Gov. Dannel P. Malloy”™s proposals to invest $1.5 billion in the University of Connecticut and $200 million toward strengthening Connecticut”™s bioscience sector are moving along at the state capital.
The state”™s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee approved the Next Generation Connecticut and Bioscience Connecticut funding initiatives April 16 following a broad show of support from business leaders across the state.
Meeting in Hartford April 11, Malloy, UConn President Susan Herbst and several representatives from the business community released a list of 100 businesses, ranging from small startups to Fortune 500 corporations, which pledged their support of the Next Generation proposal.
The UConn investment, which would take place over 10 years, would increase enrollment by a third, allow for the hiring of new faculty and put a greater emphasis of the university”™s science, technology, engineering and math programs. Advocates say the investment would lead to more skilled workers and economic activity spurred by additional research at the university.
“Historically, Connecticut has enjoyed the distinction of being the birthplace of ideas and invention, leading the world in patents and groundbreaking advancements,” Malloy said in a statement. “By making the investments called for in these two pieces of legislation, we will take steps to regain our standing as a leader in innovation and make our state an attractive place to invest, work and do business.”
Fairfield County groups in support of the UConn initiative include Boehringer Ingelheim, NBC Sports, Purdue Pharma, Pitney Bowes, Xerox, the Business Council of Fairfield County, the Stamford Partnership and several others.
“We have spent years collaborating with research agencies and universities like UConn to advance our hydrogen generation technology,” said Robert Friedland, CEO of Wallingford-based Proton OnSite, in a statement.
“(We) have witnessed the impact that partnerships have on scientific innovation and economic growth. … We believe in Next Generation Connecticut”™s mission and share the initiative”™s commitment to encouraging the next generation of engineers and spurring innovation in Connecticut.”
Yes but are there JOBS that PAY in these fields? Corporations have been clanging the “STEM shortage alarm bells” for 20 years. Make no mistake – salaries in these fields are flat or declining. In my former field, it has been a blood bath of stagnating wages, declining opportunities and a glutted market where employers can use and abuse desperate candidates. This is a canard in my opinion so that the powers that be in academia and industry can justify the free flow of cheap labor from abroad through work visa programs such as H1-B. If the jobs aren’t there and good solid salaries that ensure a middle class life aren’t there – this is a waste of money and students are wasting time and money. Also, trying to anticipate the need in technological fields several several years ahead of entering is like trying to nail jello to a wall. Many people enter an educational pipeline when graduates are being offered high salaries and perks on a plate – only to find the field they trained for glutted beyond imagination by the time they graduate. So they are saddled with debt without a marketable skill.