Howard College in Texas partners with Angelo State U. to increase the numbers of Hispanic students completing STEM degrees
Standard-Times
October 5, 2011
Angelo State University and Howard College are partners in an initial grant of more than $1.1 million designed to increase the number of students, especially Hispanic and low-income students, completing degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, known as STEM.
The grant is among 100 nationally going to colleges and universities designated as Hispanic Serving Institutions by the federal Department of Education.
To qualify as an HSI, educational institutions must have a Hispanic enrollment exceeding 25 percent of the undergraduate population.
More than 27 percent of ASU's 6,267 fall undergraduate students are Hispanic, and more than 38 percent of the Howard College district's 4,780 students are Hispanic.
"We are excited to be partnering so closely with ASU in this endeavor as we create new strategies to reach the designated population and get them interested in the STEM fields," Howard College President Cheryl Sparks said. "The possibilities are endless, and I am confident that through this grant and the partnership with ASU, we can make huge advances in building the areas of study within the STEM fields."
