Engineering Deans and Policy Officials Exchange Ideas

In the difficult political climate of rising deficits and the war on terrorism, passing a federal budget will be very tough. Unfortunately, that was the message many deans received regarding science and technology considerations in the FY 2005 budget during the 2004 Engineering Deans Council (EDC) Public Policy Colloquium. More than 100 deans of engineering from 35 states and the District of Columbia convened in Washington, D.C., on February 24 and 25 for the Colloquium, where they heard from a member of Congress and administration officials on the scarcity of federal funds for the coming fiscal year. The event, entitled "Securing the Nation's Future," afforded deans the opportunity to learn how their institutions can impact the nation's homeland security efforts.

Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) delivered the congressional keynote address. He urged the deans to stay in touch with the member of Congress from their district, who employs legislative assistants and caseworkers to handle visa and immigration issues. He reminded the deans that they have influence as a group on funding decisions on Capitol Hill. Gordon's speech also affirmed his commitment to science and technology funding. However, administration officials warned the deans that next year's federal budget will see little to no increases for most agencies.

The deans discussed engineering's role in homeland security, defense R&D, and workforce issues during breakout sessions. The workforce briefing, with John F. Sargent from the Office of Technology Policy in the Commerce Department, was perhaps the most thought-provoking. Sargent used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to point out that current market forces suggest that the United States supplies plenty of engineers to meet the market demand.

Deans traveled to Capitol Hill in the evening to present Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), Chair of the Senate Energy Committee, with the EDC Award for his contributions to national engineering and science policy, research, and education. Unfortunately, the senator was unable to attend the reception. Peter Lyons, a staff member of the Senate Energy Committee, accepted the award on the senator's behalf, noting that Domenici is "proud of the research and accomplishments of America's engineers, which is a direct result of the outstanding training they receive."

On February 25, the deans headed back to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress and congressional staff from their states. Most policymakers were "supportive" of science and technology funding in general, but cautious about the difficult budget climate.

"I was extremely pleased with the level of participation and high-quality discussions in this year's colloquium," said David Wormley, dean of engineering at Penn State University and chair of the Engineering Deans Council. "Over time, our visits to the Hill will continue to build a strong relationship between Congress and the engineering academic community."

Joshua Douglas is a public affairs associate at ASEE.

Copyright American Society for Engineering Education Summer 2004
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