Cornell Higher Education Research Institute receives Sloan Foundation grant
April 11 2007
Nationwide, only about half of all students who enter American colleges and universities and who intend to major in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields actually graduate with degrees in these fields.
Given the importance of an adequate supply of STEM field graduates to our economy, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has awarded a grant of $331,000 to the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute (CHERI) to conduct empirical studies to increase our understanding of why such low retention rates in STEM fields occur and to suggest ways to improve retention. Professor Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Director of CHERI, will head the project, which also involves researchers at SUNY Binghamton and Colgate University.
In addition, Ronald Ehrenberg has been appointed to the board of trustees of Emeriti Retirement Health Solutions. Emeriti is a membership consortium that offers post-retirement medical benefits for the higher education community. Emeriti offers group retiree medical insurance that complements Medicare and that is prefunded by tax-advantaged health accounts accumulated over time. The organization aspires to accomplish for defined contribution retiree medical benefits what TIAA-CREF originally pioneered for defined contribution pensions. Other members of the board include John Biggs, former Chairman and CEO of TIAA-CREF, and Hanna Gray, President Emeritus of the University of Chicago.
