Center For Gifted Studies To
Host Legislative Reception
January 12, 2004
Bowling Green, Ky. - The proposed Kentucky Academy of Mathematics and Science will be the focus of a legislative reception Wednesday in Frankfort.
The Board of Directors of The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University will host the reception from 6 to 8 p.m. EST in the Capitol Rotunda.
Special guests Col. Terry Wilcutt, a NASA astronaut and WKU graduate, and Dr. Richard Sinclair, director of The Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, will make remarks at 7 p.m.
Challenge Awards will be given to Dr. Susan Leib, Dr. J.T. Sandefur and Dr. Donald Zacharias, who have made significant contributions to gifted education.
The Center for Gifted Studies has listed the five top reasons to fund the academy:
1. Prepare Kentucky to Compete in The New Economy. Ensure that Kentucky embraces the New Economy – and reverses the downward trend in national ranking (from 39th to 42nd in the last three years.) Get Kentucky off the 47th ranking for the number of scientists and engineers in the state.
2. Stop the Brain Drain. Provide appropriately challenging opportunities for high school juniors and seniors that will encourage them to stay in state rather than to flee to find a challenge.
3. Eliminate the Achievement Gap. Realize that for highly talented young people who are interested in math and science, the achievement gap to be eliminated is between the learning opportunities available and their potential to learn at exceptionally high levels.
4. Create Higher Paying Jobs. Create jobs for scientists, mathematicians and engineers in Kentucky so that talented young people will choose to spend their adult lives in the Commonwealth.
5. Be the Beacon of Excellence. Serve as the catalyst for raising achievement and interest in science and mathematics at all educational levels.
For more information, contact Tracy Inman at (270) 745-2742. More WKU news is available on the World Wide Web at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via E-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
