CT Ranked 9th Among Small States in "Main Street Entrepreneurship," Showing Improvement

Improvements in Connecticut’s “Main Street Entrepreneurship” has pushed the state’s ranking to 9^th among the nation’s 25 smaller states, up from 12^th a year ago, in the latest analysis from the Kauffman Foundation. The nation as a whole and most states and metro areas are experiencing higher rates of small business activity, according to the 2016 Kauffman Index of Main Street Entrepreneurship.  Nationally, there was a sharp uptick in the survival rate of businesses in the last year. At the same time, Main Street entrepreneurship activity gained ground in 47 states and 38 of the 40 largest metropolitan regions.

Among the nation’s smaller states, the top ranked entrepreneurial states were South Dakota, Vermont, Montana, North Dakota, Maine, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire.  After Connecticut, Oregon rounded out the top ten.  Connecticut was one of only two states to move up three positions in the ranking.

The state’s rate of business owners was 6.55 percent; the percentage of the adult population that owns a business as their main job, according to the survey data.

The number of established (older than four years) small (less than fifty employees) businesses per 1,000 firms was 649.9 in Connecticut.  In Massachusetts, which ranked third among the nation’s 25 larger states, it is 684.7.  The top ranked larger states were Minnesota, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Louisiana, California and Illinois. 

"The Main Street Entrepreneurship Index provides additional evidence that U.S. small business activity has rebounded from the downturn and continues to gather strength," said Arnobio Morelix, senior research analyst at the Kauffman Foundation. "More new businesses are making it through their first five years of operation. While this could indicate that a lack of dynamism is allowing less-productive firms to hang on longer, overall the entrepreneurial increases bode well for the established, small businesses that underpin much of our economy."

Among the larger states, the rate of businesses surviving through their first five years ranges from 44 percent in Arizona to 53.3 percent in Pennsylvania. Among the smaller states, the business survival rate ranges from 43.4 percent in Nevada to 58.1 percent in North Dakota.  In Connecticut, the rate is 51.35 percent, the 8^th highest among the 25 smaller states.

In start-up activity, Connecticut ranked 22^nd out of 25 smaller states, a drop of two positions since last year.  The Survival Rate of American businesses is the main driver of the recent improvements in Main Street Entrepreneurship in the United States, and has reached a three-decade high of 48.7 percent—meaning that almost half of new businesses make it to their fifth year of operation.

U.S. Census Bureau business statistics show that established small businesses represent almost 68 percent of all employer firms in the country.   The five metros with the highest Main Street entrepreneurship activity are Pittsburgh, Boston, Portland, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

The Kauffman Index of Main Street Entrepreneurship captures business activity in all industries and is based on both a nationally representative sample size of roughly 900,000 responses each year and the universe of all employer businesses in the United States, in a dataset that covers approximately five million businesses.

Stamford-based Harman to be Acquired by Samsung

Even as Connecticut’s economic development leaders toil diligently to retain and attract industry-leading businesses to the Land of Steady Habits, market forces at times pull in different directions.  That is again in evidence as Samsung has announced it will buy Stamford-based Harman for $8 billion. The acquisition of will make Samsung a major player in automotive technology, and removes an independent corporate headquarters from the state’s roster. Earlier this year, Harman was one of four Connecticut-based companies to be named among the most innovative companies by Fast Company magazine.  Harman ranked seventh on the Fast Company ranking of the 10 most innovative companies in the automotive sector.

Upon closing, Harman will operate as a standalone Samsung subsidiary, and continue to be led by Dinesh Paliwal and Harman’s current management team, both companies indicated in a news release.  Harman has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $7.0 billion during the 12 months ended September 30, 2016.

“Samsung is pursuing a long-term growth strategy in automotive electronics, and plans to retain Harman’s work force, headquarters and facilities, as well as all of its consumer and professional audio brands.  Samsung believes the combination will increase career development and advancement opportunities for the employees of both companies,” the news release stated. 

“This compelling all-cash transaction will deliver significant and immediate value to our shareholders and provide new opportunities for our employees as part of a larger, more diversified company,” Harman Chairman, President and CEO Dinesh Paliwal said.

For Samsung, it is the biggest overseas acquisition ever by a South Korean firm, according to the news service Reuters. The Harman acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in mid-2017, reports indicate. The agreement has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

Harman's products, which provide infotainment, telematics, connected safety and security services, are used in more than 30 million vehicles made by automakers such as BMW, Toyota Motor Corp and Volkswagen, according to its website. Harman’s portfolio of audio brands includes AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson®and Revel®

Harman executives will be at the Fleet Europe Forum and Awards on November 16 in Barcelona, Spain to highlight Harman's premium products for the fleet industry , which caters to businesses, government agencies and other organizations that purchase or lease groups of vehicles to support their services.

