Communications of the ACM
At Uvm, a Big Investment to Grow STEM
The University of Vermont plans to spend $104 million on a new complex to focus on STEM fields.
Credit: UVM
The University of Vermont (UVM) is planning a $104-million investment in a new complex that will accommodate fields in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The initiative is a strategic imperative for the university, which aims to increase undergraduate enrollments in STEM disciplines by 50 percent over the next 10 years, according to UVM provost David Rosowsky.
The STEM initiative is partly in response to requests from Gov. Peter Shumlin, business leaders, and a gubernatorial UVM study commission, which called for the university to produce more graduates for high-tech jobs. In 2013-14, 2,319 UVM students received bachelor's degrees, 9.2 percent of which majored in STEM fields. The university's percentage of STEM graduates is low compared to the 20 percent at comprehensive research universities, according to Rosowsky.
The STEM initiative also could boost UVM's competitiveness. "We are losing students to colleges and universities around the country and right here in our region with superior classrooms, studios, and laboratories," Rosowsky says.
UVM's STEM initiative will focus on computer science, chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics, and statistics.
From Burlington Free Press (VT)
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