I think I mentioned in this blog before that I was involved with submitting a grant proposal to the National Science Foundation for funds to study the declining enrollment problem and propose ways to correct it. After submitting two years in a row and even being encouraged by the NSF to submit the second year, we did not get it funded. The NSF gave no real explanation. So, looks like that effort is over and done with. We did all we could. The NSF is just not interested.
I suspect that we lost because, as usual, the NSF receives hundreds of good proposals each year. And with limited funds ($39 million this year), they simply funded the most interesting proposals and dropped the rest. The NSF seems to prefer big, glossy, high tech, innovative proposals for improving technology education. I can't blame them for that. Lots of great ideas get funded. But what I don't understand is their blindness to the declining enrollment problem. Surely they see it. I kept thinking, if this decline continues, then the funding for the other projects is pointless. There won't be any students left to use the innovative materials and programs. I realize that funding some research on a problem like this is not the exciting thing the PhDs at NSF want to see. Too much of a downer project.
Anyway, we will never know what the reviewers really thought about the idea. I wonder if the NSF has its head in the sand and is living in denial as many electronic departments are? Are they saying, "Let's be positive. Things will turn around as they always have." Not likely in my opinion.
Where do we go from here? I am not sure. I wish we had a national organization that would lead an industry funded effort. As Steve said in response to my Depressed blog entry, he is ready to sit down and work something out in a room full of peers with the common problem. I think there are others willing to do that as well. They just don't know what to do. Those who survive will be like Roy Brixen, someone who digs in figures out what is good locally then does something innovative about it. A collective effort would be worthwhile as well. We don't want to leave the electronic technician education business only to the proprietary schools? As I have said before, unless some action is taken, that is where we are headed.
What's next guys? Any ideas?
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