsilanti, was an inventor with 57 patents for products ranging from lubricants to a folding ironing board and a lawn sprinkler. His products were of such high quality that he is reputed to be the inspiration for the phrase "the real McCoy," although that's a matter of historical debate.

What's not debated is that Detroit was the engine of American innovation and industrial might in the first half of the 20th Century.

That Detroit had some important things in common with Silicon Valley of today. It was a hotbed of talent and a magnet for immigrants.

By the end of the 1920s, 25% of all Michigan residents were foreign-born, but by 1990 the state's foreign-born population was only 3.8%, the lowest level since 1850.

Both Friedman and Newsweek writer Daniel Lyons, in their recent articles dissing Detroit, argued that the United States must resist the impulse to keep out foreigners and foreign-made products in the vain hope that isolationism will protect American jobs and prosperity.

Many innovative Silicon Valley companies, they noted, are driven by highly educated immigrants from Asia. This is not a trend unique to California. In fact, studies show 33% of recent high-technology companies formed in Michigan were started by immigrants, said John Austin, director of the $100-million New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan, an effort by 10 big foundations to help diversify the region's economy and spark innovation.

Steve Tobocman, a 6-year state legislator from southwest Detroit who left office in December, is talking to Austin's group and the Detroit Regional Chamber about a research project to study the impact of local immigrants on job creation.

That may not be the most popular idea among longtime Michigan residents who find themselves jobless today, but it's a clear-eyed way to look at our place in the world.

We in Detroit can moan and complain about being disrespected by the national media and unfairly slammed as an economic wasteland.

What really matters, however, is that cities and states have the best-educated, most-talented, hardest-working people. And if that ain't us, how do we get them here?

Contact TOM WALSH at 313-223-4430 or twalsh@freepress.com.

The CHANGING Real-World Engineering Instructive (Interdisciplinary-Multidisciplinary Modality)

Laid-off engineers learning new skills

Classes focus on hybrids and electrics

BY MARK PHELAN • FREE PRESS AUTO CRITIC • February 12, 2009

A free class in hybrid and electric vehicle development offered to out-of-work engineers could become a model as Michigan tries to keep its skilled workforce from leaving the state.

About 60 engineers from their 20s to their 50s just began the class, which is a joint effort by Michigan Technological University, the Engineering Society of Detroit and General Motors.

"This is an opportunity to put some new skills in my toolbox," said Kimberly Calloway, 38, of Southfield, a 15-year electrical engineer Ford laid off in August. "I'll add the certificate from the class to my résumé. It will give me an advantage when I'm interviewing."

In addition to lectures, homework and tests, the class includes a final project in which teams of students compete to boost a current GM hybrid's fuel economy by one mile per gallon.

"These are the skills companies are looking for," said Jim Turnquist, Michigan Tech director of career services. "I'm getting more requests for very specific skill sets" from automakers and suppliers hiring engineers. "This is the future."

Terry Woychowski, GM's executive director of engineering staffs, came up with the idea for the class late last year.

GM and other automakers and suppliers were laying off experienced engineers to cut costs, but were desperately looking for other engineers with the new skills required to develop hybrid and electric vehicles.

"This is the growth area" in the auto industry, Woychowski said. "Giving them experience in this makes them more employable. We want to offer engineers who've invested their lives in the auto industry and this community a chance to contribute."

Engineers traditionally specialize in a single system -- anything from brakes and engines to climate control systems.

Those separate systems are then put together to create a vehicle. The complex nature of hybrids and electric vehicles, however, requires all the systems to be developed and optimized together.

"Engineers today need interdisciplinary skills," said Jeff Naber, Michigan Tech associate director of advanced propulsion systems, and the lead instructor for the class. "We looked at the job requirements in this field and built a class to help get them up to speed."

The 14-week class will give the engineers a certificate of completion and three credits toward a master's degree in advanced propulsion systems from Michigan Tech.

It consists of 14 two-hour televised lectures by Michigan Tech faculty -- shown in the Engineering Society of Detroit's Southfield offices -- and three one-day, 10-hour lab sessions at GM facilities where the automaker will provide hybrid vehicles for hands-on experience. Three dozen more students are taking the class at MTU's campus in Houghton in the Upper Peninsula.

"A lot of people are unemployed," said Dwayne Alexander, 27, of Detroit, an engineer GM laid off in July. "This class will take me a step closer to what I want to accomplish: being a hybrid development engineer. I hope this leads to a job."

