Serendipity35

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I wrote earlier this week about the kinds of jobs that might be available to our students in the years to come. A lot of those projected jobs are in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields.

Last month, my college, Passaic County Community College (NJ), was notified that it had been awarded a federal grant to create a STEM Learning Center.

The Learning Center will include the student services area and the Interdisciplinary Laboratory. The Center will coordinate tutorial and support services, hire and train Learning Specialists/Tutors, and coordinate faculty and peer mentoring activities for teachers and students in area high schools and several colleges.

Back in 2006, the United States National Academies expressed concern about the declining state of STEM education in the United States. The grant at PCCC has the same three basic goals as the Academies recommendations.

1. increase America’s talent pool by improving K-12 science and mathematics education
2. strengthen the skills of teachers through additional training in science, math and technology
3. enlarge the pipeline of students prepared to enter college and graduate with STEM degrees.

There are two full time positions available for our new STEM project. If you know of anyone who might be interested and qualified, pass on this information to them. The positions will be posted on the PCCC jobs web site soon, but I'm giving the search a jumpstart. Here are job descriptions:

Director of STEM Initiative: A full time administrator is needed with expertise in curricular and instructional design with experience in overseeing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)education reform. Will work with faculty in strengthening STEM courses, in coordinating professional development activities, and in spearheading curricular alignment and mapping activities in conjunction with local districts. Strong leadership, organizational, communication and administrative skills are necessary. Requires a minimum of seven years experience in a higher education setting and experience with curricular and instructional design. A Master’s degree in Education or a STEM-related field is required. This is a 2 year grant funded position; approx. $80,000 per year.

STEM Center Coordinator: A full-time position to oversee the daily operation of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Learning Center, including the student services area and the Interdisciplinary Laboratory. Will coordinate tutorial and support services, hire and train Learning Specialists/Tutors, and coordinate faculty and peer mentoring activities. Experience with online learning technology necessary to implement the e-tutoring component of the project. Requires a minimum of three years administrative experience in a higher education setting and a Master’s degree in Education or a STEM-related field. This is a 2 year grant funded position; approx. $60,000 per year.