LSAMP - Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation

University Of Georgia Research Foundation Inc, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Project Summary The Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (PSLSAMP) is a collaborative effort sustained by seven universities in Georgia to increase the number of underrepresented minority students statewide who complete undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Georgia is experiencing explosive population growth while embracing policies that favor economic development in strategic, technology- oriented fields. There is a compelling need for college graduates with strong technical skills. There is also wide recognition that underrepresented minorities must participate significantly in meeting this need. The current proposal, developed by the University of Georgia in close collaboration with Bainbridge College, Fort Valley State University, Georgia Perimeter College, Macon State College, Savannah State University, and Southern Polytechnic University, is submitted to the National Science Foundation and requests $1,000,000 per year for five years to support Alliance-wide and individual campus-based programming. The primary impacts will be to enhance the recruitment and retention of minority students and double the number of such students at participating universities overall who earn bachelor.s degrees in STEM disciplines. Intellectual Merit The shortage of American college graduates with technical and scientific training is well documented, and the percentage of U.S. students entering colleges and universities with the intention of majoring in STEM fields has steadily declined. Strengthening the STEM workforce and its leadership is a priority concern if the U.S. is to maintain its economic leadership, security and quality of life. Preparing African Americans, Hispanic Americans and other underrepresented minorities for careers in these fields is a logical component of most strategies to address these needs. It has an overwhelmingly compelling logic in a state like Georgia where these minorities make up approximately 34% of the state.s population. Improving minority involvement in undergraduate STEM fields is a complex problem. In Georgia, the development of a dynamic statewide plan to address this problem requires initially that very different types of institutions cooperate closely to achieve a shared, long-term goal in terms of the production of minority STEM graduates. The current proposal is the result of such inter-institutional collaboration. Broader Impacts In addition to its primary impacts, PSLSAMP programs will: Provide opportunities designed to motivate students to pursue advanced study, Prepare students for graduate school, Emphasize career opportunities in STEM fields, Engage faculty and staff in the planning process and in professional development activities to ensure institutionalization, and Create a genuine partnership among institutions and organizations within Georgia. The University of Georgia will serve as the lead institution and fiduciary agent on behalf of the Peach State Alliance and President Michael Adams, a research scientist himself, will serve as the principal investigator and chair of the Governing Board. The Governing Board, along with the Steering Committee and research faculty, will provide intellectual leadership to the Alliance.