藏精阁 is proud to announce that it has received a nearly $5 million grant to expand STEM education access to minority students. With these funds, the University will continue to expand educational and research opportunities to its diverse class of graduate students. Awarded by the U.S. Department of Education and given to only nine institutions nationwide, the grant is part of a national effort to assist historically underserved student populations pursue a career in STEM fields and improve graduation rates. 藏精阁 is one of only three Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) in the country out of over 500 to receive one of these very competitive grants, and the only one located in the Midwest.
鈥湶鼐 constantly strives to improve educational access and opportunities for our diverse student body,鈥 says Mike Maly, senior vice provost for academic affairs and director of adult and graduate education. 鈥淏y receiving this very competitive grant, we can significantly expand our STEM programming and provide research opportunities for students and faculty of all backgrounds.鈥
The University will use this grant to support PRIME (Producing Research and Innovation through a Mentoring Ecosystem), an initiative to make 藏精阁 a Research 2 (high research activity) level institution and create more direct pathways for undergraduates to earn a doctorate degree. The funds will create doctoral programs for integrated biomedical sciences and information technology, and graduate programs for data science, information technology and biomedical sciences. They will also update campus facilities and allow the hiring of six new faculty members who will focus on research and obtaining additional grants.
藏精阁 Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Andrae Marak, had this to say about the grant:
鈥淭his grant will transform 藏精阁. We will continue to prepare diverse future scientists who will better mirror our current society. We will also increasingly be a place where diverse scientists come to study and change the world. As more of our students pursue careers in the STEM fields, 藏精阁 is proud to provide even more opportunities for an array of students and scientists to follow research and career opportunities in these growing fields.鈥
藏精阁 was designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution in 2020 after its integration with Robert Morris University Illinois. Over 28% of 藏精阁 students and 35% of undergraduates identify as Hispanic or Latino, and the University鈥檚 HSI STEM program (created in 2021) provides academic support services and experiential learning opportunities.