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Minority Shortage in STEM

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The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® is a national magazine published 23 times a year. Dedicated to exploring issues related to Hispanics in higher education,The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® is published for the members of the higher education community. Editorial decisions are based on the editors’ judgment of the quality of the writing, the timeliness of the article, and the potential interest to the readers of The Hispanic Outlook Magazine®. From time to time, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® will publish articles dealing with controversial issues. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and/or those interviewed and might not reflect the official policy of the magazine. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine® neither agrees nor disagrees with those ideas expressed, and no endorsement of those views should be inferred unless specifically identified as officially endorsed by The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine®.

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Esquina E ditorial

ollsters tell us that immigration issues are not a top priority of Hispanics in the U.S. – but conditions in ICE detention centers scream for attention. Author Edwidge Danticat, in the March 28 New York Times, describes the death of her asylum-seeking uncle one day after the Krome Center in Miami, which she says took away his medications, finally sent him to a hospital prison ward for treatment. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last May that public health officials “could not be held liable for failing to provide medical care to detainees …” such as her uncle and others who underwent some bloodcurdling scenarios. Surely we can do better? Last month, 200 unionized postdoctoral researchers at the University of Massachusetts ratified their first contract, gaining health care, increased wages, sick time, holidays, vacation and opportunities for professional development, career services and teaching experience. And in Boston’s Jamaica Plain, the Student Immigrant Movement, SIM, is calling for all “forumistas and forumistas” to attend public meetings that describe the plight of undocumented students, only 3 percent to 5 percent of whom enroll in college. SIM, there and in other parts of the country, trains students to take the lead in this fight. New York Supreme Court Judge Melvin L. Schweitzer ruled recently against nine graduates of New York Law School who sought $225 million in damages, wrote Peter Lattman, The New York Times, “accusing their alma mater of misleading them about their postgraduate employment prospects.” The judge noted that recent law school graduates are facing “the most severe contraction in demand for legal services that this court can recall since the early 1970s,” but that those considering law school are a “sophisticated subset of education consumers” and “capable of weighing” their options. ¡Adelante! Suzanne López-Isa Managing Editor

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Po lit i cal Beat

Romney’s Mormonism and Latinos

by Carlos D. Conde

itt Romney is the Latino’s kind of man: the archetypical leader of high morals, public probity, strong family and religious values and a defender of the public trust. There’s just one problem. Romney might not be Latino enough, or sufficiently sympathetic, at least in the political sense that gets you elected to high public office like U.S. president. If this sounds contradictory, it’s because Latinos also like their politicians with a little bit of salsa. On this, Romney fails, compared to a social rascal like Newt Gingrich and that altar boy, Rick Santorum, who persists in depriving Romney of the Republican Party nomination. They and the other rejected presidential aspirants have done such a good job of tearing down Romney’s fitness to be president that the incumbent, President Obama, said to remind him to thank them for making his campaign against the presumed challenger that much easier. All he has to do in his re-election campaign, Obama said, is just play back some of the nasty things Romney’s Republican friends have said about his capacity to lead the nation. On the personal side, there are really not very many negative things you can say about Romney except that he became rich and successful not so much because of his Mormon

principles but by being a smart capitalist, although some of his detractors have tried mightily to link him to the unsavory Wall Street culture. By the way, there’s nothing in the Mormon doctrine that says you can’t be successful and make money, as many Mormons do, as long as you remember your duty to the church and to tithing. As for his political demeanor, Romney is about as straight arrow as they come, perhaps too conservative for some and too uninspiring to others. He doesn’t convey the localguy message that well even when he dresses down for political rallies in blue jeans and open-collared shirts and makes like Joe the Plumber. Romney can’t help always looking neatly pressed. His touched-up hair is never out of place and tinted with just the right amount of white highlight down the sideburns to give him an avuncular appearance, and yet that macho look of someone with many good days still ahead. He doesn’t have that spent look of ordinary politicians who spend too much time with lobbyists at cocktail receptions and steakhouses. Socially, he looks at times to be awfully dull and nerdy. The question is if the country is ready to elect a Mormon president just as it did its first Black president in 2008 – and will Latinos vote for him? The Mormon faith hasn’t been aired in the Republican debates and probably won’t come up in the presidential encounters. It will ultimately be left to the American voters to weigh this, but there seems to be little reason for it to become a paramount issue. Yet, it is an important part of Romney’s character, although he seldom refers to it in his presidential quest, perhaps because it invites prejudicial observations of a

close-knit religion. One controversial concept long discarded is the polygamy of its elders in an earlier period that included Romney’s great grandfather. Mitt Romney’s father, George Romney, a former Michigan Republican governor and presidential candidate in 1968, was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, to monogamous parents after his extended family fled to Mexico to escape U.S. polygamy charges. They returned to the U.S. in 1912, this time escaping the Mexican Revolution. In the tradition of his church, Romney did his two-year stint as a young Mormon missionary in France in 1966-68. He is a devout Mormon in all its traditions but not one to wear it on his sleeve, and he is strongly linked to generic Christian values. In an interview with The Atlantic Monthly, when asked about his Mormonism in concert with other religions, Romney replied, “The principles and values taught to me by faith are values I aspire to live by and are as American as motherhood and apple pie. My faith believes in family, believes in serving one’s neighbor, and one’s community. It believes in military service ... in patriotism, it believes this nation had an inspired founding. It is in some respects a quintessentially American faith and those values I aspire to live by. “I am not perfect, but I’m one aspiring to be a good person as defined by the biblical JudeoChristian standards that our society would recognize.” Some religions, like the Evangelicals and traditional Protestants, wonder about the impact of the Mormon religion in a Romney White House, without any real basis for concern. Christians comprise 78.4 per-

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cent of the U.S. religions, 51.3 percent of which are Protestants and 23.9 percent of which are Catholic. Mormons make up 1.7 percent, the same as the Jewish faith, but are not as politically active or influential. Latinos make up an infinitesimal amount, 7 percent of the Mormon infinitesimal U.S. religious population. Romney has all the qualities to make him attractive to the Latino constituency. What he lacks is smarter politics and good karma in dealing with Latino issues, particularly immigration, that in the scheme of things has been given more political prominence than it deserves. One of his Latino advisors, former Puerto Rico attorney general Joe Fuentes, told Politico.Com that Hispanic immigration is important but not the most important issue with Latinos, like the economy, education and health care. Nevertheless, Romney dug a hole for himself on this issue in which he might find it difficult to get out. He not only supports Arizona’s tough immigration policy but has added one of his own: self-deportation, which is the brainstorm of an anti-immigration radical and serves more as material for Jay Leno. “The answer is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going home because they can’t find work here because they don’t have legal documentation to allow them to work here,” he proposed. In a pig’s eye! Carlos D. Conde, award-winning journalist and commentator, former Washington and foreign news correspondent, was an aide in the Nixon White House and worked on the political campaigns of George Bush Sr. To reply to this column, contact Cdconde@aol.com.

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MAGAZINE® APRIL 23, 2012

CONTENTS Minority Student Shortage in Science and Technology by Angela Provitera McGlynn

Page 8

Notre Dame de Namur University Receives $2.9 Million ED Grant by Jeff Simmons

NSF Report Shows U.S. Slipping in STEM Dominance by Mary Ann Cooper

Latino Engineering, Science Students Increasingly Active on U.S. Campuses by Peggy Sands Orchowski

STEM Initiatives at City College of New York: A Formula for Success by Paul Hoogeveen

Researchers Look at Women of Color in STEM Fields by Michelle Adam

Global STEM: Preparing Hispanics and Other 23 Minorities for the Global Marketplace by Thomas G. Dolan HETS Helps HSIs Collaborate on Online Learning by Gary M. Stern

Online Articles Community Colleges Growing Importance in STEM Education Benefits Hispanics by Marilyn Gilroy To view this and other select articles online, go to our website: www.HispanicOutlook.com.

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DEPARTMENTS Political Beat

by Carlos D. Conde

Romney’s Mormonism and Latinos

Scholars’ Corner

by Antonio G. Estudillo

Hi gh Sc ho ol For um

22 28

Hispanic High School Students Lured into STEM Careers by Mary Ann Cooper

FYI...FYI...FYI...

Hispanics on the Move

Interesting Reads Book Review

by Mary Ann Cooper

Page 16 32

I Got My Dream Job and So Can You

Priming the Pump...

by Miquela Rivera

Back Cover

Helping Disorganized Latino Students Prepare for Higher Education

Page 23

HO is also available in digital format; go to our website: www.HispanicOutlook.com.

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REPORTS

Minority Student Shortage in Science and Technology InSTEM careers, the academic pipeline needs to be fixed on many levels. by Angela Provitera McGlynn

order for more Hispanics and underrepresented minorities to enter

This is the conclusion of a recent report from the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine, Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads. The report makes recommendations on issues specific to underrepresented minorities in general and to STEM fields in particular, focused on preparation, access and motivation, financial aid, academic support and social integration. The report definitively shows that this expansion cannot happen without more minority student representation since these students are the fastestgrowing demographic in the United States but the most underrepresented in science and technology education and careers. “The minds and talents of underrepresented minorities are a great, untapped resource that the nation can no longer afford to squander. Improving STEM education of our diverse citizenry will strengthen the science and engineering workforce and boost the U.S. economy,” says Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, chair of the committee that wrote this report and president of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation states that STEM fields are expected to be the fastest-growing sector in the U.S. labor market and yet the fields are dominated by non-U.S. students – particularly students from India and China. Indeed, almost all the growth in STEM doctorates awarded is accounted for by international students. Additionally, a number of science and engineering disciplines are made up mostly of international students. What makes this troublesome is that America cannot rely on international students’ expertise in STEM fields because of stricter visa requirements and the fact that many international students return to their countries of origin after completing their American education. Given the uncertainty regarding the future of international students’ participation in our workforce beyond their American educations, the report says that we must draw on all demographic sources in America. With the dramatic changes in the American population, particularly among

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the school-age population, the challenge of increasing diversity among America’s STEM students is an urgent one. The report, following on the heels of the landmark 2005 publication Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which also warned of the need for more STEM minority students to sustain American leadership in science and technology, states that Hispanics, African-Americans and Native Americans comprised a bit more than 9 percent of minority college-educated Americans in science and engineering careers in 2006. According to a 2011 news release from the National Academies, to reach the national target that 10 percent of all 24-year-olds complete a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering fields, minority representation in STEM fields would have to quadruple and maybe even quintuple. This in-depth report offers solutions for both the near and long term. There are recommendations and implementation strategies that cover the entire educational system and the full gamut of stakeholders. Of myriad suggestions, the two top priority recommendations for near-term action include the following: Undergraduate Retention and Completion: “We propose, as a short-term focus for increasing the participation and success of underrepresented minorities in STEM, policies and programs that seek to increase undergraduate retention and completion through strong academic, social and financial support. Financial support for underrepresented minorities that allows them to focus on and succeed in STEM will increase completion and better prepare them for the path ahead. This financial assistance should be provided through higher education institutions along with programs that simultaneously integrate academic, social, and professional development.” Teacher Preparation, College Preparatory Programs, and Transition to Graduate Study: “We propose also an emphasis on teacher preparation, secondary school programs that support preparation for college STEM education, and programs that support the transition from undergraduate to graduate work.” Hrabowski outlined the essential recommendations of the report in an excellent PowerPoint format. He discusses elements necessary for underrepresented minority students that require attention at every stage along the STEM educational trajectory.

