$3.4 Million NSF Grant

Grant to Help Underrepresented Students in STEM

Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation, Millersville University will be the lead institution working to increase the recruitment, graduation and post-baccalaureate success of students from underrepresented groups in STEM graduate school and/or the STEM workforce.

The five-year $3,448,451 grant from NSF’s Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation program is a joint effort of Millersville, East Stroudsburg University, Slippery Rock University and West Chester University. Dr. Gail Gasparich, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Millersville, is the primary investigator.

The goal of the Keystone LSAMP program is to increase the number of students graduating with a STEM bachelor’s degree by at least 20%, from 70 graduates a year to 84 or more. “To meet this goal, we will increase the recruitment and retention of STEM majors from underrepresented groups and build a strong culture of STEM identity, community and practice with our Keystone scholars,” explains Gasparich.

The program will provide tuition scholarships, summer stipends, travel support, and a slew of co-curricular supports and opportunities for the students involved.

“Our plan will leverage the existing strengths of our alliance through sharing best practices, innovations and lessons learned and creating cross-institutional programming to serve STEM students from underrepresented groups better,” says Gasparich.

The main components of the grant are recruitment efforts, retention efforts, first-year programs, mentorship and faculty development.

“We’ll be able to provide students with access to funding, enhanced support, training in research and preparation and guidance towards graduate school,” says Gasparich.

Each alliance institution has specific programming in place to provide synergy with the program and enhance the support and opportunities for the students involved.

For more information on the grant and program, please contact Dr. Gail E. Gasparich (gail.gasparich@millersville.edu).

About LSAMP
The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Leadership and Academic Enhancement Program, named in honor of former congressman Louis Stokes, is an NSF-funded program intended to support historically underrepresented students in the STEM fields. Enrollment in the program is reserved for a select and highly committed group of students with a declared major in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and pre-health professions.