SEPTEMBER 16, 2008 - UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND THE COMPETITIVENESS CRISIS COUNCIL

September 16, 2008

USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering, Rossier School of Education, and the
USC Stevens Institute for Innovation Partner to Address Math and Science Education
to Sustain US Competitiveness in a Global Market

NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez to Speak to Students and Parents
About the Importance of Math and Science Education

LOS ANGELES (September 16, 2008) -- The reduction in state budget support, continued resource inequities among schools, shortages of qualified teachers, persistent achievement gaps among population segments, high student attrition and low completion rates all along the educational continuum have contributed to an education crisis in California of epic proportions. To address this crisis, the University of Southern California and the Competitiveness Crisis Council will host a two day summit on September 19-20, 2008 to discuss with thought leaders in industry, academia, and the community at large the challenges facing the education system in California.

The goal of this summit is to develop a set of specific recommendations to improve the education system in California, and to send a call-to-action for all California stakeholders. The summit is designed for educators, administrators, corporate leaders, and legislators interested in math and science education from K-PhD. Participants will have the chance to discuss their respective experience and focus on specific ways to move forward collaboratively.

“As developing countries like China and India continue to produce a technical workforce at a greater pace than the United States, our standing as one of the world's largest economies continues to drop.  This is largely because we are not keeping pace with the demand for science, technology, engineering, and math workers,” said Mitchell Suarez, chairman of the Competitiveness Crisis Council. “The state’s pre-school through university education system has a strategically vital role to play in securing California’s economic future. We must develop qualified talent to meet the technical workforce demand crisis in the US and address the challenges posed by the global economy.”

The summit will open with the “State of Education in California” panel, to discuss trends and specific impacts on California education and a vision for the education system in 2020. The panelists will include Dr. Warren Baker, President of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Dr. Michael Ortiz, President of Cal Poly Pomona, Dr. Charles Reed, Chancellor of the California State University, Dr. James Rosser, President of California State University Los Angeles, David Brewer, Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, and Dr. Thelma Melendez, Superintendent of the Pomona Unified School District.

During her keynote address following the opening panel, Vice Provost for Innovation and Executive Director of the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation, Krisztina “Z” Holly, will discuss how to inject innovative thinking into the conference workshops.  Rossier Dean Karen Symms Gallagher will introduce the film, “2 Million Minutes”, and will moderate the discussion after the screening. “2 Million Minutes” is an hour-long documentary which uses personal stories to compare the high school years (2 million minutes) of six students, two each from the United States, India and China.  Dean Gallagher will also join Viterbi Dean Yannis Yortos on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) panel in the afternoon, along with Gary Toyama, Vice President of The Boeing Company, Janet English, Director of Educational Services of KOCE-TV, Dr. David Evans, General Manager of The Aerospace Corporation, and Dr. Jack Gregg, Executive Director of the California Space Education and Workforce Institute.

The program on Saturday is designed to reach out to local middle school students and their parents and introduce them to opportunities available in STEM fields. NASA Astronaut Jose Hernandez will keynote with his inspiring story. One of four children in a migrant farming family from Mexico, Jose -- who didn't learn English until he was 12 years old -- spent much of his childhood traveling with his family from Mexico, picking fruits and vegetables at farms along the route.

For a full schedule of the two-day conference, visit http://www.competecalifornia.com

Registration
Registration for the summit is free and limited to the first 200 participants.  Register at: http://cccsummit2008.eventbrite.com/

About the Competitiveness Crisis Council
The Competitiveness Crisis Council is a coalition of corporations, educators and Hispanic engineering organizations dedicated to building a pipeline of qualified technical talent in the United States. For more information visit www.competecalifornia.com.

About the USC Viterbi School of Engineering
Established in 1905, University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering has approximately 1800 undergraduates, with more than 30 combined degree options - some of them unique to USC - available to them.  Approximately 3800 graduate students pursue degrees in over 25 fields; the USC graduate program in engineering is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the U. S. News and World Report rankings. Since 1977, the USC Viterbi School of Engineering has been committed to the effort to increase the number of underrepresented students pursuing engineering and computer science degrees. Our major pre-college programs include the MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) and Mission Science. (http://viterbi.usc.edu/)

About the USC Rossier School of Education
The USC Rossier School of Education (ross-EAR) is one of the world's premiere centers for the study of urban education, preparing teachers and educational leaders who are committed to strengthening urban education locally, nationally and globally.  USC Rossier is leading the search for innovative solutions to the challenges in urban education, and creating mutually beneficial partnerships to rethink curriculum, develop sound policy and improve educational environments.  (http://rossier.usc.edu)

About the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation
The USC Stevens Institute for Innovation (http://stevens.usc.edu) is a university-wide resource in the Office of the Provost at the University of Southern California designed to harness and advance the creative thinking and breakthrough research from USC for societal impact.  USC Stevens Institute identifies, nurtures, protects, and transfers to the market the most exciting innovations from USC, and in turn, provides a central connection for industry seeking cutting-edge innovations in which to invest.  Furthermore, USC Stevens Institute develops the innovator as well as innovations, through educational programs, community-building events, and showcase opportunities. 

For media inquiries please contact:
Diane Ainsworth
Viterbi School of Engineering
University of Southern California
Phone (213) 821-5808
dainswor@usc.edu

Barbara Goen
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
barbara.goen@usc.edu
(213) 740-2362

Elisa Wiefel
USC Stevens Institute for Innovation
University of Southern California
213-821-6063
wiefel@usc.edu