Statistics show that less than half the students who start their freshman year in college as engineering majors actually graduate with an engineering degree. Freshmen engineering success can be viewed as a process that is dependent on both the student's experiences before and during college. These experiences play a vital role in student's remaining in engineering, math, and science degrees. The Lyman Academy of Engineering can be a source of preparation in the areas of engineering, math, and science before students enter college.

At present, the U.S. has only 30% of the world's scientists and engineers. The U.S. only contributes 40% of the world's research and development spending and publishes only 35% of the world's scientific and engineering studies. These are interesting and confusing statistics when you also realize that 17 of the top 20 engineering colleges in the world are based in the U. S. If the U.S. does not increase its number of scientists and engineers it will no longer remain one of the world's leading competitors in this global market. Engineers are the backbone of our country's economy. They are the inventors, scientists, and problem solvers.

The majority of the needs of our global economy rely on the knowledge and expertise contained within the different areas of engineering. The countries that employ the majority of the global engineers will be the countries that will prosper and excel in the future. Policy reports have shown that China and India are graduating around 600,000 engineers and the U.S. is graduating only 100,000.