PREVIOUS MEETING __________________________________________________________

 

June 20:  "New Chattanooga State Initiatives" - Dr. James L. Catanzaro

 

Dr. Catanzaro explained five new initiatives at Chattanooga State Technical Community College (CSTCC) and in our community.  He began by explaining the needs of our country and the trend for fewer students in America to focus their studies in mathematics or engineering.  He said that during the last four years, American enrollment of US citizens in these fields has dropped 36%.  There has been an increase in foreign students studying mathematics and engineering, but not enough to compensate for the drop in US citizens.  The trend is still that enrollment overall in these fields of study have dropped 11%.  To compound the shortage of engineers, US labor statistics have been used to project the demand for people in engineering positions to increase by 47% during the next 10 years.  So our industries will be handicapped by this forecasted vacuum of engineering knowledge in the US.  Somehow the word isn't getting to young students that there are good job opportunities with degrees in engineering and more emphasis needs to be placed on recruiting and retaining students in these fields.

 

Most of the mathematics and engineering principles taught at CSTCC have practical applications in motor sports, the first initiative mentioned, which can help make engineering a more appealing option.  Dr. Catanzaro told us that similar study applications have been successful in an Australian school, but they discovered after following the careers of their students that they had excellent job-related skills but lacked problem solving and creative reasoning skills.  Research has shown that studying the humanities (philosophy, literature, and the arts) is the best way to equip students for problem solving.  So, in addition to the new motor sports initiative, they have brought in a more diverse humanities staff (second initiative).

 

As the population of the United States grows (expect 170 million more people in the US by 2050, only 20 million being native), much of it is expected to come from other countries and into the smaller towns like Chattanooga.  Our students need to be prepared to do business in the international market.  Their business courses will be including hands-on projects like deciding exactly what a company would need to do first if it was plunked down into another country's economy.  This third initiative is what Dr. Catanzaro called "internationalization" at Chattanooga State to promote the study of foreign economies and business cultures.  These first three initiatives are underway at CSTCC:  Motor Sports illustrations and projects, loading up more humanities courses into technical degrees, and beginning to internationalize the thinking of students.

 

Another initiative that has been successful and continues is the Middle College High School.  This is taking the under-challenged high school students that may be tempted to drop out and recruiting them into the college campus.  In May, 95 high school students graduated not only with their high school degree but also with a 2-year degree from CSTCC.   Finally, an initiative that Dr Catanzaro has been promoting and hopes to make a reality is to provide a training facility at the Enterprise South industrial park.  Prospective manufacturing and technology companies look not only for the right land or facility, but they need a trained work force, too.  Working with the County and City Mayors, the Chamber of Commerce, the Chattanooga Manufacturing Association, and with support from Governor Bredeson and Congressman Wamp, we can let companies know that we can prepare and provide a high-quality, competitive workforce.
 

 

FUTURE MEETINGS ________________________________________________________

(noon in the Tallan Cellar Restaurant at 2 Union Square, unless another location is indicated)

 

Monday, July 4:  No meeting - Independence Day
 
Monday, July 11: 12:30 pm, no lunch - Tour of Chattanooga Group, Inc., a local manufacturer of medical equipment and a division of Encore Medical Corp.
 
Monday, July 18:  "Innovation in Educating and Training a Competitive Workforce"  Bill Brock, Senior Counselor and Trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC and Chairman of Bridges Learning Systems in Annapolis, MD
Over 600 schools in 27 states are using Bridges programs.  They assess the development of the brain and provide ways to "exercise" the parts that need more development.

 

Monday, July 25:  "UTC's New Graduate Program In Computational Engineering"  Dr. Roger Briley
Entrance into the Computational Engineering Doctorate program is available to qualified B.S. or M.S. graduates of recognized curricula in engineering, computer science, mathematics, or one of the physical sciences. Each student's program of study including possible prerequisite requirements, is tailored to his or her background and research goals.

 

Monday, August 1:  TBA
Monday, August 8:  TBA
Monday, August 15:  TBA