Those ingredients include preparation, access, motivation, financial assistance, academic support and social integration. Bringing those ingredients for success in STEM fields requires: • The acquisition of knowledge, skills, and habits of mind • Opportunities to put these into practice • A developing sense of competence and progress • Motivation for and a sense of belonging to the field • Information about stages, requirements, and opportunities Hrabowski specifies what would be needed in major areas along the STEM pipeline. In preparation, there is a need for strong preschool programs. Underrepresented minority students often lack preschool education or receive inadequate preparation for kindergarten, and this puts them behind the eight ball when they start their K-12 education. Preparation also involves educating, training, and hiring more qualified mathematics and science teachers in predominantly minority and lowincome schools. And as so many other studies have shown, all students, and underrepresented minority students in particular, are challenged and motivated by rigorous high school curricula. As many other researchers have also noted, high school programs should emphasize college readiness. Interestingly, without college readiness, few students who need remediation when they start college actually complete STEM degrees. How could secondary education enhance college readiness? High schools would need to offer programs guaranteeing that all students have access to advanced courses and intrusive academic advising. To accomplish this, the report suggests that the federal government, industry, and colleges and universities should all work together with high schools and school systems to increase access for minority students for postsecondary STEM education and technical training. Long-term solutions to the minority student STEM shortage include offering stronger programs that develop reading, math skills, and creativity in preschool through third grade, and improving the quality of K-12 mathematics and science education for underrepresented minority students. Hrabowski discusses the roles access and motivation play in STEM completion rates. He suggests: • Improving college awareness activities for prospective college students • Focusing on college admissions policies that support matriculation of qualified underrepresented minority students • Raising awareness of STEM careers through K-12 activities, improved counseling for science and mathematics, and activities that promote STEM • Promoting STEM outreach that specifically targets underrepresented minority students Affordability is another key issue in raising the numbers of STEM graduates America produces. Tuition has risen dramatically over the last several decades, putting a college education out of reach for many underrepresented minority students. Since financial support that meets students’ needs strongly relates to attendance and persistence in college and in STEM fields, underrepresented students require financial aid if we are to see an increase in their graduation rates. Financial aid would allow minority college students to complete their degrees and would better prepare them for graduate school or the work force. Hrabowski notes that financial aid is most effective in promoting retention among this demographic when it is offered along with academic support and campus integration programs. The report notes that although underrepresented minority students at four-year institutions major in a STEM field at the same rate as other groups of students, their completion rate is lower. Two key factors to improve minority student completion rates are academic support and social integration into the fabric of the institution. Academic support and social integration (sense of

social belonging) greatly contribute to persistence and completion rates. Academic and social support requires strong leadership from boards of trustees and regents, from institutional presidents, provosts, deans, and department chairs – possibly adding faculty leaders to the report’s list. Additionally, there must be a campus-wide commitment to inclusiveness – and to add to inclusiveness, a student-friendly campus climate. The report notes that since campus climate is so critical to student success, especially minority student success, and most especially to minority student success in STEM fields, there should be a deliberate process of institutional self-appraisal and further accountability. Transforming an institution to meet the challenges outlined in this report involves the need to develop a plan to implement constructive

change, along with ongoing evaluations of implementation efforts. Essentially, the report is calling for institutional transformation of all types of postsecondary institutions, from community colleges to large state schools and universities. Change needs to occur at predominantly White institutions and at those colleges and universities that historically serve minority students. The report calls for accountability of all these institutions to increase minority enrollments, enhance the quality of the education they receive, and increase minority student STEM completion rates. The leadership required for successful institutional transformation that serves minority student recruitment and retention programs, especially in STEM fields, must include all stakeholders. Stakeholders are all of us concerned with the future of our nation’s standing in the world, and specifically include the entire range of the school system (P-12), government agencies, employers, and professional societies. Minority student recruitment and retention, and again especially in STEM fields, must be part and parcel of every institution’s mission. The report also emphasizes the importance of the presence of underrepresented minority teachers, faculty members, and administrators to serve as role models and leaders for underserved minority students. The challenge to increase minority STEM graduates is multifaceted. It is no surprise that the solutions to the challenge would be so as well. Although the task may seem daunting, the price America would pay for not addressing the challenge has far-reaching negative consequences for the United States’ standing as a nation and in the world. Angela Provitera McGlynn, professor emeritus of psychology, is a national consultant/presenter/author on teaching and learning.

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INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

Notre Dame de by Jeff Simmons

For

Notre Dame de Namur University, the news was twice as nice. Last fall, the independent Catholic institution in Belmont, Calif., received word it was receiving a multimillion-dollar grant to expand services to Hispanic students. Then, only days later, word came that a second grant – an even larger one – designed to strengthen support services and scholarships for Hispanic students would go to the nearly 2,000-student university, also conferred by the U.S. Department of Education. “We learned through a representative in Congressmember Barbara Boxer’s office, who told us we would be hearing within a couple of days that we did receive the second grant, which was the first one we had applied for,” explained Peggy Koshland-Crane, director of Notre Dame’s Academic Success Center. “That one came as an even bigger surprise. There was jubilation on campus.” The total academic haul: $6.1 million. The elation was not simply because of the impact such substantial funding would have on the campus, but because it validated the hard work and perseverance of an institution that acknowledged it needed to improve its efforts to attract and assist Hispanic students. “When we first became a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and I would say even before then, we realized that a number of students who were coming to the university had very specific needs, and we needed to increase our

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services in order to help make these students really successful academically,” Koshland-Crane said. “To me, this was an affirmation of the work that we are doing and just a really solid vote of support,” said NDNU President Judith Maxwell Greig. “We have a historic mission of access from the Sisters of Notre Dame, and I am proud that we have received both of these grants at this time. I am most proud of the fact that at most institutions Latino retention and graduation rates lag those of White students by 10, 20, or 30 percent, but that’s not true at Notre Dame. They are virtually equivalent over the last decade.” Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in San Jose in 1851, the university moved to a 50-acre campus nestled in the peaceful, wooded community of Belmont, Calif., just south of San Francisco, in 1923. NDNU endeavors to serve students and the community by providing stellar professional and liberal arts programs in which community engagement and the values of social justice and global peace are integral to learning. NDNU, which is fully accredited and offers 21 liberal arts and career preparation undergraduate programs and 12 graduate degrees and five credentials, is the only four-year, private university in Northern California to hold the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designation, which means that at least 25 percent of its undergraduate population is comprised of students who identify as Hispanic. Of the 1,967 students on campus, 1,147 are undergraduate and 820 are graduate students. Hispanics comprise about 20.7 percent of all students, including about 26.4 percent of all undergraduates and 12.7 percent of graduate students. Female enrollment, at 69 percent, is more than double that of male enrollment, at 31 percent. Retention rates for Hispanic students, as Greig said, have outpaced those of their non-Hispanic peers. The retention rate of undergraduate Hispanic students for the fall of 2010 cohort was 80 percent, while the overall retention rate of undergraduate students was at 76 percent. Hernan Bucheli, NDNU’s vice president for enrollment management, was one of the driving forces behind NDNU becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a designation that paved the way for the lucrative grants. About four years ago, when he started at NDNU, he spoke with the president about the region’s demographics and the troubling trend that many Hispanic students graduating high school were not proceeding to college. “It became very clear that the growth in college-bound Hispanics was startling, and we started to think from a strategic perspective,” Bucheli said, “that focusing on serving Hispanics would help with enrollment but also meet our mission. It was a nice tie-in to what Notre Dame was about, and how we could help a growing segment of the population attain a degree.” The school examined the models of other institutions designated as HSIs, exploring the steps they undertook to elevate Hispanic enrollment, while taking a hard look at its own weaknesses and strengths. “What we found out was that at Notre Dame Hispanic students retained better than non-Hispanics, which was really neat,” he said. “It was synergistic in terms of the demographics we were looking at.”

