The Gatepost Editorial Board
This week, it was announced that FSU received a $3 million grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, which will help fund the completion of the Hemenway Science addition.
As Interim President Robert Martin noted, the science project and the grant that makes it possible to complete, represent how important Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) is to FSU.
“We were founded as a teacher training institution and I think this grant and that facility ... reflects how far we have come as a university,” said Martin.
Around five years ago, under the leadership of former President Timothy Flanagan, growing STEM majors and enrollment became some of FSU’s prominent goals. Martin said that enrollment in the STEM disciplines has grown over 50 percent.
FSU began offering a STEM education program a couple of years ago for elementary and middle school teachers, and over the course of this year, a master’s program was created with the support of the STEM industries in the MetroWest area.
We at The Gatepost think these programs are significant because they help make FSU students valuable to the surrounding communities’ businesses and corporations. It is vital that FSU keeps pace in this growing field – allowing its students the experiences they need to succeed.
In order for FSU to be eligible to receive this grant, members of the administration had to apply for it and we at The Gatepost would like to especially thank Executive Vice President Dale Hamel.
Hamel has been an effective and vital advocate for the science project from the beginning, and the entire FSU community is indebted to him.
As the first teaching school in America, completing the science center project will not only keep FSU on the map as an innovative educational institution, but it will strengthen our current curriculum and opportunities – making our programs that much more competitive and sought after by prospective students and staff members.
In an email to faculty and staff, Martin thanked several administrators and members of the science faculty for their efforts to obtain the grant.
We at The Gatepost would like to thank our administration for working to secure this grant, as the finalized facility will provide new and innovative opportunities for students, especially those pursuing careers in STEM fields.