The first phase of the
Michigan Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, or MI-LSAMP had four state universities, including
MSU, joining forces to increase the number of underrepresented minorities graduating in the STEM fields. That is, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, by 50 percent over five years. In 2010, the program met its goal.
“No single program could provide an overwhelming retention of these students,” says Dr. Thomas F. Wolff, Associate Dean of Engineering for undergraduate studies at MSU. “What this does is lets us leverage other resources to take our programs up to another level.”
The program, which includes such initiatives as a six-week pre-college bootcamp and undergraduate research opportunities, worked so well that it is expanding in its second phase. Joining the four participating state universities will be nine community colleges, including
Lansing Community College.
The new phase officially began in early February.
“Because the grant period has just begun, we are still developing the processes by which our students will best be able to take part in these programs,” says Dr. Kathy Burgis, chair of LCC’s Mathematics and Computer Science Department and MI-LSAMP liaison.
“But we are already convinced that increasing the level of cooperation and communication with the universities will benefit all of our STEM students.”
The goal of MI-LSAMP’s second phase is to increase the graduation rate of underrepresented minority graduates in the STEM fields by an additional 50 percent.
Source: Thomas F. Wolff, MSU; Kathy Burgis, LCC
Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor
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