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Regular Session, 2012 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 120
BY SENATOR APPEL
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the Board of Regents to develop a strategy to attract more students to,
and graduate more students from, the state's colleges and universities in the fields of
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
WHEREAS, the scientific, technological, and engineering advances of the 20
th
century fueled the economic dominance of the United States; and
WHEREAS, as we moved into the 21
st
century and it became clear that our economic
preeminence was threatened as other countries became more educated and started gaining
economic ground, national leaders began calling for increased recruitment of students to
STEM fields of study; and
WHEREAS, careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics serve to
increase the state's and the nation's capacity for innovation as it engenders the creation of
new ideas, companies, and industries; and
WHEREAS, the urgent need for improved education in STEM disciplines is
evidenced by the decreasing percentage of students entering and completing STEM degrees
in postsecondary educational institutions; and
WHEREAS, the United States produces fewer STEM graduates relative to other
economically developed countries; and
WHEREAS, according to the January 2012 U.S. Department of Commerce report,
"The Competitiveness and Innovative Capacity of the United States", only fifty percent of
students who start college in a STEM major graduate with a STEM related degree.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby urge and request the Board of Regents to develop a strategy to attract more
students to, and graduate more students from, the state's colleges and universities in the
fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the board submit a written report of its findings
and recommendations to the Senate Committee on Education not later than March 1, 2013. SR NO. 120 ENROLLED
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
chairman of the Board of Regents and the commissioner of higher education.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE