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Science Heats Up At Connecticut State University System

Hartford Courant editorial

October 17, 2010

Much has been written about scientific illiteracy among American students, so it is heartening to hear about the soaring numbers of science majors in the Connecticut State University System.

Overall, the number of students majoring in science at the four universities jumped 32 percent between 2005 and 2009. Leading the pack were Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, with an increase of 54 percent, and Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, with an increase of 51 percent. Each opened a major new science center that has served as a magnet for students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Constructing these new science centers is a smart investment because the jobs of the future in medicine, alternative energy, computers and other fields will require a scientifically sophisticated workforce.

The United States lags well behind China, South Korea and many European nations in the percentage of undergraduates who major in science, so the growing interest in science education in the Connecticut State University System is encouraging news for technology-oriented companies based here. The dismal alternative is that more companies, unable to find qualified workers, will move operations out of state or abroad.

As CSUS trustee Richard Balducci has said, the importance of the science disciplines "cannot be overstated."