Aerospace Components Manufacturers to Convene in Hartford

Aerospace Components Manufacturers (ACM) “Future WorkForce Opportunities” Fair and Trade Show draws over 850 students to learn about the many career paths available in the local aerospace manufacturing industry. The event takes place the afternoon of Nov. 9 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. ACM comprises one of the largest, most experienced concentrations of world-class aerospace companies, the world's AEROSPACE ALLEY! ® The organization points out that member firms grew up where aerospace was born. Today, precision components manufacturer in the state take to the skies every day, in every corner of the globe, as they have since the inception of powered flight.

ACM member companies are “united by a single goal; be the world leader in providing customers with aerospace components of unsurpassed quality, at competitive prices and always, on-time delivery.”

To achieve that goal, officials work with peers and with regional, national and international experts to ensure continuous improvement of our products and services. The cornerstone of the effort is an aggressive program for adopting and implementing lean enterprise practices and conducting ongoing workforce training and development.

Student attendees of the event will have an opportunity to meet and talk with representatives of 100 top suppliers, all in one place at one time.  Last year, over 800 students and teachers visited from 32 schools spread across Connecticut and southwestern Massachusetts to learn about the array of career choices available in the aerospace manufacturing industry.

CT's Science and Technology Ranking Rises to 6th in the Nation

Following three consecutive finishes ranking ninth in the nation in the State Technology and Science Index (STSI), Connecticut has moved up to number six in 2016, it’s highest finish in more than a decade.  The state ranked ninth in 2010, 2012 and 2014 in the analysis produced every other year by the Milken Institute, following a 7^th place ranking in 2008 and 10^th in 2004.  The ranking was the highest for the state in all seven releases of the STSI index. The STSI benchmarks states on their science and technology capabilities and broader commercialization ecosystems that contribute to company growth, high-value-added job creation, and overall economic growth, the institute’s website explains.  

“We view the STSI as a measure of a state's innovation pipeline. The index isn't intended to be a measure of immediate economic impact, but rather to demonstrate that the return on science and technology assets will accrue in future years.”

The top five states in 2016 are Massachusetts, Colorado, Maryland, California and Washington.  Rounding out the top 10, after Connecticut, are Minnesota, Utah, Virginia and Delaware.

In specific categories, the state’s ranking varied, with considerable improvement in some categories. In the Technology and Science Workforce composite index, Connecticut ranked 10th, an improvement from rankings of 16th in 2014, 13th in 2012 and 14th in 2010.  This composite measures the relative presence of high-end technical talent, and consists of 18 eighteen various indicators.

The STSI's 107 individual indicators are sorted into five composites: Research and Development Inputs, Risk Capital and Entrepreneurial Infrastructure, Human Capital Investment, Technology and Science Workforce, and Technology Concentration and Dynamism.  The report indicated that "Connecticut showed major improvement in the Technology Concentration and Dynamism index, going from 21st to 10th. This dramatic rise marks one of the larger overall changes on this index. While modest increases were seen in the Research and Development Inputs index and Human Capital Investment index, these two indices have a much heavier focus on stock measures, and Connecticut’s aerospace and defense sectors help anchor the state’s performance in these areas."

Connecticut also ranked 10th in the Technology Concentration and Dynamism composite index, the state’s highest ranking in that category, and largest jump from two years ago.  In 2014, Connecticut ranked 21st.  In the two previous analyses, Connecticut was 12th in 2012 and 18th in 2010.

In the Human Capital Investment composite index, Connecticut ranked third, as it did in 2014 and 2012, after ranking fifth in 2010.  In Research & Development, Connecticut placed eighth, its second highest finish, after ranking tenth, seventh and seventh in previous indexes.  Connecticut ranked 11^th in Risk Capital and Entrepreneurial Infrastructure, up from 14^th two years ago, but not as high as sixth place in 2012 and third in 2010.

The Human Capital Investment composite index looks at how much is invested in developing the workforce—the most important intangible asset of a regional or state economy. Twenty-one indicators are included in this composite index.  The R&D composite examines a state's R&D capacity to see if it has the facilities that attract funding and create innovations that could be commercialized and contribute to economic growth, and includes eighteen indicators.  The Risk Capital and Entrepreneurial Infrastructure Composite Index determines the success rate of converting research into commercially viable products and services. It includes 12 indicators.

