STEM Pipeline Fund / Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

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STEM Pipeline Fund

Since 2003, the Department of Higher Education has administered the STEM Pipeline Fund, established in Economic Stimulus Trust Fund legislation. The STEM Pipeline Fund was established in Economic Stimulus legislation for the following purposes:

to increase the number of Massachusetts students who participate in programs that support careers in fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM);
to increase the number of qualified STEM teachers; and
to improve the STEM educational offerings available in public and private schools.

Request for Responses: Public Awareness Campaign

February 6, 2013—The Department of Higher Education’s STEM Pipeline Fund, through the efforts of the Public Awareness subcommittee and under the guidance of the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, has released a Request for Responses (.PDF) for a marketing/ communications firm to guide the development of a communications strategy aimed at raising public awareness of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) opportunities, particularly the exciting work and careers that exist in these fields.

Update—February 21, 2013—On Friday, February 15, 2013, the DHE held an information session to answer questions about the RFR. Those questions, and answers to those questions, were written into a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document (.PDF).

2012 @Scale Projects

December 13, 2012—Following a Request for Proposals (RFP) launched in September—the second in a series of four—the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education has selected five @Scale Projects for funding and endorsement:

BATEC's "Big Data"
University of Massachusetts' "ABLE4STEM"
Central Massachusetts' Workforce Investment Board's "STEM Power Workforce Network"
McCann Technical School's "Western Regional Partnership"
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' "STEM Pathways Project"

>> More info

Council Adds 6th STEM Goal Focused on Workforce Development

The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council added a sixth goal concerning workforce development to the state STEM Plan. The new goal aims to align STEM education programs with the workforce needs of key economic sectors to:

Improve the competence (knowledge, skills and attitudes) of current and prospective workers for in-demand career tracks across relevant job levels,
Increase the availability and diversity of STEM competent workers to support the replacement (retirement) and growth needs of employers,
Increase total employment of the STEM workforce, regionally and statewide.

>> View the text of the new workforce goal, Goal 6 (.PDF)

MA 2012 STEM Summit

The MA 2012 STEM Summit, hosted by the Governor's STEM Advisory Council, Massachusetts Business Roundtable, and University of Massachusetts / UMass Donahue Institute, was held Thursday, October 18, 2012, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

WOW Campaign

The WOW Campaign is a public awareness campaign about the exciting career opportunities that exist here in Massachusetts for students who pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) college majors and skills certificates. The campaign is aimed at students, parents and teachers. The WOW campaign video and accompanying poster (.PDF: 5MB) highlight 15 Massachusetts’ STEM professionals who have really interesting STEM careers. These “WOWsters,” as they are referred to, are the face of just some of the exciting careers that await those with strong STEM skills. One or two of the WOWsters are well known Massachusetts personalities!

Faculty Meet on STEM Agenda

A standing-room-only crowd of Massachusetts public college and university faculty gathered June 7 for a robust discussion of higher education’s role in furthering the statewide STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) agenda. Sponsored by the Massachusetts Academy of Sciences and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, the gathering focused on effective methods to build student interest in and readiness for STEM careers, as well as the importance of aligning course offerings and communication between two and four-year programs.

“Students coming into our higher education system don’t always have a sense of the ‘pathways,’” said David Cedrone, Associate Commissioner for Workforce Development and Executive Director of the Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council. “They often don’t know about STEM career opportunities and then they hit a difficult course and say ‘that’s it’ because they don’t have a sense of the end game. It’s critical that faculty members understand these issues and be given opportunities to work toward solutions. This work is essential given the high-skilled nature of Massachusetts’ knowledge-based economy.”

Cedrone described the conference as “day one of a critical collaboration” to advance both the goals of the Commonwealth’s STEM plan and the Vision Project. “Our opportunity now is to coalesce these many contributions into a more aligned strategy and to amplify the leadership voice of our STEM researchers, education researchers, and STEM education faculty to inform and transform how we excite, engage and ensure the success of every student.”

For more on the work of the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, visit their website .

State STEM Plan Released

On Tuesday, September 28, 2010, at the 7th Annual STEM Summit hosted by the University of Massachusetts, Lt. Governor Tim Murray released the state’s first-ever long-term STEM plan titled, “A Foundation for the Future: Massachusetts’ Plan for Excellence in STEM Education – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.” The plan has five goals to get to a level of STEM fluency through a governance system that recognizes the strength of regional networks. David Cedrone, as Executive Director of both the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council and the STEM Pipeline Fund, will play a key role in the plan's implementation. To learn about the five state goals and for a full reading of the plan, go to the Governor’s STEM Advisory Council website .

Regional Network Grants

The Department of Higher Education has supported Regional PreK-16 Networks since the inception of the STEM Pipeline Fund. The Networks bring together key stakeholders—K-12, higher education, businesses and community organizations—to collaboratively address regional education and workforce needs. The six current Regional PreK-16 Networks are located in the Berkshire, Central, MetroWest, Northeast, Pioneer Valley and Southeast/Cape & Islands regions of the Commonwealth.

June 2012

In June 2012, the Department of Higher Education extended the 2007 PreK-16 Regional STEM Network three-year grants for another full year prior to their June expiration. In addition to contract extensions, the DHE also gave each network an additional $40,000 to continue network operations. The additional funding allows each network to continue regular meetings, outreach activities, electronic communications, active websites, periodic needs assessments and adjustments in strategic planning.

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