Namur University Receives $2.9 Million ED Grant The campus was about 20 percent Hispanic at the time. NDNU subsequently concentrated greater efforts on Hispanic recruitment and retention, and within one year its numbers jumped by 5 percent. And, in 2009, NDNU applied successfully for the HSI designation. “We were elated,” Bucheli said. “It was fantastic news. The institution had focused strategically on an underserved population and was really able to grow enrollment in that segment and help those students. For us, it was a milestone.” That meant that NDNU’s Academic Success Center provided stronger tutoring, mentoring and academic support for students, particularly through NDNU’s relatively new Gen-1 program assisting first-generation students. “What we saw from the fall of 2010 to the fall of 2011 was that the retention rate from the group we were serving was the highest of any demographic group,” Bucheli said. “So those were the steps to build infrastructure. This showed that it is possible for institutions to serve lowincome and Hispanic students and still be successful in providing educational attainment, and that students can actually flourish from being in school and from being academically challenged.” The Gen-1 program began with a small grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation, and was initially anticipated to accommodate about 40 students. Instead, in its first year, 65 students participated. While a handful dropped out of the program, the majority stuck with it – and this year the program involves 91 students. “All of these students take learning strategies courses, and we have 11 mentors who are upperclassmen that each have between six and nine mentees,” Koshland-Crane said. “We have group meetings each month and follow the students closely. Each spring, we have a Call to Action day in which everybody goes out and performs community service, such as at a food bank.” This engagement allows freshman students to find a place where they are comfortable, and allows them to learn about campus life, get academic support, and discuss external issues and obstacles, such as thorny family situations, with older classmates who may have experienced similar challenges. This program and other academic strides added muscle to NDNU’s federal grant applications, which will help Hispanic and other underserved student populations more generally in campus, and also specifically those pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields. One grant, for $2.9 million, was awarded under the U.S. Department of Education’s HSI Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and Articulation programs. The grant is aimed at funding an expansion of services and programs to Hispanic students and other underserved populations interested in pursuing careers in STEM programs. NDNU offers majors in biology, biochemistry, kinesiology and computer and information science. About 34.6 percent of NDNU students pursuing studies in STEM fields are Hispanic. Over five years, the grant will finance the university’s “Building a Pipeline to STEM Success at Notre Dame de Namur” project, which aims to boost the number of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining

Retention rates for Hispanic

students have outpaced those of their non-Hispanic peers. Notre Dame de Namur President Judith Maxwell Greig

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and enjoyed learning about the care and prevention of athletic injuries. A research project during my sophomore year in high school allowed me to shadow a physical therapist and solidified my interest in physical therapy.” NDNU, she said, was a perfect fit because of the nearby location, intimate campus setting, and range of services that smoothed the transition to higher education. “I can always sign up for the classes that I need, and I receive personal attention in class,” Molina said, citing another bonus: “NDNU granted me a beneficial financially aid package. It has not been easy for my parents to support me financially, and NDNU has helped a great deal.” “As a first-generation student coming from a Hispanic background, I can understand the difficulties of receiving a higher education,” she said. “Many times families don’t understand the importance of education or can not financially, emotionally, or intellectually support a student. Attending an HSI means that Hispanic students can find people much like them going through the same type of hardships. This institution creates a supportive community for all students, including those who are Hispanic.” Such support services are similarly pivotal to help Hispanic students pursuing other studies across campus, and key to the second grant that NDNU received. That grant amounted to $3.2 million – the largest federal grant in the university’s history – and was specifically tied to funding expansion of support services and scholarships for Hispanic and low-income students. The grant, awarded under the department’s Developing HSI program, was only provided to 13 institutions. Associate Provost Greg White, who wrote both grants

degrees in the STEM fields by providing increased academic support, professional development for instructors, mentoring and other programs. Additionally, the grant allows NDNU to create model transfer and articulation agreements with two-year HSIs, such as nearby Cañada College in Redwood City. Such collaboration eases the passage of students from community colleges to NDNU because they better understand which courses are necessary to move to the four-year college. Finally, the grant allows NDNU to bolster data collection and analysis to improve enrollment, persistence and completion outcomes for Hispanic and other low-income NDNU students. NDNU has striven over the last five or six years to increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students pursuing degrees in math, science, engineering and technology. The school has successfully sought grants from charitable organizations to renovate science labs and classrooms. Laboratories dated back to the 1950s and were functional but not attractive. “They needed an update in both appearance and in functionality of the equipment,” said Associate Provost Greg White. Noting how the school also equipped classrooms with the latest technology, he said they “looked old and tired before.” Nicole A Molina, a 20-year-old senior, is majoring in kinesiology, with a minor in psychology at NDNU. She identifies as Hispanic, Asian and Indian, and is the first in her family to attend college, let alone pursue a career in a STEM field. “I am working towards becoming a physical therapist. I’ve been interested in physical therapy and the related kinesiology field since high school,” Molina said. “In high school, I was always involved with sports

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Peggy Koshland-Crane, director, Academic Success Center, Notre Dame de Namur

Hernan Bucheli, NDNU’s vice president for enrollment management

The grant will finance the university’s “Improving Student Retention and Academic Success at NDNU” project, which aims to support the success, retention, and graduation of its Hispanic and low-income students. Academic and administration leaders at NDNU said the grant will help students navigate the college environment with student success coaching, identify academically at-risk students and provide academic support services to help those students overcome poor preparation, and help NDNU develop and raise endowment funds for scholarships to support students. Additionally, it provides funding to remedy concerns about language barriers and access to information by financing translation and interpretation services.

Bucheli is ensuring the grant process runs smoothly and adhering to reporting requirements. “It’s a big grant to manage, so obviously we have to be cognizant in doing due diligence, of crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s,” he said. One component involves Success Coaching, in which certified and trained coaches work with all incoming freshmen and some transfer students. During the first academic year, they meet once a week, for about 20 to 30 minutes, and help with financial literacy, community building and time management. “These are areas that can really help students integrate themselves into the institution,” Bucheli said, a few weeks before the program was due to kick off this January. “We do feel that coaching provides an additional tool in our toolbox to help with retention.” White, who wrote both grant applications, said their goals are rooted in the institution’s history of social justice and community engagement. “It was founded back in 1851 to serve the population of San Jose, which included a large Native American population that wasn’t being served, as well as a female population that did not have access to higher education,” White said. “Over time, we attracted a larger and larger Hispanic population.” “The idea that we were going to support students with scholarships, with academic support, additional pedagogical training for faculty – all were really aligned with what we are trying to accomplish,” White noted. NDNU already enjoys a strong relationships with Cañada College, which also is designated an HSI and watches as many of its students progress to NDNU. “We work with students before they ever step onto our campus to make sure they are taking the right courses and can transfer quickly without having to take any extra ones,” White said. In five years, leaders at NDNU are hoping to witness even more progress in Hispanic enrollment, retention and graduation, as well as engagement in STEM fields. It’s a vision that will be displayed not just in numbers but also in the climate on campus, and beyond. “I see us being respected as a leader in how one recruits, welcomes, retains, and graduates Hispanic and low-income students,” White said. “We are very blessed to get these grants, and they are going to be a wonderful support for our students,” he added. “We are very happy that we’ve been able to achieve the status of a Hispanic-Serving Institution and hope to make everyone proud that we are one, and we will do very well by these students.”

NDNU endeavors to serve students and the community by providing stellar professional and liberal arts programs in which community engagement and the values of social justice and global peace are integral to learning.

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NSF Report Shows U.S. Slipping in STEM Dominance REPORTS

The

by Mary Ann Cooper

United States has long prided itself on its superiority in its support of science and technology research and development, but arguably less investment by America in these fields coupled with intense investment by Asian countries in STEM fields has taken away our advantage in the world. This is the conclusion reached by the National Science Board (NSB), the policymaking body for the National Science Foundation (NSF), in a report on the trends in the science, engineering and technology workforce, education efforts and economic activity in the United States and abroad. The report, Science and Engineering Indicators 2012, is a sobering assessment of how the science and technology segment of American society is slowly losing its global dominance. NSF Director Subra Suresh says the findings in the report show that “We must take seriously new strategies for education, workforce development and innovation in order for the United States to retain its international leadership position.” The NSF is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2012, its budget is $7.0 billion, which is awarded by Congress. Each year, NSF receives over 50,000 competitive requests for funding and makes about 11,000 new funding awards. NSF also awards nearly $420 million in professional and service contracts yearly. Suresh oversees NSF’s $7 billion budget that funds basic research and education across all fields of science and engineering, including some 15 percent of federally supported basic research conducted at nearly 2,000 American colleges and universities. NSF funds reach all 50 states. It’s not just that the $7 billion is either not enough or not utilized well enough to help the United States maintain its global superiority, it is that Asian countries, most specifically what are called the Asia-10 countries, are finding ways to integrate science and technology into their blueprints for their own economic growth. According to the Science and Engineering Indicators 2012 report, the biggest gains in global science and technology sectors occurred in China, India,

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Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. And it hasn’t happened overnight. Over the last decade, the decline for America and the rise of the Asian10 in terms of the United share of global research and development (R&D) dropped from 38 percent to 31 percent, whereas it grew from 24 percent to 35 percent in the Asia region during the same time. These figures reflect the period from 1999 to 2009. The most dramatic example of the changing of the guard in this regard can be found in China where research and development increased 28 percent between 2008 and 2009. This pushed China into second place behind the United States and in front of Japan in this category. “Over the last decade, the world has changed dramatically,” said José-Marie Griffiths, chair of the NSB committee that oversees production of the report. “It’s now a world with very different actors who have made advancement in science and technology a top priority. And many of the troubling trends we’re seeing are now very well established.” Washington, D.C., has been taking note of the declining global position of the United States in science and technology and is trying to stem the tide. Even during trying economic times in America, President Obama released A Strategy for American Innovation in 2009, which reemphasized the need to prioritize the importance of science and engineering. The strategy pointed out that science and technology were “drivers of innovation and identified a strong fundamental research base as critical to innovation, economic growth and competitiveness.” In releasing the strategy, the president said, “Maintaining our role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation [is] absolutely essential to our future.” The NSF has not only issued a clarion call to re-establish America’s global leadership in science and technology, it also has launched some initiatives designed to improve the United States’ standing in this area both at home and abroad. The NSF is actively seeking international collaborations, stepping up his education initiatives and creating new partnerships between industry and NSF-supported researchers.

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For example, their Science Across Virtual Institutes (SAVI) promotes creating an interface among scientists, engineers and educators all over the world. The value of such an interface means that advances in science and technology can be fast-tracked when scientists and engineers can work without international boundaries hampering their interaction. The report cites the work between the United States and Finland working on the Wireless Innovation, that studies dynamic radio spectrum access. These same kinds of virtual laboratories are being built by U.S. research teams and their colleagues in India, Brazil, France, Germany, Israel, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Another example is the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program, a public-private partnership that seeks to bring together scientific research funded by the NSF with technological, entrepreneurial and business communities as a healthy breeding ground for innovation. NSF, the Deshpande Foundation, and the Kauffman Foundation are founding members of this initiative along with a national network of advisors and partnering institutions. This program hopes to attract technology developers, business leaders, venture capitalists and others from private industry to consult on projects that will hopefully result in a host of new and successful technologies. NSF is also mindful that science and technology advances must be accomplished in a responsible way. Another initiative, Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES), takes that into account. According to the report, SEES is “a cross-disciplinary approach to sustainability science designed to spark innovations for tomorrow’s clean energy. It will also improve our capabilities for rapid response to extreme events.” “NSF’s support of fundamental research, which propels intellectual curiosity in every branch of science and engineering, and ignites the passion to uncover the inner workings of nature, is more precious now than ever before,” Suresh said. “At the same time, scientific discoveries from fundamental research have their widest impact when they engender innovations, products and processes that transform society and help solve global challenges.”

INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

Latino Engineering, Science Students Increasingly Active on U.S. Campuses

The

by Peggy Sands Orchowski

University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) is a beautiful and popular ocean-side campus in Southern California, known for decades as a friendly fun school with an active outgoing campus life and many student organizations that compete for members and recognition. In the past 15 years, UCSB also has become a destination for serious science majors, particularly engineers of all kinds with new hybrid specialties in environmental, robotics, new materials, biomedical and human factors engineering, among many others. Last year at UCSB, the club that won the “Student Organization of the Year” award was Los Ingenieros, a club for low-income first-generation mainly Hispanic engineering students. Los Ingenieros is a part of MESA, the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement program (formerly the Mexican Engineering Students Association) at UCSB. “The groups have experienced enthusiastic growth over the past few years,” said Mario Castellanos, program director. “We often have several activities a month both on and off campus doing everything from career mentoring, to outreach to Latino students in junior high and high schools in the area, to joint workshops on engineering specialties with students at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo (the foremost engineering state university). Our goal is to help our students graduate and go on to advanced degrees.” The MESA programs are part of a national system of regional organizations sponsored by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). There are SHPEs in every state with active monthly mentoring and academic support programs. The highlight is the annual conference where thousands of SHPE club members participate in competitive projects, games and activities as well as hear motivational speakers who are engineers. The SHPE Foundation offers more than $500,000 in college scholarships every year. Many SHPE college students are Latinos, of which 54 percent attend an HSI (a HispanicServing Institution), according to Excelencia in Education. Currently, almost 300 colleges and universities have been designated as HSIs because at least 25 percent of their undergradu-

ates are Hispanic heritage students. To date, 52 percent of HSIs are community colleges. The Hispanic Serving Health Professions Schools (HSHPS) organization is also trying to increase the number of Latinos who study in the health fields, according to Deanna Wathington, MD, MPH, of the University of South Florida. “There is increasing need for recognition of culturally competent health professionals,” she said. But Hispanics who major in engineering and sciences probably more often than not do not attend an HSI. Currently, only 112 HSIs have graduate programs, not all in science and engineering. Graduate program HSIs are concentrated mainly in four areas (32 in Puerto Rico, 28 in California, 18 in Texas and 10 in Florida). Organizations such as SHPE, MESA and HSHPS provide support needed for Hispanic students on all campuses, and the census figures may reflect their slowly growing success. The 2010 Census shows that 10.6 percent of Hispanics are employed in professional, scientific and management positions (compared to 8.8 percent of the Black population). Department of Education statistics show that more Latinos are majoring in engineering and more Hispanics are graduating from high school than African-Americans. But the percentage of Hispanics graduating from college is lower than the percentage of Blacks, despite their greater numbers. This is partly a reflection of the immigration and work status of many young Latinos in the United States, Castellanos and others point out. About 34 percent of the total Hispanic population of 50.5 million is under 18, according to the 2010 Census (about 18 million), and while no one knows for sure, it has been estimated that a good 30 percent of the total Hispanic population are immigrants – legal permanent, temporary and illegal. While HSIs in some states will not ask for the immigration status of their high school graduates, temporary or unauthorized immigration status does affect whether some students can attend public colleges as in-state students and receive federal and state financial aid. It also affects who can take jobs after graduation; legally, immigrants on many temporary

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immigration visas or without any legal immigration documents at all face severe restrictions for getting a job legally after graduation. A further complication is that at many research universities, statistics about Latino college students may be intermixed with those of foreign students from Latin America. In the last three annual Open Doors reports on foreign students by the Institute of International Education, Mexico placed among the top 10 (as high as seventh) source countries of foreign students being granted F and J temporary nonimmigration foreign student visas. The numbers of foreign grad students in engineering will likely grow exponentially in the near future. Those who major in engineering and sciences may be on the fast track for permanent residency permits. There are at least three bills currently in Congress that would give foreign students an automatic green card once they graduated with an MA degree or a Ph.D. in a STEM field: the STAPLE Act sponsored by Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.; the SAVE Act sponsored by Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.; and the newest one, INVEST in America Act co-sponsored by Adam Shiff, D-Calif., and Charles Bass, R-N.H. Foreign students who have specialized in math and sciences since junior high school and who pay three times more tuition than Americans increasingly could pose a challenge to minority students who want to get research and teaching assistant positions and even a place in a graduate degree program, say minority engineering advocates Shirley Malcolm, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Richard Tapia, Rice University professor of engineering and director of their Equity Center. Since the high tuition of these students is never waived (as it is for many out-of-state and illegal immigrant students in states like California after a year’s residency), foreign students are seen increasingly as a crucial revenue source for cash-strapped public universities. “But right now our biggest challenge is to get the grade points up of our MESA members,” said Castellanos. “That will help them get into grad school more than anything else.”

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STEM Initiatives at City College of New York: A Formula for Success

by Paul Hoogeveen the largest urban college in the U.S., and as a leading Hispanic-Serving Institution, City College of New York (CCNY) has a strong history of creating programs that have increased the participation and retention rates of Hispanics, as well as women and other underrepresented groups. This is especially true of several initiatives at CCNY aimed at improving participation in the STEM disciplines. Many are designed to not just improve participation at the undergraduate level but to open the pipeline at every level, through postgraduate work. At the end of 2011, a promising new partnership between CCNY and Stanford University suffered a setback when Stanford pulled out of its bid to build a new $2.5 billion applied science and engineering school on Roosevelt Island. (The contract was ultimately awarded to Cornell University in conjunction with Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.) Nevertheless, Stanford and CCNY have pledged to continue working together and will be developing a more modest partnership in 2012, with the aim of establishing an on-campus Stanford presence at City College. While disappointing, this setback does not diminish the significance of CCNY’s impressive array of initiatives aimed at supporting minority

participation and retention in STEMs. Among these initiatives are three that particularly stand out, whether for their ambitious goals or for their proven success: the brand-new Alliance for the Continuous Innovative Learning Environments in STEM (CILES) Initiative, to be

year, but having established highly successful methodologies for improving minority participation in STEM. These initiatives were developed to address an ongoing issue in the STEM disciplines. Minorities, while already underrepresented in higher learning relative to their numbers in the general population, are even more underrepresented in science and engineering. Hispanics are particularly underrepresented; while they represent more than 16 percent of the nation’s population, fewer than 14 percent of engineering degrees awarded by U.S. colleges and universities in 2008 went to Hispanics. As Hispanics continue to gain an everincreasing share of the overall population, the issue of underrepresentation in STEM disciplines takes on greater urgency.

CILES will address several objectives,

including improving articulation programs

CILES Initiative One of the newest STEM initiatives at CCNY, the CILES program, the Alliance for the Continuous Innovative Learning Environments in STEM, will be run in partnership with two CUNY community colleges, Hostos and LaGuardia. Funded by a five-year, $4 million grant through the U.S. Department of Education, it will be primarily housed at the City University of New York CREST center (the Cooperative Remote Sensing

designed to help STEM students transfer to CCNY from Hostos and LaGuardia

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implemented in the fall of 2012; Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM), established in partnership with the University of Chicago and aimed at supporting minority participation in materials research; and lastly, the NIH Minority Scholars program, now in its final

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Science and Technology Center). Six new classrooms, two at each campus, will also be constructed to support the program. CILES will address several objectives, including improving articulation programs designed to help STEM students transfer to CCNY from Hostos and LaGuardia; attracting students to the STEM fields via outreach at elementary and high schools; and supporting students’ learning needs at every stage of the process, from high school through graduate school. In terms of numbers, the initial goal is ambitious: increase the number of majors in earth system science and environmental engineering from 81 to 160 by fall 2016. Dr. Jorge González, NOAA-CREST Professor of Mechanical Engineering at CCNY, said of the new initiative: “That is the key of the program – to improve retention of the student undergraduate population in STEM and at the same time open the pipeline all the way to high school. Part of the reason is we’ve learned that about half of our undergrad population is coming from transfers from community colleges. And since they are coming here anyway, we’ll do it such in a way that they’ll have a real chance to succeed.” “CILES is focused initially on environmental sciences and engineering as model cases,” he said, explaining that these are rapidly growing fields at present. “From there, we will expand immediately into biomedical engineering.” A major goal of the CILES program is to create a more seamless, continuous learning experience that breaks down the barriers that can cause students to leave STEM areas. Toward that end, González said, CILES curriculum will be revised to emphasize critical thinking, handson work and an interdisciplinary approach. Labs will be developed in a parallel way across all three campuses, to facilitate a seamless experience. And both students and faculty will be trained to utilize virtual learning environments, which will further cement a sense of continuity and a collaborative learning process. To sum up the central theme of CILES, González stated: “We’re saying, ‘Can we really put all this together into a very central program

that identifies the students that are interested in these fields, and supports them all the way from the time they are thinking of applying until they graduate here at the CCNY campus?’” PREM: Establishing a Research Collaborative and Training Educators “At City College, overall we’re about 60 percent underrepresented minorities – AfricanAmerican and Hispanic,” said Dr. Jeffrey Morris, professor of chemical engineering at CCNY. “But in engineering, we’re a total of 34 percent. When you get to the Ph.D. level, that figure declines to about 5 percent of the total graduate population in the overall engineering college.” Enter PREM, Partnerships for Research and

CCNY President Lisa S. Coico

Education in Materials, a program now in its third year at CCNY aimed at improving minority participation in materials research by establishing research partnerships between minority-serving institutions and centers supported by the National Science Foundation Division of Materials

