New Mexico Alliances for Broadening Participation in STEM - Senior Level Alliance

New Mexico State University, Las Cruces NM

Investigators

Abstract

The New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation (New Mexico AMP) is a partnership representing the state's public two-year postsecondary institutions and the state-supported four-year universities. New Mexico AMP was established in 1993 under NSF Cooperative Agreement No. HRD- 935215, and funded again in 1998 and in 2003. New Mexico AMP is aligned with other National Science Foundation (NSF) programs in New Mexico who share this common vision including the Regional Alliance for Science, Engineering and Mathematics (RASEM2) for Students with Disabilities and the New Mexico Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP). New Mexico AMP also manages the Hewlett Foundation Recruitment and Retention Program, the NSF Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarship (CSEMS) program, and the NSF STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP). These and other programs have resulted in a statewide network that has become part of the fabric of higher education in the state, allowing for the managing and leveraging of human and monetary resources, and for quick and accurate dissemination of information and opportunities. Collectively, these collaborations and the individual programs managed by New Mexico AMP are concerned with developing an array of student interventions and multiple lines of inquiry into the issues of effective STEM education. Through these efforts, New Mexico AMP?s goal is to increase the quantity and quality of minority students who complete their B.S. degrees and who are currently underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. PROGRAM OUTCOMES AND GOALS Since New Mexico AMP began in 1993, the number of STEM degrees awarded to minorities has more than doubled, from 253 in 1992/93 to an average of 510 per year during the past five years. Just as significant is the increase in the percent of minority students receiving STEM B.S. degrees rising from 23.7% in 1992/93 to 42% during the past five years. Over the life of the program, 5,759 minority STEM degrees have been awarded to date to New Mexico's students from the Alliance partner institutions. The goal for the next five years is to increase the number of STEM degrees awarded to underrepresented minorities by 75-100 degrees. This represents a 15-20% increase over the previous five-year period. The activities and research proposed by the New Mexico AMP advances knowledge and broaden understanding within the STEM disciplines by establishing and disseminating new and adapted models for nurturing student success, including students who are historically underrepresented in the STEM fields (low income, ethnic and racial minorities, and women). Formative assessment activities provides unique perspectives on student and faculty experiences, which will continuously inform project development. These processes and outcomes together with summative evaluation data are shared and disseminated to the NMSU and New Mexico AMP communities as well as to additional regional and national audiences through publications and presentations. The New Mexico AMP contributes to the graduation and professional success of participating STEM students, including those who are historically underrepresented, through improved retention and progression. The program provides mechanisms to further the individual research experiences of students, thereby supporting and enhancing institutional research capability, and institutionalizing effective changes in STEM education. Aligned with the land-grant mission of NMSU, the New Mexico AMP will establish the STEM Success and Professional Development Center, supporting the development and graduation of STEM professionals who have a broad understanding of their professional opportunities and social responsibilities, encouraging them to contribute to economic development and improved living conditions for the citizens of New Mexico. Dissemination at the regional and national level allow for the sharing of best practices and challenges with other members of the broader educational community, thus contributing to their empowerment to impact local and national educational practices and policy.