While Connecticut was gaining ground, other states were bottom dwellers.  The analysis raised alarms regarding the prospects for those states.

“The states with the weakest innovation assets and ecosystems for starting and growing innovative firms face a bleak future unless changes are made. West Virginia, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Louisiana make up the bottom five in this year's STSI. They are the least knowledge-intensive and their residents exhibit weak entrepreneurial skills. All of them have undertaken efforts to change their position in technology and science but have had limited success.”

Massachusetts remained in first place with a score of 83.7, retaining the position it has held since the inaugural STSI was released in 2002.

Wyoming, the most improved state, climbed 10 places, to 36th. The state had broad gains but benefited most from the broader definition of occupations in the Technology and Science Workforce category, which included its talent in mining engineering, the analysis pointed out. Missouri rose six spots, to 28th; seen as primarily attributable to a 24-place leap in Risk Capital and Entrepreneurial Infrastructure.

Digital Citizenship Summit, Born in CT, Grows on Twitter

A year ago, the first annual Digital Citizenship Summit was held in West Hartford, hosted by the University of Saint Joseph.  This Friday, the second annual Summit will be held in San Francisco, hosted by Twitter at their global headquarters.  The livestream is expected to reach 3.2 million people globally via Twitter Livestream. The mission of the initiative hasn’t changed as the reach has grown - to unite people, organizations, and companies around the world committed to the safe, savvy, and ethical use of social media and technology. The Digital Citizenship Summit, being held on October 28, is described as a global event, with speakers from Australia, Spain, England, Ireland, Canada, and Kenya.  Attendance can be in-person or virtual.

The event includes a diverse range of well-known and emerging voices with “quick and powerful” 10-minute talks, along with a range of panels covering the breadth of digital citizenship.  The three themes for the Summit are: Citizenship, Literacy, and Advocacy.

Organizers say “the Digital Citizenship Summit isn’t a conference, it is a movement - away from fear and distrust, and towards educating, empowering and engaging all groups.”  The Summit will share best practices and insights, and promote collaboration, bringing together educators, parents, students, organizations and industry.

The initiative was launched by West Hartford’s David Ryan Polgar and academician Marialice B.F.X. Curran.  Dr. Curran's teaching, scholarship and service focus on digital citizenship and social media in K-12 teacher education. She was named one of the Top 10 Digital Citizenship bloggers to follow in 2014 by Common Sense Media. Polgar, an attorney and college professor, is a frequent speaker (three-time TEDx) and tech commentator on television and in print, focusing on digital citizenship, creativity, cyber ethics, tech balance and humanizing the online experience.

“Millions of people are struggling with modeling safe, savvy and ethical behavior online.  Beneath the surface, there are major conflicts between parents, students, educators and administrators that span personal safety to politics.  The Digital Citizenship Summit bridges the gap between what we want to see online and how to actually be the digital change,” organizers point out.

The event will be emceed by Kelly Wallace, a digital correspondent and editor-at-large for CNN. It is also serving as the kick-off for US Media Literacy Week. The Digital Citizenship Summit will be livestreaming from Twitter headquarters from 9 AM PST to 5:00 PM PST. It can be seen on the Summit website or from Twitter's @Safety account. Individuals do not need to register in order to watch the live stream, but all registrants will receive post-event videos and resources, according to organizers.

Joining internationally renowned speakers, there will be student voices – “passionate voices from elementary school students to college-age advocates who are already leading us into the future as positive role models.”  Among the speakers is Jim Steyer, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Common Sense Media, the nation’s leading non-partisan organization dedicated to improving media and technology choices for kids and families. He is also the Co-Founder and Chairman of the Center for the Next Generation.

In addition to the annual flagship summit event, past digital summits have been held in Ireland and the United Kingdom, with plans for a summit in Australia later this year.

WTIC License Renewed by FCC Following Nearly 3-Year Odyssey

Concluding a process that dragged on for nearly three years, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has renewed the broadcast license of Hartford’s WTIC-AM. The FCC action, confirmed to CT by the Numbers, comes three months after a federal appeals court upheld former Gov. John G. Rowland’s conviction for violating federal campaign laws.  Just days after that ruling, the FCC lifted a years-long enforcement hold on the station’s license renewal, which then allowed the agency to consider the long-pending license renewal.