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Research. (In CCNY’s case, that partnership was formed with the University of Chicago.) One of the National Science Foundation’s primary goals with PREM is to improve the quality and quantity of opportunities research opportunities for both faculty members and students at MSIs that have received PREM awards. According to Morris, CCNY is already showing promising results toward that end. “We have two women Hispanic Ph.D.s – one who’s gone on to a faculty position at our sister CUNY school New York Tech, and one who’s gone on to a post-doc at the University of Chicago,” he said. “And we’ve just recruited two African-American men into chemical engineering, out of eight entering Ph.D.s. I think we’re doing very well relative to the numbers.” Morris also discussed two ways in which CCNY is utilizing PREM finds to approach the specific needs of underrepresented students at CCNY: living stipends and outreach programs. First, he pointed out that students in underrepresented groups often face significant financial challenges and need to work while studying – a factor that can impact both academic performance and completion rates, especially at the graduate level. “People fail to see the opportunities at the end of the tunnel,” said Morris. “One of the things that we’re able to do because of the funding we have is to offer undergraduates stipends which allow students to work in research labs. They’re working on research projects, they’re intellectually engaged on the project they want, but they’re paid at a level that allows them to not need another external job.” Morris also explained how CCNYUChicago PREM has also developed a pilot outreach program using the mathematics and engineering high school conveniently located on the CCNY campus. “We were very lucky in the development of our outreach programs to high schools. This was a peer-teaching program where chemical engineering undergraduates were trained to give lectures and demonstrations. They went into classrooms, worked with students, and had some level of feedback on the

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quality of the teaching from the abilities of the students both before and after. The peer teaching has been nice because these are people who are not very different in age, and very often not that different in high school background.” From there, said Morris, he and other members of the PREM program fleshed out a broader outreach program. “We developed a high school teachers’ academy, with help from one of the teachers at the high school, in terms of thinking about how to

Dr. Jorge González, NOAA-CREST Professor of Mechanical Engineering, CCNY

structure the system, and in terms of knowing what high school teachers tend to be looking for in a summer academy,” he explained. “We brought in teachers from very different schools around the city. We let them help us understand how what we do can be used to drive high school laboratory modules, and to bring the excitement of these scientific issues to a place where they can be used in a high school lab, but are also inexpensive enough to be used across a broad range of schools.” According to Morris, CCNY’s PREM program, while still somewhat new, is already proving successful. “We’ve made an extremely large effort to reach out and involve minorities as much as possible,” he said. “In the PREM program, to date we’ve graduated four Ph.D.s and of those, two were Hispanic women.” NIH Minority Scholars Program: A Successful Experiment For the Grove School of Engineering at CCNY, the year 2012 sees not only the beginning of new

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initiatives like CILES, but also the end of a highly successful program: the National Institutes of Health Minority Scholars program. According to Dr. Sheldon Weinbaum, professor emeritus of biomedical engineering at CCNY, two institutions (including CCNY) received the first NIH grant for the program when it was first launched in 2002, but CCNY was the only one to receive a renewal. “When we started, we had something in the order of 25 undergraduates,” he added. “As of right now, we have about 190 undergraduates. The Ph.D. program has 37 students.” Weinbaum, like his colleagues in other programs, pointed out that many of CCNY’s students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. With the inception of NIH Minority Scholars program, the Biomedical Engineering Department (also formed in 2002) set a goal to enable its minority students to perform at the level of a top-tier institution and even pursue graduate studies. They accomplished this primarily through two interventions that were later carried into other STEM initiatives at CCNY: living stipends that freed students from the need to work and allowed them to focus on their education, and establishment of an intensive research experience requiring significant time spent on lab work – which created something parallel to a Ph.D.-level experience for undergraduates. In the first NIH grant’s run, Weinbaum’s new department met with moderate success, but with undergraduate retention at 54 percent at the end of 2006, the department decided to implement something fairly unique at the time – a near-peer mentoring system in which graduated students were paired with undergraduates. It proved to be the missing ingredient, and by 2011, undergraduate retention rose to 74 percent. What’s more, the CCNY Biomedical Engineering Department ranked first in student and faculty diversity and seventh in research productivity. “We also got an award this year from National Association of Multicultural Engineering: the Outstanding Collegiate Retention Award,” Weinbaum added. With the second and last NIH grant expiring this year, the Biomedical Engineering Department isn’t waiting for new funding to fall into its lap. According to Weinbaum, the department has applied for a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. City College has done much to improve its physical infrastructure in support of its students in STEM programs (and students in all its programs, for that matter). CCNY President Lisa S.

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Coico is particularly proud of the recently established Tech Center, which provides more than 300 workstations for students, as well as opportunities to create virtual learning environments for faculty. But beyond the new facilities, and beyond hopes of a new partnership with a top-tier institution like Stanford, lies a well-established culture of commitment to continuously improving access to higher education for minorities and women. And within this culture initiatives such as CILES, PREM and the NIH Minority Scholars

Dr. Sheldon Weinbaum, professor emeritus, biomedical engineering, CCNY

program share some common threads, such as outreach into the educational community; a seamless educational experience at all levels; and student support through mentoring and close collaboration. It’s a formula for success that warrants both positive scrutiny and greater recognition.

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INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

Researchers Look at Women of Color in STEM Fields

by Michelle Adam hirty-six years ago, the plight of women of color in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) received national attention for what seemed the first time. Back then, the Harvard Educational Review published a report, The Double Bind: The Price of Being a Minority Woman in Science, in an effort to shed light on women who face double oppression and severe underrepresentation in STEM fields. In addition, 30 minority women scientists met to share their experiences in a unique gathering. Last summer the Harvard Educational Review (HER) took another look at women of color in the STEM fields. The publication dedicated much of its summer issue to the symposium theme of “Unraveling the Double Bind: Women of Color in STEM.” What HER and its multiple report authors wanted to find out was whether much had changed since 35 years ago for minority women in these fields, and what kind of literature had been published to shed light on them. A conclusion drawn from the process was presented in the report’s introduction, with a quote in 2010 by Double Bind organizer and principal writer Maria Ong: “We found many, many dissertations. When I asked my researcher to find out how many had been published, what they had published, the answer came back as zero. I asked somebody else to do the same research; the answer came back as zero. There’s not a knowledge gap. It’s a

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serious gap in publishing, in being able to get the word out.” The Harvard Educational Review has been no exception. According to the publication, “from 1976 to 2010, HER has published only 16 articles that relate specifically to women of color in higher education or minority participation in STEM. None of these articles addressed this intersection – the ‘double oppression of sex and race or ethnicity plus the third oppression in the chosen career, science.’” Despite the dearth of published works focusing on this population, the “Unraveling the Double Bind” symposium provided important data from unpublished studies on minority women in STEM fields, and on possible factors in higher education that have contributed to their success or failure. HER’s symposium on Women of Color in STEM fields provided an outlet for information on these women to be released to the public at large. The publication of these reports is especially timely, dovetailing with a larger national concern over the dwindling numbers of Americans, and especially minority groups, graduating into STEM fields. Increasing the number of citizens interested in STEM fields has been a key priority for President Barack Obama, the National Science Foundation and many other groups and policymakers nationwide. “The STEM fields at large are having a problem attracting and drawing students of all backgrounds,” said Lorelle Espinosa, senior analyst at APT associates, and

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one of the leading authors of articles published under “Unraveling the doctoral level. When comparing the representation of women of color in Double Bind.” “One reason for this is that K-12 is not preparing students STEM to that of all men, White women, and women of color (not in STEM to meet the demands universities require in these fields. And universities fields) in the United States at the Ph.D. level in 2006, women of color were aren’t putting in place the right systemic practices that promote success in severely underrepresented [Asian-American and Pacific Islander women STEM. We have a weed-out culture were the exception]; they collectiveand ancient pedagogy that doesn’t ly earned only 9.9 percent of all speak to the majority of students, doctorates awarded in science and and people in STEM fields still carry engineering, while their representaa stigma of being labeled a geek or a tion in the general U.S. population nerd.” was 16.5 percent.” [Only 2.53 perLooking at Americans in STEM cent of Hispanics women received fields compared to those of other doctoral degrees in STEM fields, nations, Maria Ong wrote the followwhile they made up 6.86 percent of ing in HER: “Currently, only about the U.S. population.] 16 percent of undergraduates in U.S. The disconnect between the institutions receive degrees in naturpopulation of minority women al sciences and engineering, commaking up the U.S. population and pared to 47 percent of undergradutheir numbers actually represented ates in China, 38 percent in South in STEM fields was cause for worry Korea, and 27 percent in France. and investigation in “Unraveling the With American and international Double Bind: Women of Color in corporations searching globally for STEM.” The report authors set out the best and brightest workers in the to determine why so many women, scientific and technological sectors, and especially minority women, an emergent question is whether were not completing higher educaAmericans will be able to compete tion into STEM fields. for such quality jobs. Furthermore Espinosa specifically looked at the urgency of regaining U.S. global factors that seemed to contribute to leadership has been noted repeatedthe success and failure of minority ly by American presidents.” women, and at times women at Ong points out the importance of large, in undergraduate STEM educating all Americans – and espemajors. Through her report, cially minority populations and Pipelines and Pathways: Women of women – for potential work in Color in Undergraduate STEM STEM fields. She addresses the fact Majors and the College Experiences that White men, “the traditional that Contribute to Persistence, she source of STEM professionals,” are reported the persistence rates for declining in numbers, yet the different groups of women in STEM increasing number of women and majors: Latinas, 52 percent; Africanminority students are not achieving Americans, 54 percent; Asianparity in higher education levels. Americans, 70 percent; and 57 per“In the growing non-White popucent overall for women of color and lation, women drastically outnumber White women. Espinosa also looked men in terms of the number attendat how pre-college characteristics, ing college (College Board, 2010) college experiences, and institution[White women make up 32.47 peral setting impacted a cohort of 1,250 cent of the population; Hispanic women of color and 891 White women, 7.03 percent; and Africanwomen at 135 institutions nationAmerican women, 7.03 percent]. ... wide. Yet ... the awarding of bachelor’s The results of her research were degrees to women of color is not at eye-opening. She discovered that the parity with their respective represenfollowing factors positively impacted tations in the U.S. population,” Elsa Ruiz, assistant professor, College of the retention of women of color in wrote Ong. “Unfortunately, the lack STEM majors (and thus supporting a of parity is even more severe at the Education, University of Texas-San Antonio growth in them entering STEM fields

“Usually there were more males than females in graduate

courses, and mostly White males. It was also tougher for me

to join the study groups and things like that.”

