PR2009 Apr U3

SHELTON STATE RECEIVES $2.5 MILLION STEM GRANT

TUSCALOOSA - Shelton State Community College (SSCC) has been awarded approximately $2.5 million through a grant from the National Science Foundation's Historical Black College and University - Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).  The grant objective is to increase the number of minority students who enter STEM disciplines. SSCC will establish a STEM Institute on the C.A. Fredd Campus. Renovations are in progress to provide cutting-edge technology via enhanced classroom and laboratory facilities. 

Students are selected to participate in the STEM Institute based on high school academic achievement; scores on standardized college entrance examinations; letters of recommendation from high school principals, guidance counselors, and science or mathematics teachers; and a 300-word essay. The scholarship recipients are designated as STEM Fellows. Applications for the 2009 – 2010 Academic Year are currently being received. The application deadline is May 1, 2009.

According to Camille P. Cochrane, Dean of Instructional Services and Principle Investigator for this grant, “SSCC will increase the number of students successfully completing STEM courses, increase academic performance in STEM courses, increase the number of students participating in STEM research and internships, and increase the number of students admitted to four year intuitions in STEM degree programs.”

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant allocates the funds over five consecutive years. A new group of high school seniors will compete to become STEM Fellows each spring and begin the STEM Institute the summer following graduation from high school. The STEM Fellows Scholarship includes a stipend, laptop computer, tuition and fees, books, and materials.

For more information about the SSCC STEM Institute, contact Eddie Martin, NSF STEM Project Coordinator, 205.391.5889 or emartin@sheltonstate.edu.