But the payoffs from these programs are in the future, and it is vital today to increase the number of annual visas and grants of permanent residency status for foreigners skilled in science and technology.

WSJ: Zuckerman: The Great Recession Has Been Followed by the Grand Illusion

Forty years ago, women with no apparent power, either transactional or economic, moved tens of thousands of women into business and the professions, into the skilled trades, into science, engineering, and, technology, onto police forces and into fire houses.

FORBES: Diversity is Dead, Long Live Diversity

Among the steps that Secretary Clinton and the White House announced in support of attracting and retaining women to STEM careers are improving data collection and dissemination on women in science and technology, bolstering the available pool of skilled STEM mentors, encouraging research-based STEM teaching, and helping to connect women to online and mobile STEM skills training.

WHITEHOUSE: Equal Futures: Opening Doors to High-Quality Education and Career Opportunities for Women and Girls in STEM | The White House

Countries that have a highly skilled workforce, that innovate, that excel in science and technology, are going to dominate the future.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Holds a Town Hall in New Hampshire