Babson College Joins Over 100 Groups Urging Congress to Support Obama’s Energy Education Initiative

Babson College is one of more than 100 universities, professional associations, and student groups to submit a letter urging the U.S. Senate to fully support the Obama administration’s national energy education initiative.

The initiative, named “RE-ENERGYSE” (Regaining our ENERGY Science and Engineering Edge), would produce thousands of highly-skilled U.S. energy workers and develop new energy education programs at American universities and K-12 schools.

According to the Department of Energy, the program would develop between 5,000 and 8,500 highly-educated scientists, engineers, and other professionals to enter the clean energy field by 2015, which would rise to 10,000 -17,000 professionals by 2020. The Technical Training and K-12 Education subprogram would create between 200 to 300 community college and other training programs to prepare thousands of technically- skilled workers for clean energy jobs.

Conor Carlin, Co-President, The Babson College Energy and Environmental Club (BEEC), says that RE-ENERGYSE is an important funding measure in Congress, and he is grateful that Babson is able to participate directly in a targeted effort to reach US Senators. “RE-ENERGYSE funds significant higher education initiatives in clean energy,” says Carlin, “BEEC believes very strongly that this measure should be adequately funded to provide opportunities in this dynamic sector of the economy.”

Babson President Leonard A. Schlesinger points out, “Babson is the top-ranked school for entrepreneurship education and we are very enthusiastic about the opportunities this country has to lead the effort in alternative energies and clean technologies. Funding this initiative will help move these efforts ahead in a meaningful timeframe.”