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Minnesota State Mankato, 15 others receive STEM grant for under-represented students

Science, technology, engineering, mathematics

Minnesota State Mankato and 15 other Minnesota colleges and universities has received a $2.45 million National Science Foundation grant to increase the number of under-represented minority students who complete undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

2007-09-19

Minnesota State University, Mankato and 15 other Minnesota colleges and universities has received a $2.45 million National Science Foundation grant to increase the number of under-represented minority students who complete undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The statewide alliance, along with the Science Museum of Minnesota and the Minnesota High Tech Association, will receive the $2.45 million grant over the next five years as part of the NSF's Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation program. The program is a federal education initiative aimed at increasing the number of under-represented minorities who complete baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

In the next five years the North Star STEM Alliance aims to double the number of baccalaureate degrees earned by minority groups that are historically under-represented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These include African American, Hispanic/Latino American, and Native American students.

The alliance will focus on the critical transition points for students, including high school to first year of college, from two-year colleges to four-year colleges, from lower division baccalaureate programs to specific STEM majors, and from a baccalaureate degree to STEM graduate study. The alliance’s objectives include:

• Increasing the level of interest in STEM careers by secondary and postsecondary minority students;
• Increasing the number of minority students who complete a college preparatory/STEM preparatory high school program;
• Increasing the number of high school minority seniors who enroll in alliance pre-college STEM and STEM baccalaureate degree programs; and
• Increasing the number of minority students who complete an associate’s degree and transfer to the four-year alliance schools, while increasing the number of minority students who persist to completion of a STEM baccalaureate degree.

The North Star STEM Alliance will provide comprehensive, long-term initiatives to address these objectives at the critical transition points. The initiatives will include alliance-wide community building conferences, programs to help students bridge from high school to college and university programs, peer-to-peer learning, undergraduate research opportunities, industry internships and professional development, and college prep science and engineering courses in high schools.

Members of the North Star STEM Alliance include the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (lead institution); University of Minnesota-Duluth; University of Minnesota-Morris; Augsburg College; Carleton College; Gustavus Adolphus College; Macalester College; St. Olaf College; Metropolitan State University; Minnesota State University, Mankato; St. Cloud State University; Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College; Anoka-Ramsey Community College; Century College; Minneapolis Community and Technical College; North Hennepin Community College; Science Museum of Minnesota; and the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA).

The Stokes initiative covers 37 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Since its inception, minority enrollment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs at more than 450 participating institutions has increased from 35,670 in 1991 to more than 205,000 in 2003. Annually almost 25,000 baccalaureate degrees are conferred to minority students as a result of the initiative.

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