Mass. Leader Emphasizes STEM Education

In 2006, Tim Murray was elected lieutenant governor of Massachusetts based on his campaign to help cities and towns statewide improve every resident’s quality of life, and to re-position the state economy for long-term prosperity. Prior to his election as lieutenant governor, Murray was a three-term mayor of Worcester, the state’s second largest city. Under his leadership, Worcester experienced unprecedented progress, including $1 billion in new economic development projects to help transform an older industrial city into one that can lead and grow in the new economy. As mayor, Murray chaired the Worcester School Committee. He built community partnerships to lower dropout rates, launched school-based health initiatives and expanded after-school programs to support working families.

How and why did you select STEM education as a priority?

I was talking with employers from all sectors about the workforce needs in STEM fields. The conversation took place around building a new vocational technical high school to replace a 100-year-old building. It hit home that if we are going to meet workforce needs and be an innovation economy, it doesn’t happen by accident. You need to train minds and get people interested, excited and committed to STEM careers.

It is also an issue of coherence in the education system, not just higher education, but a continuum approach with a strong foundation. It took us a while to focus directly on STEM because we wanted the infrastructure in place — a secretary of education and the three commissioners. All of the administration’s agenda is related to STEM: life sciences and biotech, clean energy, and green jobs legislation.

Is there a particular aspect of STEM education that needs more attention?

All four subjects need attention. We need to look across the spectrum — from scientists and engineers to technicians. In fact, technology is sometimes forgotten. All four are equally important.

What can the Governor’s Office contribute to STEM education?

We will be announcing a STEM coordinating council of high-level stakeholders to sit around the table. It will include all the appropriate secretaries, such as workforce and labor. The council will focus on the government internally to prioritize and raise the bar on STEM. It will engage the private sector to collaborate and build awareness together about the importance of STEM. Parents, students and teachers all need to see that. We want to increase the number of STEM majors and have youngsters "Do, Discover and Create."

The council will look across the state to find what is working and what is not; facilitate coordination with the “Tapping MA Potential” report; generate momentum and energy; and not repeat what has been done, but bring to scale and sustain what supports Massachusetts' economic future. An inventory is planned based on the work of the seven regional STEM initiatives. We also would like to appoint a person in charge of STEM in the state who will, on a day-to-day basis, work with everyone.

How can stakeholders work together to achieve the STEM goals of the president and the state?

We need to bring best practices to scale, acknowledging that there will be a different twist in each region as we tackle the agenda.

We need to recognize why the issue of STEM education is important to the economy. With that belief as a cornerstone, we can put aside individuals’ singular agendas and build a common approach that serves all of our needs. If we work in that spirit, we will have a successful public and private partnership for STEM.