Press Releases
Statement of Maria Cardona on Senate Judiciary Committee Members’ Discussion of National STEM Education Fund
Washington, D.C. – “At today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on comprehensive immigration reform, Senators Durbin and Klobuchar both voiced support of a national fund for STEM education as a part of immigration reform. Senator Klobuchar noted that the STEM fund introduced in the bi-partisan I-Squared Act would have ‘generated three to five billion dollars over 10 years.’ “We applaud the Senate for including a national STEM fund in its immigration proposal. It is smart policy and necessary for America’s long-term economic growth. As negotiations continue, we hope the fund included in the proposal is as robust as the total STEM… Read More »
Statement of inSPIRE STEM USA Co-Chair Maria Cardona on Sen. Chris Coons Call for Strong STEM Education Funding in Gang of Eight Immigration Bill
Washington, D.C. – inSPIRE STEM USA Co-Chair Maria Cardona issued the following statement today in response to reports of Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) voicing concerns about funding for STEM education in the Senate Gang of Eight’s immigration reform proposal released earlier this week: “While inSPIRE STEM USA applauds the Gang of Eight acknowledging the need to invest in and improve STEM education, we also agree with Sen. Coons’ call for a more robust national STEM education account that is funded through new revenue from H-1B visa fees. The fund as outlined in the I-Squared bill makes a significant investment in… Read More »
inSPIRE STEM USA Encouraged by Bi-Partisan Immigration Reform Bill
Bill Notes Need for Improving STEM Education Pipeline Washington, D.C. – The inSPIRE STEM USA coalition today praised the Senate Gang of Eight’s bi-partisan immigration reform proposal for acknowledging that reform legislation should also include a long-term solution to improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. “Today is an important step in reaching our goal of meaningful immigration reform that will boost America’s ability to attract and retain qualified workers for high-skilled jobs in the U.S.,” said inSPIRE STEM USA Co-Chair John E. Sununu. “America currently doesn’t produce enough workers educated in STEM fields to fill the jobs that… Read More »
Toyota, American Association of School Administrators, and The Business Council of New York State, Inc. Join inSPIRE STEM USA Coalition
Washington, D.C. – The inSPIRE (Supporting Productive Immigration Reform and Education) STEM USA coalition announced the addition of three new members – Toyota, American Association of School Administrators, and The Business Council of New York State, Inc. – on Monday as they continue their efforts to include a national fund in immigration reform that invests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and computer science education. In anticipation of the Gang of Eight introducing their bipartisan immigration bill on Tuesday, the coalition of corporations, education groups, and advocacy organizations hopes that Congress recognizes the importance of including a STEM fund… Read More »
inSPIRE STEM USA Applauds New Democrat Coalition’s Inclusion of STEM Education Funding in Immigraton Reform Principles
Strengthening STEM Education Pipeline Key to Long-Term Solution to STEM Jobs Crisis Washington, D.C. – “The inSPIRE STEM USA Coalition praises the U.S. House of Representative’s New Democrat Coalition for including a national education fund directed toward science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) fields among its principles for comprehensive immigration reform, which were released Thursday. “The New Democrat Coalition understands that immigration reform, especially to high-skilled immigration, will be far less meaningful if we don’t also create a stronger STEM education pipeline that will help America solve the STEM jobs crisis. “The New Democrat Coalition ties high-skilled immigration reform to American… Read More »
Rapid Exhaustion of H-1B Visa Cap Shows Need for High-Skilled Immigration Reform
Statement from inSPIRE STEM USA Executive Director Beneva Schulte Washington, D.C. – This year, the nation’s allotment for H-1B visas was depleted within just five days – nine weeks sooner than last year. This rapid exhaustion of the H-1B visa quota this year proves that the high-skilled immigration program is in dire need of reform. That we’ve hit the H-1B cap in just five days and will have a lottery for these visas for the first time since 2008 shows the need for reform of the high-skilled visa program and the need for America to invest now in producing more… Read More »
College Board & The Center for Asian American Women Join inSPIRE STEM USA Coalition
Washington, D.C. – College Board and the Center for Asian American Women became the newest members of the inSPIRE (Supporting Productive Immigration Reform and Education) STEM USA Coalition, the coalition’s executive director, Beneva Schulte, announced Wednesday. The coalition of education groups, businesses and advocacy organizations supports congressional action to strengthen the nation’s science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) pipeline and reform of the nation’s high-skilled immigration program to close the current STEM jobs gap. “As congressional negotiations on immigration reform continue, we are thrilled to have these important voices join our call for strengthening America’s STEM education pipeline,” Schulte said…. Read More »
inSPIRE STEM USA Statement: Rush for H-1B Visas Will Show Need for Reform of High-Skilled Immigration Program
Coalition Also Calls for Fixing U.S. STEM Education Pipeline Washington, D.C. – When U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) opens petitioning for high-skilled visas this year on Monday, April 1st, the nation is likely to see the most compelling evidence for reforming the nation’s high-skilled immigration program. Over the past six years, the full allotment of H-1B visas issued by USCIS has been snatched up in as little as two days (2008) and as much as nine months (2011). This year, most observers expect the program to hit the cap, which was originally set in 1990, within days. Over the… Read More »
inSPIRE STEM USA, Compete America, Intel and Pokeware Urge Congress to Include STEM Fund in Immigration Reform Legislation
Washington, D.C. – Leaders from inSPIRE STEM USA, Compete America, Intel and Pokeware on Wednesday called on congressional leaders to include a national STEM fund in immigration reform legislation to improve science, technology, engineering, and math education in the U.S. during a media roundtable on Thursday. Participants included former Senator John E. Sununu (R-NH) and co-chair of inSPIRE STEM USA; Scott Corley, executive director of Compete America; Peter Muller, Director of Government Relations for Intel Corporation and co-chair of Compete America; and Maryse Thomas, CEO and co-founder of Pokeware. The participants expressed concern that recent news reports highlighting Senate negotiations… Read More »
Pi Day Turns 25 as Celebrations in America Grow
Activities Draw Attention to STEM Education Washington, D.C. – Since the first Pi Day 25 years ago, the celebration has spread across the nation, reaching officialdom in 2009 with a resolution from the U.S. House of Representatives declaring March 14 (3.14) National Pi Day. Pi Day 2013 celebrations on Thursday around Pi – the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter – will highlight the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and computer science in education. Here are just a few: The Exploratorium, the San Francisco science museum, was the first to initiate Pi Day… Read More »