Corporate Citizenship & Sustainability
Testing U.S. competitiveness
Advanced Placement exams will take place next month in schools around the country. If you’re wondering why this event is on the radar for an oil and gas company, you could say we’re heavily invested in the outcome. Students who pass an AP exam are three times more likely to graduate from college. That means that if we can get more students to take and pass AP exams – especially in math and science – U.S. companies including ExxonMobil will have a greater pool of talent from which to recruit.
U.S. teachers headed back to school this summer
Occasionally, I like to use this space to not only discuss energy policy, but also to cover other important areas relevant to our nation’s future. One of the most important is education. And on that score, I’d like to highlight the 200 U.S. elementary teachers who have just been selected to attend the 2011 National Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy.
Celebrating International Women’s Day
In recognition of yesterday’s International Women’s Day, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote about the importance of investing in women’s empowerment as a strategy for promoting social stability, job creation and economic growth around the world. We were honored that Secretary Clinton cited ExxonMobil as an example of a U.S. business that has embraced the mission to invest in women’s economic opportunities, specifically by training women entrepreneurs.
Fix education, fix the future
Speaking at a conference hosted by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas late last week, our chairman and CEO, Rex Tillerson, made an interesting statement that I think has implications for U.S. policy as we usher in a new Congress.
Gaining ground on malaria
I am excited to report that today, we have more proof that the global effort to eradicate malaria is working. The World Malaria Report 2010, released today by the World Health Organization (WHO), shows a 10-percent drop in global malaria deaths between 2008 and 2009; in more than 11 African countries, confirmed malaria cases and deaths have declined by almost 50 percent in recent years.
An inspirational read for the holiday break
As we get ready to take off for the Thanksgiving break here in the U.S., I thought I’d leave you with a recommendation for some good holiday reading. Earlier this fall, Bernard Harris – the first African-American to walk in space – published his autobiography, Dream Walker: A Journey of Achievement and Inspiration. For anyone concerned about the future of American innovation and competitiveness, one only has to take a look at Harris’ life to be inspired by what can be achieved with hard work, determination and guidance.