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down the line): having personal goals; effective instruction; experiencing the relevance of STEM fields to everyday life; peer discussion and relationships; being in clubs related to their STEM area; beginning with an engineering focus (even if they then transferred into other STEM arenas); research involvement with faculty; being in a private institution; and having others like you in your area of study. Factors that contributed to leaving the STEM disciplines included attending highly selective colleges and being in programs that weed out students (these often occur together). “The biggest takeaway in this study is that institutional selectivity is an issue. There has been a debate going on in the higher education community as to the value of highly selective institutions. Well-respected research has shown that these highly selective schools can be very beneficial for underrepresented students. Opponents around affirmative action have said otherwise,” said Espinosa. “In terms of STEM fields, there is a negative relationship between persistence in STEM and highly selective institutions. There is something about the STEM environment for minority women that is unfriendly, to the point at which women of color have a higher propensity to leave the STEM field.” According to Espinosa’s research, women of color who attended highly selective colleges and universities were more than 14 percent more likely to switch out of STEM by the fourth year of college. The opposite held true for those attending private colleges – they were 10 percent more likely to persist in STEM. Much of this reality was attributed to the fact that there’s “a greater propensity to grade on a curve and to ‘weed’ students out of STEM majors” than other majors – and this is especially true in highly selective schools. And women who switch out of STEM tend to receive higher grades in their major discipline as a result. On a positive note, Espinosa also discovered that women of color, more so than women at large, perform better in STEM majors when they have a social network or club in their area of study. According to her research, “women who engage in peer discussions (on course content) outside the classroom are more likely to persist in STEM ... which affirms theories of learning specific to women that espouse the importance of interpersonal relationships in and around academic settings ... Second, women of color who join a major-related club are 7.38 percentage points (p<0.05) more likely to persist in STEM than those who do not join this type of club.” “Anyone would say that joining a club could enhance the academic experience for all. But when you think about the level at which it benefits one group as compared to another, this is where you’ll find the nuance,” said Espinosa. “If you happen to be from a group that has a hard time finding community because there aren’t many like you [this is especially true for minority women in STEM], then if you find a community, this can be very beneficial. I do think there’s a sense of community found there, even if others don’t speak the same language or have the same cultural background.” Another factor that positively impacted the success of women of color – and women as a whole – was finding personal importance in the goals established by them in their fields. In other words, women were more likely to persist in the sciences, math, engineering and technology if they felt they could make a theoretical contribution to science or find a cure to a health problem. In addition, women of color were more likely to succeed in these arenas if they found satisfaction with their institution’s science and math curriculum, and if this curriculum had a relevance to their everyday life. It seems some women opt out of these courses and join non-STEM majors because the math and sciences are taught and approached in a cold, low-

context approach, rather than with a connection to community and people. Other findings included the following: Women of color who participated in research programs with faculty were nearly 12 percentage points more likely to persist in STEM. Women who enter college with the intent of majoring in engineering are nearly 19 percentage points more likely to continue in STEM on the whole than women who aspired to other STEM majors. In addition, “peer environment contributes to persistence at the institutional level. For each percent increase in the number of students majoring in STEM at a given institution, women of color are thirty percentage points more likely to persist to year four.” The degree to which women of color were prepared for STEM majors during their high school careers also played an important role, according to Espinosa. Being prepared with the appropriate math and science coursework in high school greatly impacted their success, as well as early STEM exposure. Surprisingly, Espinosa also discovered the following, “Although father’s education (less than college) and financial concern (college affordability) were significant for White women, none of the parental socialization measures proved significant for women of color.” This finding may be attributed to the fact that once women of color do attend higher education (versus not enter at all), other factors in college play a more important role. Elsa Ruiz, assistant professor in the College of Education of the University of Texas-San Antonio, experienced some of these challenges and more as a Latina in the STEM fields. “I came from a family of 11. My father was a traditional Latino macho man who didn’t see there was a need for us girls to have a higher education. Later he changed his mind, although we didn’t have the resources,” said Ruiz, who currently teaches math teachers how to teach math (she taught middle and high school math for 27 years). “I went to school in Laredo, Texas, where there are 99 percent Latinos. I felt we did not have the proper college-prep courses to attend college. The teachers were not prepared, courses were not rigorous, and there was a lack of role models. I didn’t know then what a Ph.D. was. Role models are crucial.” When Ruiz attended college to study math, she felt alienated in courses that provided no relevance to life experiences. “Usually there were more males than females in graduate courses, and mostly White males. It was also tougher for me to join the study groups and things like that,” she said. “I’ve since discovered how few Latinas there really are in STEM fields. This has been the case since 1976. Many Latinas have the desire to achieve, but because of cultural, economic, and other factors they don’t succeed or don’t in a timely manner. They need mentors and activities where they can see others who have succeeded.” (In an effort to document the role models that do exist in STEM fields, Ruiz published a book called Paths to Discovery: Autobiographies from Chicanas with Careers in Science, Math and Engineering.) While Espinosa didn’t make mention of Latinas specifically in her report, she has discovered similar barriers for Latinas in STEM fields. “One of the major considerations for this group includes the home environment – the culture in the home and the parental expectation for women. There remains an expectation that daughters have a different educational trajectory than sons,” she said. “I think also, for many immigrant families in general, the idea of studying STEM is very foreign, and families don’t understand how they can get jobs in these fields.” When Latinas do choose to attend college, they often start out at community colleges, added Espinosa. This has a positive impact on them because Latinas often find them more nurturing than four-year institutions.

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An important change that needs to be addressed, though, is making the transition for Latinas from two-year to four-year colleges more fluid. In addition, community colleges are often more resource-poor and might not be able to prepare students for STEM courses at universities. Providing additional support at universities is key to bridging these differences for minority students. Espinosa’s research and that of others brought to light through HER is a first step in understanding what’s happening for Latinas and women of color in STEM fields. The journey won’t stop here, though. She’s part of a team that will soon complete a National Science Foundation study called

Beyond the Double Bind that documents positive programs and STEM successes taking place on campuses nationwide. Ultimately, this research will provide colleges and universities a chance to learn from each other, and shift their curriculum, teaching styles, and systems to ensure greater retention and success of students in STEM fields. After all, if, as a nation, we are to increase the number of people in math, science, technology and engineering, then higher education will need to invest in women of color and all students, and thus improve the success rates for those in STEM.

Scholars’ Corner I cannot understate the importance of simultaneously developing strong networks and meaningful connections with peers and colleagues throughout one’s schooling. My own educational journey has been greatly enhanced in part due to a number of mentors, both personal and academic. As the son of Mexican immigrants, born and raised in the Yakima Valley region in Washington, and a firstgeneration college graduate, I have always had a deep understanding of cultural, familial and community identity. This upbringing has stayed with me well throughout my present doctoral studies, as I am interested in examining developmental and academic trajectories of United States Latino students. As a 2011 Graduate Fellow of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE), I was reminded that other emerging and seasoned Latina/o scholars share my commitment and passion not only in research interests, but also in reflecting upon personal stories and having a sense for never forgetting from where one comes. I first heard of AAHHE when I began my doctoral studies at Indiana University through a colleague of mine who had previously attended and earned his Ph.D. from Indiana University and was a previous graduate fellow recipient. His initial endorsement of AAHHE sparked my interest, but at the time I had limited knowledge of the mission and activities of AAHHE. Then in 2010 while attending the American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting in Denver, another previous graduate fellow recipient introduced me again to the AAHHE Graduate Fellows program. This subtle yet encouraging description of the advocacy work of AAHHE in supporting Latina/o graduate students and faculty alike motivated me to submit an application. Having been selected, I was extremely pleased and very proud to be associated with AAHHE, in particular because I strongly believe AAHHE reinforces the advancement of social, economic, educational and even political affairs of Latina/os through higher educational means. One real strength of the graduate fellows program is that it is on the forefront of ensuring the success of Latina/o graduate students by modeling the skills, strategies and experience necessary to effectively maintain a balance between working in academia and policy – while also maintaining a personal sense of self. A goal of mine is to become a university professor. I am well aware of the current trends in relation to students and faculty of color in higher education that presently lay before me, particularly the presence of Latina/os, and yet participating in the graduate fellows program has helped me to seriously consider how my own progress is in fact rooted in the success of others. I view AAHHE’s Graduate Fellows program as ultimately providing a transformational pathway for Latina/o scholars to continue to develop well-rounded careers, both in terms of potential impact in academia as well as our societal roles. As a 2011 Graduate Fellow of AAHHE, what I gained most was an empowering reaffirmation to being one of many links that are ultimately helping to secure the critical success of Latina/os in higher education and beyond.

By Antonio G. Estudillo Ph.D. Candidate, Learning and Developmental Sciences, Indiana University, 2011 AAHHE Graduate Fellow

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INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS

Preparing Hispanics and Other Minorities for the Global Marketplace

by Thomas G. Dolan here are three somewhat contradictory forces affecting higher education. One is the unacceptably high Hispanic dropout rate. Second is the need for graduates who can complete in the global marketplace. And third is the additional special need for graduates trained in the difficult STEM disciplines. The obvious solution to these contradictions is to improve performance in all three areas. Here is how three different universities are going about it. As illustrated by the University of Texas (UT)San Antonio, the situation is complex. At UT-San Antonio, roughly 60 percent of the 31,000 students are Hispanic, about 8 percent are AfricanAmerican, and the rest are other minorities or White. But, as Edwin Barea-Rodríguez, Ph.D., chair of the department of biology, with some 3,000 students, reports, recruiting students into STEM programs is not a new idea. “For over 30 years, we’ve received grants from the National Institutes of Health and have formed programs the point of which has been to encourage and train more minorities into various technologies.” Barea-Rodríguez, who for the past five years has been the program director of the MBRS/RISE/MARC student training programs funded by the National Institute of General Medical Scientists (NIGMS), says, “It’s still a challenge to attract students to STEM. Many Hispanics want to go into health care, especially nursing, to care for patients. We want to introduce them to think critically, to show how working in research can lead to cures that can help

patients in a different way.” To this end, UT-San Antonio has outreach programs to high schools, an introductory freshman course in STEM, as well as speakers who come in to show students the opportunities in these fields. Yet, despite these long-term efforts, and the challenges still inherent in attracting enough students, especially minorities, into STEM, an added dynamic, Barea-Rodríguez says, must also be added. “We began to make some major changes about eight years ago,” says Barea-Rodríguez. “Before we just put a student in a lab, but now we know it’s not enough to make him successful.” The changes the school has gradually introduced over time have been to broaden the STEM student’s personal development in many ways. The student now takes literature and writing courses, is taught leadership skills. Students are taught how to speak effectively, to write and deliver presentations, and to attend national conferences in their area, such as those in microbiology for those in the biology department. These liberal arts and communications skills are directed not simply to STEM students who will go on to work in corporations increasingly engaged in the global market, but also those who want a Ph.D. to teach. “When a student graduates from here with an undergraduate degree, we welcome him here for graduate work, but also encourage him to study at another university, especially one outside the U.S.,” Barea-Rodríguez says. “We’ve all heard of the brain drain of the

