FLAGSTAFF, AZ (08/23/2013)(readMedia)-- Elizabeth McCorkle, a Northern Arizona University SecEd-Earth Sci (BSED) major and resident of Hillsdale, IL, was among more than 4,500 students who made the Dean's List for the spring 2013 semester.

Founded in 1899, Northern Arizona University has established a lasting legacy of educating students to help them make a difference in the world. With an expansive Extended Campuses program, the university has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 20,000 students located at more than 30 sites across Arizona or online. The university is a leader in integrating sustainability into university policies and educational curriculum highlighted by the Platinum LEED-certified Applied Research and Development building, the third-greenest building in the world. More information is online at nau.edu

UNIVERSITY CENTER, MI (08/23/2013)(readMedia)-- Anthony Lucio, from Muscatine, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in May 2013 from Saginaw Valley State University.

Saginaw Valley State University is a comprehensive university with more than 90 programs of study for its more than 10,000 students. Located on a suburban campus in Michigan's Great Lakes Bay Region, SVSU is committed to quality teaching in the classroom, field-based learning outside, NCAA Division II athletics and a broad range of academic and extracurricular opportunities for students to excel.

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa has conducted oversight of tax-exempt organizations including universities for years.  Most recently, he has focused on New York University (NYU), which gave perks to then-administrator Jack Lew including a home loan and a $685,000 severance payment.  NYU also has generated controversy by giving loans for second homes to select administrators and faculty, a practice it announced it would end amid public scrutiny.  Grassley made the following comment today on President Obama's outline of ideas to reduce college costs and student debt.

"I agree with President Obama on reducing college costs and student debt.  One area for consideration is college spending on high executive salaries and perks that drive up tuition without providing additional value for students.  For example, just before his promised resignation in 2016, New York University's president will receive a gold-plated severance package including a $2.5 million parting bonus and $800,000 a year.   This is on top of the beach house he bought with university help.  President Obama should use his bully pulpit to encourage more independent leadership from the boards that oversee tax-exempt universities.   NYU's president wouldn't have had help with his beach house if the board refused.  And I encourage President Obama to look at a bipartisan Senate bill that would help students and families understand the true cost of college and the different types of student aid.   The more students and parents become savvy shoppers, the more colleges would be forced to rein in rising costs to compete for students."

More information on the Understanding the True Cost of College Act, of which Grassley is the lead Republican sponsor, is available here.

(DES MOINES) - Executive Order Number 81 signed by Iowa Governor Terry E. Branstad on May 15, 2013, declared that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education should be strengthened as part of providing a world-class education, encouraging innovation and enhancing economic development in Iowa.  The Advisory Council's top priorities are to increase student interest and achievement in STEM in order to be well prepared for post-secondary study and the rewarding STEM careers that await them here in Iowa.

Wrapping up the first implementation year of Council programming, outcomes and indicators suggest a strong start, with plenty of work yet to do. Assessment of STEM Council programs is a collaborative effort of evaluation centers at Iowa's three public universities - the Center for Social and Behavioral Research (CSBR) at the University of Northern Iowa, the Research Institute for Studies in Education (RISE) at Iowa State University, and Iowa Testing Program (ITP) at the University of Iowa. The collaborative issued their first year report Iowa STEM Monitoring Project 2012-2013 Summary Report at the biannual meeting of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council on August 15, 2013. The report is publicly available at www.IowaSTEM.gov.

Major findings of the first-year assessment provide plenty to build upon. For example:

• All twelve of the 2012-13 exemplary programs scaled up across Iowa through the new STEM Network were found to increase student interest (89 percent of students reported more interest in at least one STEM subject after having participated).
• A steady decline is observed in the interest of Iowa youth in general when it comes to STEM topics and STEM careers, from elementary to middle school to high school.
• Ninety-four percent of surveyed Iowans believe that science and technology are making our lives better.
• The Iowa Assessment mathematics and science scores of participants in STEM Council programs were considerably stronger than the scores of young Iowans in general (an encouraging association though evaluators point out insufficient information to conclude causation).

The Council's co-chair, Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds greeted the findings with cautious optimism, "The fine work of the assessment team boosts the morale of the hundreds of professionals across the State who are working hard to implement the Council's vision," she said, "while at the same time we're reminded of the haves and have nots in Iowa when it comes to STEM who we owe our very best effort moving forward."

A disparity was revealed among parents when it comes to beliefs that their children are "very well prepared" in STEM subjects at school - 37 percent of rural versus 62 percent of urban parents felt so. One of the key considerations in rolling out exemplary STEM programs last year to almost 900 Iowa educators and 38,000 learners was to target regions of the state with the highest need.

Council co-chair Mary Andringa, President and CEO of Vermeer Corporation, sees great value in the assessment document. "STEM is a national imperative in this era of globally competitive markets, and Iowa is really well-positioned to lead by example," she said. "Data-driven decision making informed by objective measures will keep us on the front edge."

The 2012-13 Iowa STEM Monitoring Project Summary Report is available at http://www.iowastem.gov/sites/default/files/stem_monitoring_report_final8-13-13.pdf

STEM programming for FY2014 is already well underway with nine competitively selected exemplary programs being supported in some 3,800 clubs and classrooms reaching almost 100,000 Iowa youth through the Council's Network.  To learn more about STEM education in Iowa contact the Governor's STEM Advisory Council Administration Office or visit www.IowaSTEM.gov.

###