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STEM education in N.C. to receive major boost from MCNC, Gates Foundation

Melinda French Gates talks to students in a biology class at John Hope College Prep High School, Chicago, IL, April 24, 2007 Photo: Courtesy of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation / David Evans Image 1 of 2 · Next Image…

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – MCNC is teaming up with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for a major effort to put more STEM in North Carolina education.

That’s Science, Technology, Education and Math – four areas of education this state and country must encourage if we are to stay competitive in an increasingly technology dominated global marketplace.

The N.C. STEM Community Collaborative will enable MCNC to provide various services to local governments, business and education leaders who recognize the value of these education efforts. MCNC built and maintains the North Carolina Research and Education Network and is a pacesetter in high-speed communications technology development and deployment.

The Gates Foundation is providing $475,000 inn initial funding, says MCNC Chief Executive Officer Joe Freddoso. (Melinda has strong North Carolina connections, having graduated from Duke and served on the university’s board of trustees.)

“It was a collaborative effort of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and MCNC to conceive the idea,” Freddoso tells The Skinny. “MCNC chose to get involved for several reasons:

“First, because we saw a way that tools and applications that are delivered through NCREN--things like web conferencing, document sharing, video conferencing-- could be utilized to accelerate the planning process in communities that wanted to build on existing or emerging STEM opportunities to accelerate. MCNC has expertise in facilitation and in utilizing these tools to increase collaboration and accelerate and deepen a community economic mapping process.

“Second, MCNC sees STEM opportunity is the economic future for North Carolina - almost all career paths have a STEM element.”

Freddoso, a longtime Cisco executive and education advocate, stresses that the new effort is “not an education program – it’s a program that focuses on existing and emerging economic opportunity and the workforce required to meet this opportunity-Education is a piece of this but far from the whole.”

Freddoso also says that MCNC wants to connect with communities that “have leadership groups in place meeting about their economic future and the opportunity this brings to their children. MCNC hopes to engage with these communities to accelerate their planning efforts.”

In Freddoso’s view, the STEM program offers numerous opportunities:

“Locally STEM opportunity is defined by local leaders thinking about:

•  What they want for their children

• What existing and emerging economic opportunities are present in their region

• How do we relate the economic activity and education in our community to this opportunity

“Statewide, the focus should be on:

• Driving economic development policy and practice with a focus on STEM

• Continue to follow the path of innovation and nimbleness in education to meet a burgeoning need form STEM skilled workers”

Karl Rectanus has been hired to lead the effort. Rectanus has worked in the private and public sectors with an emphasis on education, technology, and strategic planning. He formed a consulting group, TechExecutives LLC, before accepting the STEM effort position.

The Skinny

WRAL Local Tech Wire Publisher and Editor Rick Smith dishes out tidbits from the local technology sector. Read more articles…