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Don't forget:
Member Meeting
February 9-10, 2009
Miami, Florida
More information about:
The College Readiness Initiative: An Agenda for Educational Success
The STEM Initiative
Questions or commentary?
info@bhef.com
202.367.1189
Newsletter editor
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January 2009
News from BHEF
The BHEF Winter Members Meeting is February 9-10, 2009 in Miami -- we’re looking forward to seeing many of you there. If you are able to attend but have not registered, you can do so online. The most recent agenda is also available online.
BHEF's STEM Initiative is making great strides. In December, with BHEF staff, Bill Swanson, Brian Wells, and Alex Sanchez introduced the STEM Research and Modeling Network (SRMN) and the Raytheon model to major STEM stakeholders in California. The meeting was convened by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Chevron, and the Tiger Woods Foundation to showcase exemplary STEM activities. December also saw next-steps being taken in the formation of the SRMN, including the addition of several new national partners. On February 9th, the SRMN will convene again in Miami to review proposed updates to the model and discuss the open-source launch of the model.
As part of BHEF’s College Readiness Initiative, the Louisville, KY on-the-ground work is making major headway. Earlier this week, BHEF Executive Director Brian Fitzgerald spoke to Louisville representatives from business, government, and foundations at a meeting of the Business Leaders for Education. The group, led by BHEF member Paul Varga, adopted a three-part strategy that aims to double the number of adults with bachelor’s degrees in the region by 2020. The group also agreed to provide the business leadership necessary to a) spearhead market research to assess the community's values about college and work readiness and b) commission a comprehensive action plan that will guide the community through the design and implementation stages of an education improvement effort.
Member News
Two BHEF members wrote opinion pieces for leading publications in their fields. Bill Swanson, chairman and CEO of Raytheon and vice chair of BHEF, authored one installment of Aviation Week's series "Dear Mr. President-Elect." In it, he says, "While our American students are certainly smart, passionate and creative, we clearly have some work to do to improve their interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) -- foundational subjects that are the catalysts for innovation....The Business-Higher Education Forum and other organizations have articulated an urgency in having government and business quickly address this challenge" (January 5, 2009 issue).
Ralph Hexter, president of Hampshire College, also took the long view when thinking about today's students. In "The Economic Collapse and Educational Values" in Inside Higher Ed he writes, "In rewarding the most successful grade and score hounds, aren’t we, even if inadvertently, promoting the pursuit of short-term gains?" Hexter goes on to argue that students should realize how their learning fits into a larger pattern, in college and beyond.
The Wall Street Journal wondered, "In a year when so many CEOs failed...who managed to do well?" It asked management experts for their nominees, and two BHEF members were among their picks. Michael Useem, a management professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, looked to PepsiCo's Indra Nooyi in his answer, saying, "'she exudes a capacity to engage, befriend and inspire [employees] like few other executives out there.'" Anne Mulcahy of Xerox was chosen by Robert Bruner, dean of the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, with Bruner believing that she is "an extraordinary communicator," who "can walk into a crowded room and inspire, lift and energize."
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