Alliance aims to increase minorities in four disciplines

U-M has joined a partnership comprising four of the state's flagship universities that will participate in a federal initiative designed to attract and retain underrepresented minorities to science, technology, engineering and math.

Kathleen Straus, president of the Michigan State Board of Education, learns about one of the many student projects on display Jan. 23 during the MI-LSAMP announcement. (Photo by Scott Galvin, U-M Photo Services)

The five-year, $5 million Michigan-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (MI-LSAMP) program is funded by the National Science Foundation with a 100 percent match from the four alliance partners—U-M, Michigan State University (MSU), Wayne State University (WSU) and Western Michigan University (WMU). The alliance formed to help meet state and national needs for a trained science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce.

Leaders of the four institutions gathered Jan. 23 at the U-M Detroit Center to announce the program. The four partner schools hope to increase the number of underrepresented minorities earning baccalaureate degrees in STEM areas by 50 percent in five years, and by 100 percent in 10 years. The alliance goals dovetail with Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plan to double the number of Michigan residents who earn college degrees during the next decade.

In a December 2004 report, Lt. Gov. John Cherry's Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth stated that Michigan trails in the number of adults with college degrees. In leading states, 40 percent of residents have at least an associate's degree and 33 percent have at least a bachelor's degree, compared to 29 and 22 percent, respectively, in Michigan. About 8 percent of Michigan residents have a master's degree or higher, compared to 14 percent nationally.

"Too few people study and work in the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics. Our country and our state are in desperate need of these skills," said U-M President Mary Sue Coleman, who served as chair of the Cherry Commission's Economic Benefits Work Group and is principal investigator on MI-LSAMP. "We must find students with interest and talent in these fields, encourage them, and make sure there is a pathway for them to follow.

"We have to remove the barriers that exist for women and minorities, because we cannot afford to waste their potential. The alliance partnership, with the assistance of the National Science Foundation, will apply the assets of these four leading institutions to nurture this talent," she added.

For underrepresented minorities, the numbers are even lower than those cited by the Cherry Commission. To reverse that trend, the alliance universities will establish a student ambassadors program; collaborate with other STEM groups such as the American Chemical Society; make it easier to earn dual degrees in STEM areas; develop pre-first year summer transition programs; involve more undergraduate students in research projects; and increase participation in MI-LSAMP internships and residential learning programs.

"Science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees are the credentials that will ensure promising futures for our young people and prosperity for our state," WMU President Judith Bailey said. "I'm absolutely delighted that Michigan's four flagship universities will be working together to break down barriers, increase academic support and ensure every student has a chance to be part of the prosperous 21st-century Michigan we're building together."

Said WSU President Irvin Reid, "Many students from minority communities have interests in jobs that depend on areas such as mathematics, science and engineering. I know that they can benefit immensely from our support in their successful pursuit of these areas of study, which can lead to a wide range of careers. Along with our already established programs such as Math Corps, I am confident that we can increase the diversity and numbers of Michiganians from all communities going into these fields."

The alliance is in the process of hiring a program director, a position that will be housed at U-M. The director will report to a steering committee led by Levi Thompson and comprised of alliance members, who in turn report to a governing board of the four university presidents. Thompson is the U-M director of the Hydrogen Energy Technology Laboratory and professor of chemical engineering. Each university will have satellite MI-LSAMP offices.

"MSU looks forward to participating in this initiative that will involve the partnering of four major universities in an effort to further ensure that a broad segment of Michigan's youth are positioned for technical leadership in our future economy," said Satish Udpa, acting dean of the MSU College of Engineering.