The station’s broadcast license expired 2 ½ years ago, on April 1, 2014.  In accordance with FCC procedures, the station filed a license renewal application on November 27, 2013.  By September 2014, the FCC’s enforcement division placed the renewal application on “enforcement hold.”  It remained on enforcement hold – which precluded consideration of the application – until June of this year.

The license was renewed  on September 13, 2016 for the customary period of eight years, retroactive to the expiration date of the previous broadcast license in 2014.  It comes at a time when CBS Radio, which owns WTIC-AM, is seeking to sell or spin off its radio holdings. The agency’s renewal of the WTIC-AM broadcast license is scheduled to expire on April 1, 2022.

“We’re pleased with the FCC’s decision to renew the station’s license and look forward to many more years of providing the Hartford community with local news and engaging talk radio,” WTIC-AM 1080 Program Director Jenneen Lee said.

At the time that Rowland was accused of secretly accepting pay as a political consultant, he was also an afternoon radio host on WTIC-AM. His use of the airwaves in order to favor the candidate, Lisa Wilson-Foley, whose spouse was paying Rowland at the time, was raised during his trial.  Rowland recently retained a new legal team and appears to be planning to pursue an appeal this fall at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The station could – and did - continue broadcasting while the FCC held the renewal application. Stations in such a status routinely continue to operate without any interruption until a decision on license renewal is made.  As the agency’s Enforcement Bureau considered “an alleged violation of FCC rules,” the agency’s Media Bureau could not proceed with a decision on whether or not to renew the station’s broadcast license.

FCC officials have indicated that most often enforcement holds are instituted due to a complaint being filed that requires investigation, but they would not confirm whether that was true in this instance.  That information is only made available to the licensee or their attorney, according to an FCC official.  Hartford Attorney Ken Krayeske filed an informal objection on October 1, 2014 to WTIC’s broadcast license renewal, alleging that the station “demonstrated serious malfeasance” and “helped conceal violations of federal law.”  The FCC confirmed the receipt of that objection.

Rowland resigned from his drive-time talk show on WTIC-AM in April 2014.  The station currently airs a locally-originated sports talk program in that time slot.

CBS Radio operates 117 radio stations in 26 U.S. markets, including Hartford’s WTIC-AM, WTIC-FM, WRCH-FM, and WZMX-FM.

Tech Impact Summit to Provide High-Level Focus on Corporate Information Security

Information security experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and InfraGard will keynote the Tech Impact Summit in Farmington on October 7, coordinated by The Walker Group, one of New England’s leading technology services firms. FBI Special Agent Judy Eide, a 25-year veteran currently assigned to the Bureau’s New Haven Division Computer Crime squad and a coordinator of the Connecticut Chapter of InfraGard, will be one of the speakers.  Also on the program is Mark Ramsey the Chief Information Security Officer for ASSA ABLOY – Americas and President of the Connecticut Chapter of InfraGard. Ramsey also teaches at Fairfield University, and previously held information security positions at Stanley Black & Decker and General Electric.

In addition to the keynote presentations, the event will focus on three top trends in technology: Cybersecurity, Cloud/Hybrid Cloud and Hyperconvergence.

Attendance at Tech Impact is expected to exceed 300 people, which organizers describe as one of the region’s most comprehensive gatherings of technology leadership this year. More than 30 of today’s most innovative technology companies will be represented, including RSA, Splunk, Zerto, Nutanix, Dell, EMC, Microsoft, VMWare, and Aruba Networks. The program includes panel discussions, hands-on exposure to the latest technology and giveaways for participants.

“We want this to be a must-attend event for anyone responsible for strategic technical decisions within their organization,” says Steven Bulmer, Walker’s vice president of professional services.  “Tech Impact is really a self-defining event based upon the intense interest and demand from our clients, especially for information security services.”

The summit is complimentary for information technology professionals responsible for the strategic planning and implementation of all technology-related decisions throughout an organization.

The event will also be used to celebrate a $10,000 Tech Impact Award, given in partnership with Hartford-based reSET, to a social entrepreneur in the technology space that has the potential to make a social or environmental impact.

“Combining the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge trends in technology with a celebration of what technology can do to help make the world a better place is a wonderful way to celebrate our commitment to our social enterprise model,” said Walker’s CEO, Kate Emery.

Tech Impact will run from 9am to 4pm at the Farmington Marriott.

