May 19, 2006

NEW CENTER FOR MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE EDUCATION POLICY ANNOUNCED
Battelle gift provides $4 million to launch center at Ohio State

Contacts: Shelly Hoffman, Ohio State
(614) 247-4748
Mark Berry, Battelle
(614) 424-5544

COLUMBUS – If the United States continues to educate people in science and engineering at its current pace, the country will have a shortage of 12 million prepared workers by 2020, according to the National Science Foundation.

Addressing the country’s global competitiveness and its clear link to math and science education, Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook and Battelle President and CEO Carl F. Kohrt today announced the formation of the Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy to be housed at Ohio State’s John Glenn School of Public Affairs.

“We are still envied for the quality of our education, but other nations are moving fast to compete with us – especially in the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, where they are graduating larger numbers of students at home rather than sending them abroad,” Holbrook said.

“The Battelle Center’s goals are to bring people in higher education together with leaders in K-12 education, business, technology and government to deliberate and develop policies and practices that will increase the number of students who are appropriately energized and prepared to be leaders in the STEM fields,” Holbrook said.

A $4 million gift from Battelle will establish the center, one of the few of its kind in the country. The university will initiate a national search for a director with unique experiences who will work in the John Glenn School to leverage expertise and resources from across Ohio State, Battelle and the country.

“I’m very excited about the establishment of the Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy at OSU and its presence at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs,” Kohrt said. “Not only is this a great collaboration with OSU and the John Glenn School, it is another key feature in our joint efforts to strengthen our nation’s capabiliti es in the STEM fields. Our efforts with the new Metro School, the student achievement measurement work of Battelle For Kids and the new Battelle Center for Mathematics and Science Education Policy are aligned to improve the pipeline of talented scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians for the future competitiveness of our region and our nation.”

Ohio State, with strengths in basic research in the sciences and engineering, has a successful and long-standing partnership with its neighbor, Battelle, a world leader in science and technology. Most recently the two institutions partnered with a consortium of local school districts to announce the formation of the Metro High School, a model public school emphasizing math, science and technology that opens in the fall on the Ohio State campus.

Holbrook said the work of this new center connects with the Metro School, providing the public policy link for what goes on in the classroom. She added that speci fic strategies the center will undertake will be developed through the leadership of its director who should come to the position with national visibility and stature.

“We are pleased that this new Battelle Center has found a home at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. It has immense potential as we mobilize the training, technical assistance and research power of Ohio State and Battelle to inform decision makers in these aspects of education policy,” said Lawrence Libby, interim director for the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. “Senator Glenn has led a major national commission related to science and mathematics education and competitiveness. He believes this center can play a crucial role in the future of our region and nation.”

Headquartered in Columbus, Battelle develops and commercializes technology and manages laboratories for customers. Battelle, with the national labs it manages or co-manages, oversees 20,000 staff members and conducts $3.4 billion in annual research and development. Advancements in K-12 education is one of its key community service commitments. Battelle innovations include the development of the office copier machine (Xerox), pioneering work on compact disc technology, medical technology advancements, and fiber optic technologies. Learn more at www.battelle.org.

Founded in 1870, The Ohio State University is a world-class public research university and the leading comprehensive teaching and research institution in the state of Ohio. The university is ranked by the National Science Foundation among the Top 10 public research universities based on total research expenditures and has been named among the Top 25 public research universities every year U.S. News & World Report has done the ranking. With more than 50,500 students enrolled at its m ain Columbus campus, 18 colleges and 170 majors, the university offers its students tremendous breadth and depth of opportunity in the liberal arts, the sciences, and the professions.

The university houses colleges with national and international reputations in the STEM fields. The engagement of those colleges, Engineering, Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and Education will play an important role in the success of the center. Those colleges are also involved in varied ways in the Metro School and this collaborative interaction of the various activities will leverage expertise and resources like no other collaboration in the nation.

The John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University (www.glenninstitute.org) is a non-partisan interdisciplinary unit that prepa res graduate students for careers in public service, and seeks to strengthen democracy through increased civic engagement, policy research and outreach. The School begins operations on July 1, 2006 as a merger of the long-standing School of Public Policy and Management and the John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at OSU.