Alliance highlights strong emphasis on investment in science, engineering and medical research as drivers of US economic growth
WASHINGTON DC, September 16, 2014 - ARCS Foundation (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation, Inc.) has been tapped as a new affiliate member of The Council on Competitiveness, a premier U.S. brain trust gathering our nation’s leaders from corporate, academic and labor union sectors to recommend actionable policy pathways to drive US economic growth.
Recognized for more than five decades of generous financial support to US students pursuing advanced degrees in science, engineering and medical research, ARCS Foundation was welcomed to its first meeting with the Council today. ARCS Foundation’s presence in this highly visible forum recognizes the key role that established non-profits and education-focused philanthropy hold in mobilizing resources and innovation toward increased prosperity.
“America's leadership depends upon new discovery - and the innovation that creates new opportunities and underpins future growth,” said Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President and CEO, Council on Competitiveness. “ARCS Foundation is at the forefront of efforts to ensure the best and brightest scholars of science, engineering and medical research pursue their dreams. The Council is honored to welcome ARCS Foundation to the pursuit of our shared mission, bolstering our nation's competitiveness.”
The Council’s September 2014 meeting gathered selected membership to focus upon research areas well known to ARCS Foundation since its founding in 1958 at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Discussions of healthcare, technology, energy and the environment were integrated within a dynamic policy framework for 21st century economic expansion, one which the council is engaging ARCS Foundation and all of its members in developing. The meeting coincided with the issuance of the September 2014 Clarion Call, a roadmap for policymakers seeking to increase investment and job creation in the United States, thereby enhancing prosperity for all Americans.
“ARCS Foundation Scholars form a dynamic entrepreneurial pipeline, one that’s critical to the continued success of our country’s leadership in technology, engineering and medical fields," said Nancy Spetzler, ARCS Foundation National President. "Our relationship with the Council unites ARCS Foundation with top leaders from US industry and Research One Universities. It’s a winning combination. ARCS Foundation looks forward to forming meaningful partnerships with industries who directly benefit from the cohort of STEM scholars supported with ARCS Awards.”
About The Council on Competitiveness: Founded in 1986, the Council on Competitiveness is a non-partisan, non-governmental organization, composed of peer corporate CEOs, university presidents, labor leaders and national laboratory directors. Collectively, under the Council’s banner, this forward-looking group of leaders is a powerful “brain trust.” Together they work to set an action agenda to drive U.S. competitiveness, identifying key economic challenges towards generating innovative public policy solutions for a more prosperous America.
About ARCS Foundation: ARCS Foundation is an organization of women volunteers dedicated to advancing science and technology in the United States by providing financial awards to academically outstanding U.S. citizens studying to complete degrees in science, engineering and medical research. Seventeen regional ARCS Chapters nationwide operate independently and collaboratively toward fulfillment of their shared mission; since the original Chapter’s founding in 1958 the chapters have awarded nearly $87 million to more than 8,500 scholars working at the frontiers of scientific discovery.
Media Contact: Nancy Chambers, VP Communications, ARCS Foundation, 404.593.4474, nchambers@arcsfoundation.org