Bush Expected To Push Science Research and Education in State of the Union

Lobbyists for Harvard and higher-education groups expect President Bush to include an emphasis on strengthening science education and research in the United States when he delivers his State of the Union address tomorrow.

Bush is likely to respond to several recent reports that raised concern about the nation’s global competitiveness in science and engineering, said Barry Toiv ’77-’78, a spokesman for the Association of American Universities, of which Harvard is a member.

These concerns may be addressed through initiatives to increase funding for research, student aid, and programs that improve the teaching of math and science, Toiv said.

“We’re hoping it’s not a one-sentence thing,” Toiv said, adding, “Hopefully we’ll get a paragraph or two.”

Harvard’s senior director of federal and state relations, Kevin Casey, and William J. Skane, a spokesman for the National Academies, both said in interviews that there have been clear signs that Bush will include initiatives in his agenda to strengthen American research and encourage more Americans to major in science and engineering.

According to a transcript of his remarks, Card praised the report’s recommendations to increase funding at many levels of science education and research.

Bush said he plans to focus on American students’ poor scores in math and science in his State of the Union address, according to newspaper reports of a speech he gave in Kentucky earlier this month.

While the U.S. remains at the forefront of science education and research worldwide, American innovation in science and technology—and the economic prosperity that accompanies it—may be eclipsed by that of other countries if this trend continues, according to “Rising Above the Gathering Storm.”

The concern over the growing scientific strength of other countries is compounded by statistics that show American students are far less likely to major in science or engineering than students in other developed nations. Their scores on math and science exams are also consistently lower.

“The U.S. has not been making those investments in either research or education to maintain our leadership, so what we are saying and what the business community is saying with a practically unanimous voice is...that we need to do better,” said Toiv of the Association of American Universities.

Businesses have taken the lead in communicating these concerns to the White House, Toiv said businesses “are pushing very hard with the administration” to bolster the United States’ scientific capabilities.

Harvard’s director of federal relations, Suzanne Day, said she thinks Bush may also mention the international initiatives launched by the State Department earlier this month to encourage international students to study in the United States. The announcement of the international initiatives seemed to be “a preview of the point he was going to make in the State of the Union,” Day said.

Although the proposed amount allotted to these initiatives was only a modest $114 million, Bush’s symbolic support of welcoming international students was significant, Day said. It will likely be mentioned in the address, she said, if not as prominently as the expected scientific innovation agenda.

While higher-education advocates are excited that Bush may be making science education and research a national priority in his State of the Union address, Casey said, they will have to wait until the president releases his proposed budget Monday to see how the rhetorical emphasis translates into tangible funding.

—Staff writer Lois E. Beckett can be reached at lbeckett@fas.harvard.edu.