October 13, 2021, Santa Rosa, CA – Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) has been selected to receive funding under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) program for its Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and allied health programs. This award will total approximately $4.69 million over a 5-year period.
“Congratulations to Santa Rosa Junior College on this important Federal grant that will encourage local Hispanic and Latino students to pursue careers in STEM!” said Congressman Mike Thompson, U.S. Representative for California’s fifth congressional district. “This is a win-win for our community because it will support local Latino students, while investing in the next generation of scientists, engineers, mathematicians and health care providers, all while supporting an incredible local educational institution.”
The Department of Education’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions - Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (HSI STEM) and Articulation programs are intended to increase the number of Latinx and other low-income students attaining degrees in STEM or allied health fields and to develop model transfer and formal agreements between two-year and four-year institutions in those disciplines.
“I am so proud that SRJC is receiving this significant grant award,” SRJC President Dr. Frank Chong said. “At a time when the United States, California and the North Bay are experiencing historic labor shortages in STEM fields, this grant will provide our underserved students a pathway to well-paying careers in health sciences, research and engineering.”
SRJC’s HSI STEM educational initiative, which will be entirely funded by this grant, has been created to address the challenges Latinx, low-income, and first-generation students face while strengthening the infrastructure of the college to serve future generations of students. When fully implemented, this initiative will address the institutional challenges, which are creating roadblocks to success for SRJC’s Latinx low-income and first-generation students in STEM and allied health pathways. To these ends, the grant will be used to:
- Develop a STEM/Health Learning Student Success College Orientation
- Create articulation and transfer pathways for new STEM degrees with SSU, HSU, Pacific Union College
- Increase the number of Associate of Science for Transfer degrees
- Update existing course articulations and transfer agreements
- Generate undergraduate research opportunities for SRJC students
- Provide opportunities to shadow STEM faculty and industry professionals
- Form and support inter-institutional faculty STEM working groups
SRJC’s goals for this HSI STEM educational initiative are aimed at improving the academic success and completion rates among Latinx students, and increasing the number of Latinx and other low-income students attaining STEM degrees. Paired with the opening of the new Lindley Center for STEM Education in fall 2023, this effort will add to the intentional resources SRJC will be directing to support allied health and STEM students.
For more information on SRJC’s HSI STEM educational initiative, please contact Cathy Prince by phone at (707) 527-4763 or by email at cprince@santarosa.edu.