Accelerating Knowledge
Alumnus Ed Oates supports a new generation of science, technology, engineering and mathematics educators with support for the Center for STEM Education
January 10, 2012
As one of Silicon Valley’s innovative pioneers, Ed Oates has witnessed the pace at which the valley and the global community is changing. Developing a new generation of educators prepared to teach those subjects and to inspire students to pursue those fields in college is a substantial challenge—and Oates is among those leading the charge through the creation of the Lolita C. Oates Teaching Excellence fund.
Campaign Connection
The Lolita C. Oates Teaching Excellence fund will further the training and education of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for secondary school educators.
Oates co-founded Oracle, a multinational computer technology corporation headquartered in Redwood City, and retired from the company in 1996. He now serves on the boards of directors for the SJSU Tower Foundation and the San Francisco Zoological Society and even plays in two rock bands, CHOC’D and P’Daddy.
The Lolita C. Oates Teaching Excellence fund—named for his mother, who was herself an educator—will further the training and education of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for secondary school educators.
"If you look at the accumulation of knowledge in the world, it’s increasing at an accelerating rate," says Ed Oates, '68 mathematics. "As a result, the need for graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is growing at a similarly accelerating rate."
The Center for STEM Education was conceived to support interdisciplinary programs that address the deficiencies in delivery of STEM education and increase partnering with corporations, community colleges, school districts, foundations, parents, and community stakeholders. Currently, SJSU has one of the largest STEM education programs in California. By financing a new director position for the Center, Oates’ gift will provide the leadership needed to catapult STEM education in the College of Science and across campus.