The Engineering Society of Detroit is talking with every other major university in the state and the Department of Labor and Economic Growth to see about offering similar "compressed learning" courses in other engineering fields, said Ron Smith, ESD director of education and community outreach.

"One of Michigan's best assets is our huge pool of engineers," Smith said. "In the knowledge economy, they're our greatest wealth."

Contact MARK PHELAN at 313-222-6731 or phelan@freepress.com.

Big Picture NEWS on CHANGE!

Effectiveness - Jay Cross

Published February 2009

Get Out of the Training Business

Jay Cross

The dawn of a new age

If you’re looking for a way to weather the economic downturn, the first thing you need to do is realize that it’s a permanent climate change, not a passing storm.

What we are experiencing today is fundamental. The industrial age is in its death throes, making way for the unfolding of the network age. This is akin to when the Industrial Revolution overwhelmed the agrarian age. During that time, people moved from farms to cities. Clock watching replaced working to the rhythm of the sun.

Repetitive, mindless factory labor replaced working holistically with nature. Taking orders replaced thinking for one’s self. Slums were born; society unraveled.

One hopes this economic revolution will be more positive that the last. Nonetheless, it’s time to get ready for massive change. Industry won’t disappear, but about a third of all industrial companies probably will. The ranks of the permanently unemployed will swell. New categories of work will pop up to address network optimization, making connections, reconfiguring functions, real-time enterprise design, constructive destruction, virtual mentoring and so on. Hallowed laws, regulations, standards and memes will evaporate.

Management itself, the art of planning, organizing, deciding and controlling, will fall by the wayside. After all, planning is suspect in an unpredictable world. Organizing takes on new meaning when things self-organize. Deciding is everybody’s business when networks rule. Control is a nonstarter in a bottom-up, peer-powered society.

As networks continue to subvert hierarchy, successful organizations will embrace respect for the individual, flexibility and adaptation, openness and transparency, sharing and collaboration, honesty and authenticity, and immediacy. Training is obsolete because it deals with a past that won’t be repeated. Learning will be redefined as problem-solving, achieving fit with one’s environment and having the connections to deal with novel situations.

Impending doom unfreezes organizational structure to make room for reorganizing, rearranging and replacing the status quo. Survivors will develop and present agendas for change while things are in flux. Here’s the pitch I’d offer the most senior person I could get a hearing with:

“Next week, we will close the training department. We are shifting our focus from training to performance. Any remaining training staff will become mentors, coaches and facilitators who work on improving core business processes, strengthening relationships with customers and cutting costs.

“I’m changing my title from VP of training to VP of core capabilities. My assistants will become the director of sales readiness and the director of competitive advantage, respectively. The measure of our contributions will be results, not training measures. We’re scrapping the LMS posthaste. Wherever possible, we’re replacing proprietary software with open source.

“All of our energies will go into peer-to-peer, self-service learning. If something doesn’t dramatically improve the capabilities of our people, we won’t do it. We are scrapping lengthy program development projects in favor of quick-and-dirty rapid development. We are abandoning classrooms.

“We are eliminating all travel and helping others do the same by introducing Skype and free real-time conferencing. We’re setting up a corporate FAQ on a wiki to capture and distribute the information we once received from people who are no longer with us. In this and all of our efforts, we intend to work smarter, not lower our standards or quality of service.

“Recognizing that informed customers make better customers, we are opening up most of our platforms for learning to them, as well as our employees and former employees. To the extent that we help them cut costs, improve performance and implement better methods, we both win.

“Everything has a price tag. When we wring out costs, I want commitment from senior management to allocate time for people to help one another, exploit the benefits of social networks and converse with one another freely. This is a multiyear program. It will not work if we try to implement it while still doing business as usual. Burning people out is not a survival strategy.

“That is my plan for this week. If I have your support, I’ll be happy to come back with a few more things next week.”

Informs OUR Understanding regarding NSF Grant PI's Meeting 2-9-20 *DPS Outstanding Budgetary Issue

Report: Detroit schools short $76.4M for payroll

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

DETROIT (AP) A newspaper says Detroit's schools are about $76.4 milion short of the cash they'll need to pay its 13,600 employees into June.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has appointed Robert Bobb as emergency financial manager because of the Detroit Public Schools' failure to correct a deficit. He starts the one-year job this month.

The Detroit Free Press says it obtained documents saying the district expects a $21.6 million shortfall for the March 17 pay date, $16.1 million for April 14, $17.4 million for May 12 and $21.3 million for June 9.

