Evolving Relationships and Dynamics Between Two- and Four-Year Colleges and Universities

美国国家科学院（NAS）正在任命一个特设专家指导委员会，并就社区学院的科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）教育以及STEM中2年和4年制机构之间不断发展的关系举行规划会议和峰会。在过去的15年里，社区学院在STEM中的作用发生了深刻的变化，本次峰会将探讨这些变化及其对社区学院（学生和机构），4年制机构，中学教育和劳动力的影响。这一倡议的智力价值在于国家科学院作为一个中立的召集人，将广泛的专家、决策者、来自商业和工业以及其他利益相关者的代表，他们很少相互沟通，以制定更具战略性的方法，以加强社区学院在STEM中的作用，并更好地利用2-和4-之间不断变化的关系和动态。年高等教育机构。这项工作正在研究NAS可能向高等教育和政策界阐明和传达以下内容的方式：（1）在STEM教育中，2年制和4年制学院和大学之间的动态变化;（2）抑制或促进2至4年制衔接的问题和政策;（3）社区学院在准备STEM专业转移和进入劳动力市场方面可能存在的冲突角色;（4）有利于学生，教师和机构的战略性跨机构关系的计划，经济和智力机会;（5）社区学院作为STEM教育在日益全球化的经济中的卓越典范，以及在教育全球准备的技术劳动力方面的作用。此外，该峰会是在2010年秋季由白宫主办的社区学院峰会的基础上，让专家和关键利益相关者解决2年和4年制机构STEM教育中的关键问题。NAS正在生成摘要报告。更广泛的影响预计将产生出版，广泛的发行，并在峰会后的场所，如美国社区学院协会和其他高等教育组织，STEM学科协会，许多学院参与的常设委员会和委员会对社区学院的作用感兴趣，以及由国家科学基金会和其他州主办的额外会议和联邦机构。

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is appointing an ad-hoc steering committee of experts and holding a planning meeting and a summit on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in community colleges and the evolving relationships between 2- and 4-year institutions in STEM. The roles of community colleges in STEM have changed profoundly in the last 15 years, and this summit examines changes and their effects on community colleges (both students and institutions), 4-year institutions, secondary education, and the workforce. The intellectual merit of this initiative is the National Academies' role as a neutral convener bringing together a broad spectrum of experts, policymakers, representatives from business and industry and other stakeholders who rarely communicate with each other to develop more strategic approaches to enhance the roles of community colleges in STEM and better capitalize on the changing relationships and dynamics between 2- and 4-year institutions of higher education. This effort is examining ways in which the NAS might elucidate and communicate to higher education and policy communities about (1) changing dynamics between 2- and 4-year colleges and universities in STEM education; (2) issues and policies that inhibit or facilitate 2-to 4-year articulation; (3) potentially conflicting roles of community colleges in preparing STEM majors for transfer and to enter the workforce; (4) programmatic, economic, and intellectual opportunities of benefit to students, faculty, and institutions from strategic cross-institutional relationships; and (5) roles of community colleges both as models of excellence for STEM education in an increasingly global economy and in educating a globally prepared technical workforce. Additionally, the summit is building on the Summit on Community Colleges that was hosted by the White House in Fall 2010 by allowing experts and critical stakeholders to address critical issues in STEM education at 2- and 4-year institutions. The NAS is producing a summary report. Broader impacts are expected to result from the publication, broad distribution, and strategic discussions following the summit in venues such as annual meetings of the American Association of Community Colleges and other higher education organizations, STEM disciplinary societies, many of the Academies' participating standing boards and committees with interests in the roles of community colleges as well as additional sessions hosted by the NSF and other state and federal agencies.