Diversity Research in students Preparing for STEM Education - Student Research Foundation

Who Is Preparing for STEM Careers? Our Research Finds Surprising Gaps

With all the attention being given to STEM careers, you might think that an equal percentage of students in all categories were preparing with equal enthusiasm for technical careers.

Not so. Research has found surprising disparities in STEM preparation among different groups. Here are some findings you can explore further in the 2018 Student Research Foundation “State of the Union” summary of research. Read more

Which High-Tech Jobs Are Here to Stay? - Student Research Foundation

Which High-Tech Jobs Are Here to Stay?

We recently overheard this conversation at a college admissions fair . . .

A high school student said to another, “When I told my dad I was planning to work in cybersecurity, he said, `Forget it, those careers won’t be around for more than the next few years.’”

Her friend replied, “Well your dad could be right. As soon as the right company launches the right new kind of product, cybersecurity workers will be looking for jobs in other fields.” Read more

Most Important Career Skills Students Should Learn - Student Research Foundation

What Are the Most Important Career Skills Students Should Learn in College?

“The Top 5 Skills Every College Student Needs to Acquire Before Graduation,” an article that Christina DesMarais recently wrote for Inc., says that before graduating from college, today’s students should know how to . . . Read more

Commencement Speeches and college graduations - Student Research Foundation

2018 Commencement Speeches Arrive on YouTube this Month

May is the month when commencement speeches begin to get posted on YouTube. It’s fun to watch them. You almost get the feeling that you avoided spending four years and $200,000 and there you are, graduating. Or not quite.

But in any case, we are pleased to offer a quick rundown of some of the commencement speeches that have already been posted this graduation season . . . Read more

Academic Neutrality: How to Tell If a College Has Been Taken Over by Special Interests - Student Research Foundation

Academic Neutrality: How to Tell If a College Has Been Taken Over by Special Interests

Most colleges need money. Many foundations and companies like to give large sums of money to them. It’s a win-win situation. But what happens to a college if it accepts large donations from a think tank or other organization that has a political or other agenda that it wants to advance? If that happens, will that college lose its integrity and academic neutrality? Read more

Is It the Right Time for Students to Major in Wind and Solar Power - Student Research Foundation

Is It the Right Time for Students to Major in Wind and Solar Power?

“Across the U.S., universities that have long offered degrees related to the fossil-fuels industry are starting to offer degrees and concentrations in wind and solar technologies. Companies such as Tesla Inc. are seeking recruits with specialized skills in renewable energy, even as some oil-and-natural-gas companies pull back on hiring graduates in fields such as geology as they automate more tasks.”

– “Now Available in the Oil Patch: Wind and Solar College Degrees,” by Erin Ailworth, The Wall Street Journal, May 2, 2018

Read more

Jobs of Tomorrow - Student Research Foundation

Is Company-Funded Training the Missing Link in Building Tech Careers?

When deciding what courses they should be offering, colleges often use a simple process of subtraction . . .

The skills workers need

  • – minus the skills their college teaches
  • = equals the skills they should be teaching, but are not

Read more

teacher appreciation day

Thought for National Teacher Appreciation Day

Thought for National Teacher Appreciation Day on May 8th . . .Another Way Teaching Inspires

Many successful people – actors, politicians, scientists and many more – can point to a special teacher who inspired them. But there is a different link between teaching and success too, which reveals itself when you make a list of successful people who have worked as teachers. Read more

Transferring from a Community College to a Four-Year College - Student Research Foundation

Is Transferring from a Community College to a Four-Year College Still a Good Strategy?

To save on college costs, about 100,000 American students every year follow a simple strategy . . .

They go to community colleges for two years, then transfer to four-year state or private colleges and complete their undergraduate work there.

This strategy is appealing for some very sound reasons: Read more