September 28, 2016

CASTRO ANNOUNCES $5.3M FOR ST. MARY'S STEM EDUCATION

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) announced a five-year, federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education expected to total $5,325,975.00 to support St. Mary’s University’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. St. Mary’s will receive the funding through the Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) STEM Program, which aims to develop and carry out activities to improve and expand institutions’ capacity to serve Hispanic and other low-income students.

“The STEM industries are driving job creation and economic growth all over the United States,” said Rep. Castro. “It’s critical our colleges and universities train the next generation of workers to excel in these increasingly important fields. I’m glad St. Mary’s received this Department of Education funding to support the University’s terrific programs that prepare students for successful STEM careers. St. Mary’s is doing our economy a great service by tapping the talent of folks from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in STEM industries.” 

St. Mary’s will use this funding to support its Excellence in STEM Education project, which strengthens and expands STEM programming at the University, and increases the University’s capacity for connecting students to STEM education opportunities. For example, the funding will assist in the establishment of a new Bioinformatics concentration, the creation of new coaching services for entering Hispanic STEM majors, and the development of STEM transfer services at five local two-year HSI partner institutions.  

“We are grateful for this grant as we continue to respond to the ever-growing demand for STEM education on our campus,” said St. Mary’s President Thomas Mengler, J.D. “This grant will provide a strong boost to the implementation of the University’s strategic vision for the School of Science Engineering and Technology, and we are especially excited about the impact that this grant will have on our University and our ability to serve the STEM needs of our region.”

By project-end, St. Mary’s expects to increase enrollment in STEM programs by at least 6 percent with at least 50 percent of new students being Hispanic and/or low income. St. Mary’s also aims to double the number of students transferring into its STEM programs, as well as increase the number of undergraduate STEM degrees awarded overall  by at least 8 percent and to Hispanic students by at least 9 percent.

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