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U.S., of students coming from countries like China and India to receive training – then going back home. We have to train our own students not only in the STEM disciplines but in a holistic way so they can relate to the larger world. If we don’t, we will be in trouble as a nation.” At the University of Illinois at Chicago, the largest university in that city, the student population is about 40 percent White, 25 percent Hispanic, 20 percent Asian-American, and the rest African-American, Native American and other. Verónica Arreola, as director of the women in science and engineering program as well as assistant director for research on women and gender, has a special focus on attracting women, especially minority women, to STEM. “At a recent conference of the Society of Women Engineers, it was pointed out that just about every major company has some sort of global access, and how students who go to work for them with degrees in STEM will be traveling all over the world, as well as finding important positions in academia,” Arreola says. “As a good example of what is going on, Chicago has recently closed down its super generator, the particle accelerator built by Enrico Fermi,” says Arreola. “Why? A better and bigger one has been built in Europe. Science and engineering are crossing all borders and our faculty is now going to Europe to collaborate in global and academic research.” The campus has had two grants to further these goals, both from the National Science Foundation, one for computer science and the

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other for chemical engineering. These have been broken down into scholarships that are still available for the next couple of years. But this, again, is undermined somewhat by, as Arreola says, “our long-term concerns of Hispanics and African-Americans getting into college, with equal aspirations, but then dropping out. We’re doing pretty good in terms of the national average, and things have improved. But there’s still a big gap, and it’s going to take a while to narrow it down. A key dynamic in closing this gap, Arreola says, “is helping Latinas, Latinos and other minority students find a mentor as early as high school. We work with high school science teachers on emerging technologies. From my office, we run an online mentoring program for high school girls, trying to connect them to different programs, as well as a specific mentor. So when the student asks who’s going to support me academically, emotionally and financially when I get to campus, she’ll have an answer.” At the City College of New York (CCNY), of the student population of about 14,000, about 35 percent are Hispanic, 25 percent are AfricanAmerican, and the remaining are AsianAmerican or White. CCNY’s successful venture into STEM studies for minorities is demonstrated by the fact that the NOAA-Cooperative Remote Sensing Science and Technology Center (NOAA-CREST), located at CCNY, has begun its second decade of operation, supported by a new five-year $15 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The CCNY center also includes four other university partner institutions in California, Maryland, Virginia and Puerto Rico; and aims to become an international and national center that will serve government agencies as well as the academic and scientific communities. “In less than 10 years, NOAA-CREST has been able to establish itself as one of the country’s premier research centers,” says Reza Khanbilvardi, the center’s director and a NOAAChair professor of civil engineering in CCNY’s Grove School of Engineering. “Most of our graduates are finding jobs before they graduate. Our research products are being used not only by NOAA, but by other agencies at the federal, state and local level, such as NASA and the EPA.” Jorge González, Ph.D., professor of engineering at CCNY’s school of engineering, and one of the principal researchers at the center, adds,

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“The center has established a proven track record in recruiting, educating, training and graduating students from diverse backgrounds. To date, it has produced 350 graduates, 82 percent of whom are from groups underrepresented in the remote sensing sciences.” He explains that NOAA-CREST was one of five cooperative science centers established nationwide through the agency’s educational partnership program with minority-serving institutions. “The center’s research agenda, González says, “is focused along four broadly based and interconnected themes: climate; weather and atmosphere; water resources and land processes; and ocean and coastal waters.” The center owns and operates an array of sophisticated instrumentation that addresses all four remote sensing monitoring thrusts. They include: • The Microwave Observation Unit, which measures snowmelt, soil conditions and tropospheric weather conditions • The Long Island Sound Coastal Observation Unit, the only facility of its kind in the U.S. that measures radiance from coastal waters • A satellite earth observation station that receives and analyzes data directly from polar orbiting and geostationary satellites • NYC MetNet, a network of sensors that measures air quality in New York City and the metropolitan region González says the center envisions becoming the national remote sensing of earth institute for the U.S., especially the Northeast, over the next decade. It expects to provide research and training that will be used by government agencies, scientists and academics. Models being developed by CREST scientists will address global and regional issues related to climate change including: disaster management, water resources assessment, coastal water management and severe storm tracking. Partnership among CREST faculty, NOAA scientists and industrial partners Raytheon, Northrup Grumman and ERT Inc. enhance CREST activities by engaging scientists from off campus as co-mentors for CREST students. In addition, the CREST center has a robust research agenda with 18 major projects and 104 tasks now underway. To date, CREST scientists and students have published more than 150 papers in peer-reviewed journals and presented at more than 300 scientific conferences in the U.S. and abroad. But CREST is also working to expand its educa-

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tion agenda beyond providing support for students pursuing bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees. It aims to provide a “K to grey” menu of offerings that will include professional development for engineers, pre-service and in-service training for teachers, summer research training for high school students through paid internships, and science enrichment activities for younger students. González says that, because of programs like

NOAA-CREST, CCNY does better than the national average in terms of both STEM students and attracting minorities to same, but there is still much room for improvement at his school. Looking at the broader picture, González points out that in China close to 50 percent of the students study STEM. In South Korea, it’s 38 percent; and in Germany, it’s 28 percent. And in the U.S.? “Only about 16 percent of our students take STEM, and only a fraction of these are Hispanics.” In closing, González says, “The latest statistics show that today only about 15 percent of all our degrees go to Hispanics, yet by 2050 the U.S. population will be 50 percent minority, primarily Hispanics. So you can imagine what’s going to happen to the U.S. in terms of global competition, unless we educate our students to become trained in science and technology, become savvy in more than one language, and have a high degree of adaptability through the development of personal, communication and leadership skills.”

DISTANCE LEARNING

Helps HSIs Collaborate on Online Learning In

by Gary M. Stern

1993, five years before Google began, seven Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) launched the Hispanic Educational Technology Services (HETS). This nonprofit consortium trains faculty to use technology, encourages using best practices in distance and online learning, and inspires collaboration among the schools. Leaders of HETS did not possess a crystal ball or know that the Internet would shape the next decade, but were ahead of the curve in promoting the use of technology and helping Latino students’ master online learning. The seven HSIs that started HETS were Lehman College and Hostos Community College in New York, Ana G. Mendez University and the University of Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico, University of Texas (UT)Brownsville and UT-Pan American, and the University of New Mexico. HETS earned a grant from the Department of Commerce, which helped lift it off the ground. By 2011, HETS has expanded to 30 HSIs, including a dozen community colleges. Member colleges have 500,000 students, and Latinos constitute 60 percent of their population. To become members, colleges pay $5,000 a year for four-year institutions and $3,000 for two-year colleges. HETS runs lean since it only has two full-time staff members, including its executive director, and relies on several freelancers, including a Web designer. Primary Goals HETS defines its goals as helping Latino students and Hispanic colleges in several ways: 1) developing and implementing technological approaches to education, 2) encouraging collaboration and best practices among member colleges, and 3) introducing technological projects. HETS Executive Director Yubelkys Montalvo, who is based at Mendez University in San Juan, says the consortium has been concentrating on improving the way HSIs deliver online learning and enhancing the way Latino students learn so they can use technology as a tool to further their higher education goals. HETS’ board established a five-year plan in 2010 to focus on accomplishing three goals: 1) increasing access to higher education, 2) assessment of students, and 3) improving retention to increase Latino graduate rates.

René Sainz, assistant director of online learning, UT-Brownsville

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Why focus on Latino students since all students – Latinos, Whites, African-Americans and Asians – need help in distance learning? Montalvo says the educational gap between the achievement of Latino and majority students existed back then and still operates. HETS aims to “overcome Hispanic barriers, help students gain access to new technologies and find ways to achieve their educational goals,” she said. “Our services work perfectly for all students, whether Hispanic or not,” explained Montalvo. Some training is geared toward students in online classes who are bilingual and learning English as their second language, but that could help Asian students as easily as Latinos. Focusing on Online Learning One of HETS’ primary ways of achieving its goals involves improving Latino students’ performance in online learning. It offers online and in person training of faculty to improve their teaching techniques online. Moreover, it runs a best practices conference, held in Puerto Rico, that also inspires faculty on how to reach Latino students via online learning. Most of what HETS achieves comes directly through dealings with faculty, rather than directly with students. However, it offers online practice tests for students to improve their scores on GRE, LSAT and other graduate exams. And it lists hundreds of scholarships online that can enable students to lower their financial aid, offers a list of internships, and includes a database career transition, which helps them choose the right jobs. HETS also provides several online resources for faculty, including a peer review journal about online learning. Its online videos include a primer for time management and another providing an overview of teaching online. Though Montalvo is based in San Juan, she keeps in close touch with HETS’ 30 member colleges. Indeed, she attended conferences and visited 75 colleges in the United States over the last two years. HETS also has been forming partnerships with for-profit businesses that operate in online learning such as Blackboard, which provides technological products, and Cengage Learning, which offers eBooks and Web-based products. “We think our mission is aligned; they also provide services to students,” Montalvo noted. The companies are invited to events, but there are no commitments that members must buy any of their products. Moreover, HETS has a partnership with the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network, a nonprofit that provides educational television and works with community-based organizations. As college budgets shrink due to state cutbacks, HETS has more of an impact on online learning, Montalvo said. “Collaborating with a consortium becomes a must. Colleges can provide resources to each other,” she said, saving time and money. Any new techniques developed that improve online learning are disseminated among members, enabling faculty to avoid reinventing what has already proved effective. How HETS Operates at Lehman College Robert Whittaker, associate provost for undergraduate studies and online education at Lehman College, in the Bronx, N.Y., and part of the City University of New York, has been a liaison with HETS since its inception. “HETS began as a way to share educational opportunities for Latino students,” he said. At the outset, HETS focused on improving international education, which was just taking hold at Lehman. Its journalism program, which stressed multilingual studies, also was at the forefront of working with HETS.