Three Connecticut Universities Among Best for Game Design Career

Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University and Fairfield University were Connecticut’s stand-outs when The Princeton Review determined the best undergraduate and graduate schools for students to study—and launch a career in—game design. The University of Utah captured the #1 spot on the undergraduate schools list and the University of Central Florida ranked #1 on the graduate schools list. Quinnipiac University was the top-ranked Connecticut undergraduate institution, ranking #39.  Sacred Hearth University was just three slots back, at #42.  Fairfield University was #21 on the list of graduate institutions.

At Quinnipiac, the bachelor of arts in game design and development is a pre-professional program that prepares students to enter the highly competitive industry of game design or to pursue studies at the graduate level. It is an applied, interdisciplinary major, which focuses on the meaningful application of game technologies beyond commercial entertainment by addressing serious topics regarding the environment, health care and education including STEM and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) initiatives. Students receive a solid foundation in fundamental arts principles and concepts, and develop specialized technical skills and competence in design, according to the university.

"For students aspiring to work in game design, the 58 schools that made one or both of our 2016 lists offer extraordinary opportunities to learn and to hone one's talents for a successful career in this burgeoning field," said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review's Senior VP-Publisher. "The faculties at these schools are outstanding. Their facilities are awesome. And their alumni include legions of the industry's most prominent game designers, developers, artists, and entrepreneurs."

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on its 2015 survey of 150 institutions in the U.S., Canada and abroad offering game design degree programs or courses. The 40-question survey gathered data on everything from the schools' game design academic offerings and lab facilities to their graduates’ starting salaries and career achievements. More than 40 data points in four areas (academics, faculty, technology, and career) were analyzed to tally the lists.

The top 10 undergraduate schools to study game design were University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT), University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA), Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY), DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA), Becker College (Worcester, MA), The Art Institute of Vancouver (Vancouver, British Columbia), Hampshire College (Amherst, MA), Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI), Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA) and New York University (Brooklyn, NY).

Undergrad and grad students enrolled in the schools that made the lists also gain valuable professional experience while in school, according to The Princeton Review. About 85 percent of their undergrad and/or grad game design students that graduated in their 2015 classes developed actionable plans to launch games while in school.  In addition, 49 percent of undergrads and 59 percent of grad students at these school programs worked on games that were shipped before they graduated.

The top 10 undergraduate schools to study game design were University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT), University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA), Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY), DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA), Becker College (Worcester, MA), The Art Institute of Vancouver (Vancouver, British Columbia), Hampshire College (Amherst, MA), Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI), Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA) and New York University (Brooklyn, NY).

Among the top ranked graduate programs in game design, the only Connecticut school to rank among the top 25 was Fairfield University, which placed twenty-first.  The top 10 were: University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL), Southern Methodist University (Plano, TX), University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT), University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA), DigiPen Institute of Technology (Redmond, WA), New York University (Brooklyn, NY), Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY), Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA), The University of Texas at Dallas (Richardson, TX) and Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI).

CT's Strength in Aerospace, Engineering on Display at Upcoming Conference in Hartford

The three-day conference at the Connecticut Convention Center at the end of this month begins with technical tours of Sikorsky and UTC Aerospace Systems to provide industry experts with a first-hand look at their industry-leading innovations. It is the opening of what organizers describe as a conference “unlike other aerospace and defense events,” focusing on the “practical application and implementation of technology, and technology in development in commercial, military and general aviation -essential for the aerospace technical community, government, and research personnel.”

The SAE 2016 Aerospace Systems and Technology Conference (ASTC) is to be held  September 27-30.  SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries.  The conference “combines the strength of the SAE Power Systems Conference (PSC), Aerospace Electronics and Avionics Systems Conference (AEAS) with tracks in unmanned systems and systems engineering. No other event provides the breadth and depth of technical presentations across these domains,” organizers stress.

Keynote speakers include Thomas W. Prete, Vice President of Engineering for Pratt & Whitney, Michael McQuade, Senior Vice President, Science and Technology, for United Technologies, Chris Van Buiten, Vice President of Sikorsky Innovations at Sikorsky Aircraft, and Peter Smith, Vice President, Engineering, at UTC Aerospace Systems.

The conference will offer an open technical forum for aerospace systems professionals, especially engineers working in a range of disciplines to gather valuable technical knowledge, insight, and information on emerging and applied technologies with respect to commercial, military, and unmanned aviation.

The technical sessions, developed by industry professionals to maximize relevance, are designed to allow industry members of all levels the opportunity to gather timely, relevant, and stimulating information to enhance skills and creativity

Overall, the event provides an invaluable opportunity for attendees to renew and develop important business relationships within the international aerospace industry and for engineering professionals to discover, collaborate, and engage with peers from around the globe.  Attendees will interact directly with the event organizers and technical leaders from Boeing, Airbus, GE, NASA, U.S. Air Force, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney/UTAS, Rolls-Royce, Sikorsky, and many others.

