Sept. 16, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Scott Roark
Cal Poly Public Affairs
805-756-1511
sroark@calpoly.edu
President Warren J. Baker to Serve on Panel
Addressing Education Crisis in California on Sept. 19
SAN LUIS OBISPO – 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 a long-term educational crisis in California.
On Friday, Sept. 19, 2008, Cal Poly President Warren J. Baker will serve on a “State of Education in California” panel to address these important issues, opening a summit hosted by the University of Southern California and the Competitiveness Crisis Council.
The panel will discuss trends and specific impacts on California education and a vision for the education system in 2020. President Baker will serve on the panel with Cal Poly Pomona President Michael Ortiz, California State University Chancellor Charles Reed, California State University Los Angeles President James Rosser, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent David Brewer and Pomona Unified School District Superintendent Thelma Meléndez.
In addition to the opening panel on California education, the two-day summit will include, on Friday, a keynote address by Vice Provost for Innovation and Executive Director of the USC Stevens Institute for Innovation, Krisztina “Z” Holly; a showing and discussion of the film, “2 Million Minutes,” 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; and a panel on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) issues.
The program on Saturday, Sept. 20 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, one of four children in a migrant farming family from Mexico, will keynote with his inspiring story.
The summit’s goal 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 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 and a full schedule of the two-day conference, visit http://www.competecalifornia.com.
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