The newspaper also say the district told the state Thursday it owed at least $42 million on late bills, including $9.2 million for the state's Public School Employees Retirement System.

Information from: Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com

(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Informs OUR Understanding AND OUR WORK!

Posted: Sunday, 08 February 2009 1:27PM Survey: Few Kids Interested In Engineering Careers

A new national study finds that more than 85 percent of kids ages 8-17 are not interested in engineering careers and parents are not encouraging them. The study of youth and adults was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of ASQ (American Society for Quality). American girls ages 8-17 say their parents encourage them to become actresses more often than engineers. Alarming, considering organizations including the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation project a shortage of 70,000 engineers by 2010. Based on the survey, kids aren't interested in engineering because: * They don't know much about it (44 percent). * The "geek" perception is still at work as they think engineering would be a boring career (30 percent). * They don't feel confident enough in their math or science skills (21 percent) to be good at it -- despite the fact that the largest number of kids ranked math (22 percent) and science (17 percent) as their favorite subjects. * Only 20 percent of parents have encouraged or will encourage their child/children to consider an engineering career -- despite the fact that 97 percent of them believe that knowledge of math and science will help their kids have a successful career. Other careers that parents encouraged girls to think about include doctor (33 percent), lawyer (25 percent), teacher (31 percent), veterinarian (23 percent), nurse (20 percent) and business executive (17 percent). Boys (24 percent) are significantly more likely than girls (5 percent) to say they are interested in an engineering career. To get more kids interested in engineering, ASQ will offer a free Webinar called "Real World of Engineering" available at www.asq.org/education beginning Feb. 16, during National Engineers Week. The Webinar will be available for viewing the next 12 months. Starring in the Webinar are ASQ members and engineers Cheryl Birdsong-Dyer with Sprint/Nextel discussing cell phones and Chuck Kanapicki with American Bridge/Fluor Enterprises discussing bridge building. ASQ has more than 14,000 engineer members who are concerned about ensuring a work force of skilled, highly educated engineers for the future. The ASQ/Harris Interactive survey was conducted among 1,277 U.S. 8-17 year olds and 2,196 adults. "It's clear that there is a low level of interest and knowledge about engineering careers for both parents and children," said Maurice Ghysels, chair of ASQ's K-12 Education Advisory Committee. "Educators and engineers need to work more closely together to get students excited about the profession and spotlight interesting role models."

© MMIX WWJ Radio, All Rights Reserved.

ECONOMIC TSUNAMI Gores ALL Ox's

Some doubt Granholm's tuition freeze will aid students

BY ROBIN ERB • FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER • February 5, 2009

With tuition at Michigan's public universities jumping by 26% over the last three years, Garry Mundy says he's ecstatic about Gov. Jennifer Granholm's proposal to freeze tuition.

The 18-year-old from St. Clair Shores expects to carry about $60,000 in student debt by the time he graduates from Eastern Michigan University: "I'm trying not to freak out about this stuff."

But beware, say national experts and Michigan university officials. Granholm's plan is certain to trigger resistance from the universities, and it's not clear how much it would really save students.

A short-term freeze, they also note, would not address long-term problems such as rising health care costs that fuel the rising cost of a degree.

"The reality is that tuition freezes are not permanent," said Sandy Baum, a senior economist with the College Board, a national group that manages standardized testing and analyzes issues related to higher education. "If tuition is frozen one year, you're going to have to make up for it two or three years later."

Freshmen at the state's public universities today pay an average of $8,601 in tuition, an increase of $1,776 from what freshmen paid in tuition just three years ago.

In her State of the State address Tuesday, Granholm asked universities to freeze tuition in exchange for portions of any federal stimulus package and implied that those that don't could be penalized in state funding.

It wouldn't be the first time Michigan universities agreed to level tuition. In 2004, Granholm asked that universities boost tuition no more than the rate of inflation in exchange for stable state funding.

It didn't last. The state's budget destabilized. Tuition has continued to climb.

Nationwide, several universities and colleges have promised to freeze, or even cut, tuition.

On Jan. 28, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland proposed a third year of what is perhaps the deepest tuition freeze in the nation. That's because it may continue for four years, with a few exceptions, and it involves all of Ohio's 13 public universities, 24 regional branch campuses and 23 community colleges.

