Minnesota State Interim Chancellor Devinder Malhotra congratulates team members on earning a $5 million National Science Foundation grant to support underrepresented students in STEM.
Representatives from the schools, Minnesota State, legislative offices and industry came together Sept. 13 at North Hennepin Community College to celebrate the $5 million STEM (S-STEM) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that will make that work possible.
The Academic Collaboration and Coordination Model to Ensure Student Success in STEM (ACCESS STEM) partnership earned the $5 million grant to provide scholarships and support to Pell-eligible students at St. Cloud State and Anoka-Ramsey Community College, North Hennepin Community College (NHCC), Ridgewater College and St. Cloud Technical & Community College.
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A team of faculty from the five institutions worked together to develop the grant, which is the first multi-institution project funded in Minnesota by an S-STEM grant. Minnesota State now has seven active NSF grants totaling $23 million that benefits nine of its institutions.
Minnesota State Interim Chancellor Devinder Malhotra congratulated the team members responsible for obtaining such a prestigious grant.
Of the 1,536 active National Science Foundation S-STEM grants only 1 percent are funded for more than $4 million, which means the ACCESS STEM consortium is among the top 1 percent of grants by funding.
“This project, we believe, will significantly impact the socioeconomic achievement gap in Minnesota,” said Ashish Vaidya, St. Cloud State interim president.
The grant will help more students access a college education in STEM fields during the next five years including 60 scholarship recipients at the community colleges and 40 recipients at St. Cloud State. The community college students then have the opportunity to transfer to St. Cloud State and continue their scholarship in pursuit of a four-year degree in STEM.
In addition to providing scholarships, ACCESS STEM will provide opportunities to enhance the student experience by increasing access to STEM for low-income students and students of color, work toward creating easier transfers between colleges and universities and increase student services to connect students early with access to research opportunities and professional career advice, internships and job opportunities.
“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about – making a difference in the lives of our students,” Vaidya said.
The work that will be done to address first year retention and transfer immediately impacts the students involved, but it will serve as a model for other institutions throughout Minnesota State, Malhotra said.
The celebration included remarks by representatives from the offices of Rep. Tom Emmer and Sen. Al Franken and a letter from Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Melissa Stiegler, director of project management for Emerson, delivered remarks that acknowledged how the scholarship opportunities and partnership will benefit Minnesota’s workforce.
The event also featured a student perspective from Matt Kruger, who is a current student at St. Cloud State benefiting from a previously awarded scholarships made possible by an NSF grant.
“It will allow me to continue my education, get a four year degree and have the potential to work in the government and do what I want to do most — help people,” Kruger said of his scholarship.
“Today marks a great opportunity to advance student success in STEM fields and partnerships with St. Cloud State and our sister colleges,” said Barbara McDonald, North Hennepin Community College president. “The real winners are our students, the many underrepresented students of modest financial means whose dreams will be fulfilled thanks to the support they’ll receive in scholarships and additional support services that this grant provides. So thanks to this program, these students will help us meet the very critical workforce needs in the future in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”
ACCESS STEM Project Team
Leaders and grant team partners from St. Cloud State University, North Hennepin Community College, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Ridgewater College and St. Cloud Technical and Community College celebrate the National Science Foundation grant that will fund scholarships and research through ACCESS STEM.
St. Cloud State University
Christopher Kvaal
Mark Petzold
Melissa Hanzsek-Brill
David Robinson
Glenn Davis
Adel Ali
Latha RamakrishnanAnoka-Ramsey Community College
William Saari
Mary JohnsonNorth Hennepin Community College
Lisa Smith
Julie ZieminskiRidgewater College
Shawn Mueske
Alan StageSt. Cloud Technical and Community College
Jennifer Evens
Kelley Halverson