The conference concludes on Sept. 30 with a day-long Transformative Vertical Flight Workshop.

Panels at the Hartford conference will bring industry experts together to discuss critical issues regarding the integration and application of technologies relevant to the solving emerging issues in the engineering and maintenance communities. The goal of the panels is to enhance the technical understanding of items critical to those participating in the audience via problem solving discussions and exchange of ideas. Topics will include innovations in Integrated Propulsion Systems & Aircraft Systems, Intelligent Aircraft Systems and Aircraft Systems Integration.

State’s Educational Technology Commission Plans to Consider Changes to It’s Scope and Purpose

The website of the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology explains that “as require by law, the Commission “reports annually; on its activities and progress made in the attainment of the state-wide technology goals, and provides recommendations” to the state legislature. At the next Commission meeting, scheduled for next week, the Commission is expected to “take a look at any changes that Commission members feel should be addressed in terms of our scope and purpose.” Nine months ago, in December 2015, the Commission produced an “annual report’ covering the years 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 – somewhat less frequent than “annual.”  The Commission has met twice this year, on March 7 and June 13, and plans to meet again before year’s end on September 12 and December 5.

The Commission for Educational Technology was established at the turn of the century.  In 1999, then Lt. Governor M. Jodi Rell submitted to Governor John Rowland the results of a three-month study that she led on computer readiness in Connecticut’s schools and libraries.  The Lt. Governor’s report made nineteen recommendations “to ensure Connecticut’s students and teachers are prepared to meet the information technology needs of the next century.”  Among them was the creation of the Connecticut Commission on Education Technology, which was proposed by Gov. Rowland and became law in 2000.  Lt. Gov. Rell convened the first meeting in August, sixteen years ago.

An independent group composed of twenty leaders from education, business, information technology, and government, the Commission is empowered by the General Assembly to envision, coordinate, and oversee the management and successful integration of technology in Connecticut's schools, libraries, colleges and universities, according to the organization’s website. Commission members include representatives from the University of Connecticut, Office of Consumer Counsel, Office of Policy and Management, Department of Economic and Community Development, State Library, Connecticut Board of Regents for Higher Education, Connecticut Library Association, Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges, Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, and Connecticut Council of Small Towns.

As the state's principal educational technology advisor, the website explains, “the Commission works to ensure the effective and equitable use of resources, without duplication, and engender cooperation and collaboration in creating and maintaining technology-based tools for use by all the people of Connecticut.”

The Commission’s “long-range” strategic plan was adopted on December 19, 2002.  Goals and objectives included “communicate the promise and excitement of educational technology to the public,” “implement a development program to secure non-public support for educational technology initiatives,” and “provide educational equity and reduce the digital divide.”

Fourteen members were present at the June 2016 Commission meeting, when it was announced during a 90-minute session that the Connecticut Education Network funding was being reduced from just under $3 million to just over $1 million for fiscal year 2017.  Officials said they were “anticipating that we will ultimately generate enough revenue to match former funding levels.”  The website includes minutes of the meeting, as well as notes from the advisory councils that provide information to the Commission.

The Commission has four advisory councils:

• eLearning & Content - The eLearning & Content Advisory Council was established to provide to the Commission ideas and information about educational content and services that would benefit Connecticut learners.
• Professional Development - The Professional Development Advisory Council was established to provide the Commission with a description of options for best preparing teachers and faculty members to optimally use technology in a learning environment.
• iCONN - The Library Advisory Council provides the Commission with information and suggestions for enhancing iCONN, Connecticut's Digital Library.
• Network Infrastructure & Services - The Network Infrastructure & Services Advisory Council advises the Commission on matters relating to the Connecticut Education Network (CEN), and suggests technical services and enhancements that might benefit CEN users. Established in 2000, the Connecticut Education Network (CEN) is part of the State's secure "Nutmeg Network", whose purpose is to deliver reliable, high-speed internet access, data transport, and value added services to its members throughout Connecticut.

As part of the advisory council updates provided in June, Commission members heard about a new state law that will take effect on October 1, which imposes requirements on school districts regarding notification to parents about the use of student data, and includes provisions that govern contracts that schools enter into with education technology providers and consultants to ensure protection of student information, records and content.  The Commission also noted that it has established a Twitter account, listserv, and updated website.

The location of the scheduled Sept. 12 meeting is not yet available.