It began in 2007, when Strickland increased the 2-year higher-education budget by $533 million in exchange for the freeze. It dovetailed with a plan to boost enrollment at Ohio's higher education institutions by 20% by 2017.

The state's promise to make up for the tuition freeze led to "an unprecedented level of trust between the governor and universities and community colleges," said Eric Fingerhut, chancellor of the Ohio system.

The level tuition has already lured at least one Michigander, Derek Moos, 18, of Dearborn Heights, to the Buckeye State.

Scholarships at the University of Toledo prompted him to tour its campus, a little more than an hour's drive from his home. Along with UT's programs, the tuition freeze "was definitely a consideration" in sealing the deal, said Moos, who now majors in finance there.

Still, there's a trade-off for predictability, experts warn.

Tuition freezes contribute to a feast-or-famine funding cycle for higher education that then is passed on to students, said Mark Kantrowitz of FinAid.org, a Web site to help families and students navigate college costs.

Once a freeze thaws, tuition rates whipsaw back through staggering hikes, he said. Even when a school locks in tuition for each class for several years, there can be significant increases between classes.

Central Michigan University, for example, launched its CMU Promise program in the 2005-06 school year. It guaranteed that each group of incoming students would be given a fixed tuition rate that would last up to 5 years.

But rising costs had to be borne by only that year's incoming students, leading to a 43% jump in the final two years. Citing uncertainty with state appropriations, school officials dropped the plan last year.

"Rather than applying that tuition increase to the entire student population, you apply it only to one class, to one-quarter of the population," Kantrowitz said.

Michigan college officials said they worry that a short-term freeze, based on a one-time stimulus package, doesn't address the more long-term problem of the rising costs of doing business -- rising health care costs and some of the lowest per-student state funding in the nation.

"You have to do things short-term, and you have to make cuts and you can make a bridge to cover some costs," said Lou Anna Simon, president of Michigan State University. "But it has to be a bridge to somewhere."

Contact ROBIN ERB at 313-222-2708 or rerb@freepress.com.

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Hollywood comes to Oakland

The Oakland Press/TIM THOMPSON A building in the General Motors Centerpoint complex in Pontiac, which will be the site of a $70 million movie studio with nine sound stages.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 11:40 AM EST

By CHARLES CRUMM and RANDAL YAKEY
Of The Oakland Press

Founders of a movie studio planned for Pontiac want to be making movies within 90 days. That’s a realistic goal, says county Executive L. Brooks Patterson.

The movie studio initiative was the high point of Patterson’s State of the County address Tuesday in Troy. Gov. Jennifer Granholm was supposed to make the same announcement at the same time in her State of the State address to the Legislature. Patterson blamed the governor for leaking news about the studio a day before the concurrent speeches. “The governor got so excited about the news — you remember she lived in Hollywood for awhile — she couldn’t contain her girlish enthusiasm and let the cat out of the bag,” Patterson said.

Patterson is among a halfdozen Republicans considering a run for governor when the term-limited Granholm leaves office in 2010.

But all agree the studio is certain to generate much-needed jobs.

“It’s good news — it’s going to be 3,600 jobs,” Patterson said Tuesday.

The local investors in the new studio are Oakland County developers A. Alfred Taubman, Gary Sakwa of Grand Sakwa Properties in Farmington Hills and Linden Nelson of Nelson Ventures in Birmingham. They’re teaming up with Raleigh Studios of Hollywood, Calif., and Endeavor Talent Agency of Beverly Hills, Calif.

“They’re the real deal,” state Rep. Tim Melton, D-Auburn Hills, said of Raleigh and Endeavor. Melton’s district includes Pontiac.

The Michigan Economic Growth Authority also is putting up money for the venture, the reason it was included in both Patterson and Granholm’s speeches.

The new venture, called Motown Motion Pictures LLC and currently based in Birmingham, will include both a film studio and production company.

The investors plan to spend $70 million for a 600,000-square-foot development, including nine sound stages located inside General Motors’ former Centerpoint truck plant at South Boulevard and Opdyke Road in Pontiac.

The state’s growth authority expects the studio to create 3,600 direct jobs and another 1,500 indirect jobs by the year 2020 with an average weekly wage of $824.

The authority on Tuesday approved a state tax credit valued at $101 million over 12 years. The project also will receive $12 million in state incentives along with job training assistance through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

Also receiving assistance from the authority are two other film industry businesses — one to be based in Plymouth and one in Detroit.

Michigan currently has the most favorable tax incentives for the film industry in the country.

