Photo Courtesy of LaGuardia Community College
The federal funding will be used to bring more access to and support services in science, technology, engineering, and math programs at borough schools LaGuardia Community College (pictured), Queens College, and Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology.
By Forum Staff
It’s payday for seven New York colleges, including three in Queens, after an announcement by U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand that nearly seven million dollars $6,965,380 in federal funding is being allocated to bring more access to and support services in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs at the schools.
The funds have been made available through the U.S. Department of Education’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (HSI STEM) and Articulation Program.
The purpose of the HSI STEM Program is to develop and expand higher education institutions’ capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students in STEM fields.
Queens College, Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, and LaGuardia Community College will all share the wealth to expand current programs and develop others.
“As our economy continues to transition to the 21st century we need our students and education system to keep pace, and that’s why this is a smart investment,” said Senator Schumer. “Young adults across the New York City region must be college- and career-ready to meet the demands of today’s specialized STEM industries.”
CUNY Queens College will receive $968,562 for the first year of a 5-year $5.6M grant award to graduate more Hispanic and low-income students with Baccalaureate degrees, and to develop articulation agreements from Queensborough Community College to Queens College. The project will expand access and provide support services to students through course redesign, peer-led instruction and mentoring, and a strategic framework of cross-campus articulation, involving collaboration between faculty and administrators at both campuses.
“This …will spark great growth in our STEM enrollment,” notes Queens College President Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “And the beauty of this HSI grant is that it will help all students—not just Latinos and low-income students—because the curricular changes and programs developed will be open to all students here and at Queensborough.” Matos Rodriguez went on to note that the promotion of STEM fields at the college has already proven to be a successful venture as more than a third of the student population of undergraduates already major in these fields, with over half of those being minority students.
LaGuardia Community College will receive $809,923 to work in collaboration with York College and New York City College of Technology for a new STEM-CONNECT initiative. The program will focus on expanding access to STEM programs, use digital academic support services to strengthen STEM learning and improve transfer effectiveness between institutions.
LaGuardia Community College President Gail O. Mellow noted that the grant will double the enrollment in STEM majors while helping the city’s Hispanic/Latino population develop the math, science and tech skills needed to earn a college degree and get good paying jobs.
“… we are deeply committed to ensuring they have the education and opportunity to enter America’s fast growing STEM fields,” said Mellow. “With these dollars, we will train the next generation of New York City’s scientists, tech entrepreneurs, engineers, statisticians, and software developers.”
“We need to do everything we can to give our students, regardless of income level, opportunities to study STEM subjects, and these federal funds will help us achieve that goal. I will continue to support educational programs that will create a new generation of innovators,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
