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

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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.