Movie studio a definite among many ‘maybes’

Thursday, February 5, 2009 6:08 AM EST

By The Oakland Press

Amid all of the promises and glowing predictions we heard Tuesday night from both Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, there was at least one bit of very good, defi nite news.

In their state of the state and state of the county addresses, we were informed of the establishment of a movie studio in Pontiac. Motown Motion Pictures will invest $70 million to build its new film studios at a former General Motors plant.

Granholm noted that Pontiac’s studio was one of three projects coming to Michigan to boost its ongoing efforts to attract Hollywood filmmakers to the state. The governor noted that Wonderstruck Animation Studios will invest $86 million to build a new studio in Detroit and Stardock Systems, a digital gaming manufacturer, will build its production facilities in Plymouth.

The local investors in the Motown studio are Oakland County developers A. Alfred Taubman, Gary Sakwa of Grand Sakwa Properties in Farmington Hills and Linden Nelson of Nelson Ventures in Birmingham. They’re teaming up with Raleigh Studios of Hollywood, Calif., and Endeavor Talent Agency of Beverly Hills, Calif.

The Michigan Economic Growth Authority also is putting up money for the venture.

Motown Motion Pictures LLC is based in Birmingham and will include both a film studio and production company.

The investors plan to spend $70 million for a 600,000-square-foot development, including nine sound stages located inside General Motors’ former Centerpoint truck plant at South Boulevard and Opdyke Road in Pontiac.

The state’s growth authority expects the studio to create 3,600 direct jobs and another 1,500 indirect jobs by the year 2020 with an average weekly wage of $824.

The authority has approved a state tax credit valued at $101 million over 12 years. The project also will receive $12 million in state incentives along with job training assistance through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

However, tax revenue for Pontiac is expected to be anywhere from $1.4 to $2.8 million annually, according to city officials. The state expects its tax revenues to be $178 million by 2020.

Patterson even mentioned the county was in the early stages of its first-ever film festival, possibly coming in 2010.

In speeches that made a lot of promises, it was good hear about some real, concrete projects coming to Oakland County and the state.

We commend Patterson, Granholm, the Pontiac mayor’s office as well as other local and state officials for their efforts in securing this project.

Generally, Granholm painted a beautifully bright future for Michigan.

Of course, she had to do something positive because with the highest unemployment in the nation and an economy that is reeling, gloomy doesn’t even do justice as a description.

Meanwhile, Patterson also did some painting. As usual, he focused on the county’s accomplishments.

Patterson, among other things, noted that Automation Alley, on the strength of a 17-percent increase in membership last year, has hit the magical 1,000 membership mark. He also said that 106 Emerging Sectors companies have either located in Oakland County or expanded here over the past four years, resulting in $1.3 billion in new investment and the creation of 14,762 new jobs.

The picture Granholm crafted certainly sounded good. She plans to shrink state government and balance Michigan’s budget while creating more jobs through diversification of the state’s industries.

Obviously, the devil is in the details.

Will the state balance the budget through some type of tax increases on the backs of businesses and individuals? Will Granholm remember that whatever federal stimulus funds the state receives will be a one-time shot, so they need to supplement Michigan’s finances, not just prop them up for one more year. We certainly can’t argue with anything Granholm and Patterson said. We hope their visions come true.

But just how realistic are they? Historically, we would predict that Patterson’s projections are more accurate because Oakland County has continually led the way in fiscal responsibility and acumen.

Time will tell.

We’ll get a glimpse of Granholm’s plans to finance her visions when she presents her budget next week.

But no matter how successful Granholm and Patterson are in their programs, one thing is certain: For the time being, we’re all in for a bumpy ride, so hang on.

Bill Gates on Great Teaching (Data)

AGENDA: PI'S Meeting 2-9-09

FI³T Project PIs Meeting

February 9, 2009

5:00 – 7:00 pm

SOE Conference Room 251

Fairlane Center South (FCS)

University of Michigan-Dearborn

AGENDA

1.0 Welcome

2.0 Winter Activities

2.1 Winter PI Meetings

2.2 Winter Seminar

2.3 Parent Involvement

2.4 Corporate Partners

2.5 Revisiting Mentorship to Remaining Teachers

3.0 Summer Camp

4.0 Second Cohort Preparation

5.0 Revisiting Student Stipends

6.0 Updating Contact Sheets

7.0 Others

8.0 Adjourn

Saturday Web 2.0 Blog Workshop