| Education has always been a means to a better life. It may be an universal truth that parents sacrifice a lot to secure an education for their children so that the children may lead better lives than the parents. This is especially true in Asian families. However, here in America, education is in trouble. While it is universally available, the end result, in too many cases, is a person who is unable to meet the demands of today's world. |
| In an address to the National Leadership Seminar in Seattle, Washington in May 2004, Robert J. Herbold took the issue head-on. Herbold is a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. He is a retired executive vice president and chief operating officer of Microsoft Corporation. Before that, he spent 26 years with Proctor & Gamble where he reached the position of senior vice president of advertising and information services. He serves on the boards of Weyerhaeuser Corporation and Case Western Reserve University, among others, as well as on the board of trustees of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. The rest of this article is a summary of Mr. Herbold's views. |
| The National Science Foundation published data demonstrating that the United States is producing far fewer engineers than other parts of the world, particularly Asia. In 2001, among 24-year olds who had a B.A. or B.S. degree, only 5 percent in the U.S. were engineers, compared to 39 percent in China, and 19 percent or more in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. In terms of actual numbers, China is producing three times more engineers, while Japan is producing almost twice as many. In 1987, 4,700 U.S. citizens received a Ph.D. in physical science and engineering compared to 5,600 Asians. In 2001, the figures were 4,400 and 24,900 respectively. It should also be noted that the percentage of Asians getting advanced engineering degrees at U.S. universities is also declining. The above data was assembled by Professor R.E. Smalley, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist from Rice University. He concludes that by 2010, 90 percent of all Ph.D. physical scientists and engineers in the world will be Asians living in Asia. Mr. Herbrand went on to state that the main reasons why the U.S. production of science and engineering talent in universities is low in comparison to other countries is that the U.S. K-12 math and science skill levels are very weak. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NEAP) for the year 2000 show that only 34 percent of 12th graders are only partially proficient in science and almost half are below partial proficiency! Another study shows that 12th graders from 90 percent of other countries did better than U.S. 12th graders in mathematics. |
| Now, my comments. While the U.S. is lagging in science and engineering, Asia is forging ahead. There is much discussion about the outsourcing of jobs. It is generally assumed that the reason for this is economics, since Asian incomes are generally lower than U.S. incomes. But, this does not tell the whole story. Many of the jobs going overseas are high skill technical jobs. An article in a recent issue of In Business magazine suggested that there is a shortage of skilled technical workers in the U.S. Many companies are finding skilled workers in other countries. Sometimes they are brought here and at other times they are employed in their home countries. Asian countries are producing the high tech workers of the future. Will this bring about a closer relationship between Asia and the U.S., or will it lead to a worsening relationship? It will tax the wisdom of leaders on both sides of the Pacific. Only time will tell how it will turn out. |
| A look at the future of U.S. and Asia by John S. Pinto |
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