Mike Hauser Academy Launches Largest Class to Date

This week, the Chamber's Mike Hauser Academy launched its tenth year of giving area students the opportunity to visit various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) related companies to interact with engineers and professionals, observe demonstrations, and participate in hands-on activities that reinforce classroom math and science lessons.

With 169 students registered for the program, this is the largest Mike Hauser Academy to date. These students from Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol and Healdsburg school districts are spending three weeks of their summer making the connection between the importance of studying STEM and the possibilities of future careers.

New for the 2017 program is an alliance with Santa Rosa City Schools' M.O.V.E. Academy. This new partnership allowed for the hiring additional teachers and includes a commitment to track student success and interest in STEM through high school. Santa Rosa students will also receive five high school elective credits for completing the program.

Last week, Corey Turner, Aleia Coate and Linda Carlson of Umpqua Bank delivered a $5,000 donation to Chamber President Jonathan Coe for the Mike Hauser Academy. The Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation recognizes the fundamental connection between education and economic prosperity by investing in organizations and initiatives that expand access to education and create economic opportunity for children and families.

Programs like the Mike Hauser Academy exemplify the Chamber's ongoing commitment to workforce development and its importance for our member businesses. Our business community's future success is dependent on the workers' skills, and the Mike Hauser Academy is one means for the Chamber to directly and dramatically improve the skills of our future workforce. If your company is interested in helping fund initiatives like the Mike Hauser Academy, call Ananda Sweet at (707) 636-3662.