NJCU, As Part Of Garden State Alliance, Receives $3.5-Million LSAMP Grant To Fund Phase II Of Project To Increase Success Of Minority Groups In The STEM Fields

JERSEY CITY, N.J., July 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the Garden State Alliance, New Jersey City University is among five institutions of higher education in New Jersey that have been awarded a $3.5-million Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) grant to fund Phase II of a project that met its five-year goal of doubling the number of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) graduates from underrepresented minority groups in only four years; the success is nearly unprecedented amongst LSAMP alliances.

Phase II of the project, first funded by the LSAMP in 2009 and designed to increase the retention, graduation, and success of minority students in the STEM fields, will operate through June 2019.  The initial project achieved its goal by developing a transformative system of recruitment and retention based primarily upon the innovative use of online education resources and research experiences. 

The project's Phase II proposes to expand this success by extending the transformative system into a consortium of five nearby community colleges that have been designated associate members of the Garden State LSAMP.  As associate members the community colleges will institute the successful methods used by the Garden State LSAMP; LSAMP members will also offer expertise and resources to the community colleges.

This formal and coordinated effort will develop well-defined and efficient pathways to guide students from their first interest in a STEM discipline all the way through to a graduate degree and/or a career.  These pathways will also ensure seamless academic transitions for students--from community colleges to four-year institutions and then to graduate programs.

Phase II will also include expanded and international research and internship opportunities, tutoring, bridge programs, graduate school and career workshops, and various mentoring and advisement services.  The annual GS-LSAMP conference, during which students present their research and which now draws more than 500 attendees, will continue.  In Phase II, students will also be encouraged to attend professional meetings.

The Garden State Alliance is comprised of NJCU, Rutgers University-New Brunswick/Newark, Montclair State University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and Bloomfield College.

This project will not only increase the number of underrepresented minority students in the New Jersey's STEM workforce but will provide a replicable model for use in other areas around the nation. 

CONTACT: Kelly Resch, Director of Communications, (201) 200-3461, [email protected]

SOURCE New Jersey City University