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HETS Executive Director Yubelkys Montalvo

But as distance education grew in influence, HETS zeroed in on helping colleges deliver online education more effectively. Its concentration was how to make it effective with Latino and bilingual students. Indeed, by 2011, 14 percent of all classes at Lehman were being taught via online learning. And some classes involve hybrid learning, delivered half in the classroom and half online. Whittaker said that HETS inspires collaboration among the colleges. For example, at one workshop, a faculty member at John Jay College in New York discussed specific online techniques for helping foreign-born students write in English, a strategy that several Lehman faculty members adopted. “Even though we’re both part of CUNY, we don’t normally talk to people at John Jay,” Whittaker said, so the collaboration was useful. While students can attend some of HETS’ workshops on online learning, Whittaker said that “HETS does not do any teaching.” However, its impact is strongly felt by students, through the online test-prep programs, for example. When faculty members return from attending a HETS workshop, “they bring back techniques of how to use technology better, ways of supporting students, particularly those who have difficulty with language acquisition,” Whittaker noted.

Not Much Digital Divide at Lehman Digital divide refers to the fact that a larger number of minorities don’t have access to the Internet and computers at home, and that creates problems for doing research when studying at a college. The Federal Communications Commission in 2010 reported that only 45 percent of Latinos have access to broadband at home compared to 52 percent of African-Americans and 65 percent of Whites. Despite those numbers, Whittaker said surveys at Lehman reveal that 96 percent of Latino students have broadband access. Latinos constitute about two-thirds of Lehman’s student population, Whittaker said, so there’s little digital divide at that college. Whittaker sees HETS “as a clearinghouse. It’s about sharing of information and collaboration between colleges,” he said. He reads articles about best practices in teaching online learning in the journal on the HETS website. “We’re in the business of teaching. They help us with determining what’s the best way to teach something,” he said. Teaching critical thinking skills, a key attribute at a time when media are so dominant, has also been furthered by HETS. HETS Teaching Technology at UT-Brownsville When UT-Brownsville became a founding member of HETS in 1993, it wanted to be in the forefront of “interconnecting institutions via satellite,” explained René Sainz, assistant director of online learning at UTBrownsville, and involved with HETS since it launched. Of course, satellite learning morphed into online learning, and UT-Brownsville continues to be actively involved with HETS. HETS was ahead of the curve since it focused on two factors: using technology for pedagogical purposes and concentrating on Hispanics involved in this kind of learning, Sainz suggested. Because of its relationship with HETS, “We’ve learned best practices in distance education based on videoconferencing.” Latinos dominate UT-Brownsville. Sainz says that about 95 percent of its 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students are Latino. And the number of students studying online has been steadily increasing now that 17 per-

cent of all classes are delivered via online. Just as at Lehman College, the digital divide hasn’t been affecting most Latino students on the UT campus. About 85 percent of Latinos surveyed own their own computer. The minority of students who don’t own a computer can use one of the many laptops or PCs available at computer labs, kiosks and libraries on campus. UT-Brownsville earned a $750,000 U.S. Department of Education Minority Science and Engineering Improvement grant in October 2011 to boost the number of students graduating in STEM areas. The grant will enable it to create a summer bridge program to prepare students to succeed in engineering. HETS training could also help in this area. Though all students may need help making the most of online learning, Sainz, who was born in Mexico City, said that cultural issues can affect Latino students learning online. Latinos are “people-centered. We want to establish a personal relationship when we speak to somebody else. Technology doesn’t often allow for that.” Hence the faculty is trained in how to develop personal relationships during online classes. HETS knows its audience, Sainz suggests. One of its portals was called a virtual plaza. Sainz said that plazas are usually the city center in many Hispanic cities and known as a meeting place where people gather. So if Latinos could congregate in a plaza, they could also come together online. When UT-Brownsville students attend a HETS conference, it can have a very powerful impact on them. HETS’ conferences “provide a role model for our students. They help students to see successful Hispanic professionals and communicators,” Sainz noted. Ultimately, Sainz sees technology as another tool to reach Latino students and as a way to boost graduate rates and achievement levels. “The obstacles and challenges online are the same as face-to-face,” he said. But if students can listen to lectures via videocapturing, return to view lectures online, converse with other students on online discussion boards, it can improve their performance. Sainz sees HETS continuing to adapt to technology in the future. Soon classes may be delivered on smartphones and iPads, and HETS will be there to train faculty to use these devices.

High Tech – from the beginning ... 2500 BC

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The Mesopotamian Sumerian abacus is invented.

Gutenberg invents the movable type printing press.

The first use of the word computer, which meant someone who compiled and analyzed data.

Claude Chappe invents the optical telegraph using fiber optic technology.

Punch cards were used for the first time to compile the United States Census Report.

John Logie Baird held the first public demonstration of the first television show.

In Germany Konrad Zuse creates one of the first binary digital computers.

The Colossus computer is born and is used by the British to read encrypted German messages.

The first UNIVAC computer is delivered to the United States Government.

Intel invents its first Intel processor.

The first portable computer is made by IBM. It is the 5100 and weighs 55 pounds.

Steve Wozniak designs the first Apple computer.

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The Internet launches.

Cell phones go on the commercial market.

Dell Computer is founded by Michael Dell in Austin, Texas.

America Online creates an email gateway for its subscribers.

The first public HDTV broadcast was carried in the United States.

Larry Page and Sergey Brin unveil Google.

Apple markets its first iPod.

Facebook unleashes a new wave of social media.

Twitter tweets for the first time.

Apple introduces the iPhone, while Google launches its Android operating system.

Apple’s App Store opens as well as Google’s Android Market.

Apple launches the iPad.

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HIGH SCHOOL FORUM

Hispanic High School Students Lured into STEM Careers

by Mary Ann Cooper ith all the talk about a lack of jobs in the marketplace, very little is being written about the glut of job openings in the science, technology, engineering and math fields (STEM). But according to industry analysts, more than three million available STEM jobs in the United States are not being filled because there is a lack of qualified applicants to take those jobs. Organizations such as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) say that these jobs could be filled by Hispanics – with an appropriate associate degree. SHPE was founded in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1974 by a group of engineers employed by the city of Los Angeles. Their objective was to form a national organization of professional engineers to serve as role models in the Hispanic community. It has grown to become an independent network of professional and student chapters throughout the United States. These chapters have mentoring programs, scholarships and science-related events for students and their families. One of the programs it has created is an ad campaign called For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) featuring celebrities promoting science as an attractive profession for Hispanics to enter. Getting the word out to Hispanic high school students about how attractive the STEM job market is makes great economic sense for these students, beyond just finding gainful employment. According to a report released by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 65 percent of bachelor’s degrees in STEM occupations earn more than master’s degrees in non-STEM occupations. Similarly, 47 percent of bachelor’s degrees in STEM occupations earn more than Ph.D.s in non-STEM occupations. Furthermore, even people with only STEM certificates can earn more than people with non-STEM degrees; for instance, certificate holders in engineering earn more than associate degree holders in business and more than bachelor’s degree holders in education. For women and minorities, STEM is a good news/bad news story. Women and minorities are underrepresented in STEM. But for those who

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do persist, the pay gap in STEM between women or minorities and White men is smaller. More than two-thirds of associate degree holders in STEM make more than the average for all associate degree holders. STEM training pays more – even if you don’t work in a STEM occupation. Workers majoring in STEM in college earn more than all other majors over their lifetimes, even if they work in non-STEM occupations. So, with all the economic advantages and the prospect of fast-tracking into a career with ample employment possibilities, why aren’t more students, Hispanics in particular, opting for STEM training? The University of Sciences in Philadelphia cites the following statistics about the student mindset that stands in the way of choosing STEM careers. In a survey of 604 high school-age students, conducted on behalf of the university by Harris Interactive, 45 percent of 13- to 18-yearolds surveyed said they are not considering entering the field of health care or science. One of the reasons these students expressed for their disinterest was that they felt they did not know enough about the field of health care or science (22 percent). Another, cited by 21 percent, was that students felt “intimidated” by science careers because they didn’t feel that they were “good at” science. A third reason, expressed by 19 percent – they felt unprepared in high school to study these subjects in college. And 12 percent thought that the subject matter would be too difficult for them to master. There is good reason for many Hispanics to be wary of STEM careers. The root cause of their trepidation could be a lack of confidence. There is consensus in the academic community that challenges in academic achievement among Hispanic high school students must be addressed in order to increase interest by these students in STEM careers. First and foremost, Hispanic high school dropout rates have to be dramatically lowered. Nearly 40 percent of Hispanics 20 years old or older don’t have a high school diploma. In 2008 alone, upwards of 20 percent of Hispanic males dropped out of high school. A poor mastery of English is a strong

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influence on the decision to drop out, but the need to make money to support their families is an even more compelling reason to quit school. Persuading potential dropouts to “hang in there” and complete their high school education, with an eye on the prize of a lucrative STEM career, is a tough sell. This is particularly true because at-risk students traditionally have poor math and science skills. The challenge is to target these students and work with them to improve not only their reading skills, but their math and science skills. An advantage in this area could sway students to persevere when they reach an education crossroad – whether to stay in school or drop out. This approach may be most effective for ESL students, since math skills have fewer language barrier issues than other academic subjects, once basic principles are mastered. Another obstacle to Hispanics choosing a STEM career is the “geek” factor. Many students don’t see STEM careers as exciting or interesting despite the financial rewards. They think there is nothing “cool” about wearing a white lab coat. SHPE is working to infuse some enthusiasm among Hispanic students for STEM careers. Its events such as Family Science Nights (Noches De Ciencias) are designed to inform K-12 students and family members about the possibilities of STEM careers. Students and families are invited to participate in these events across the U.S. Everyone learns more about study and careers in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. Attendees receive information about scholarships and preparation for colleges and take part in grade-appropriate activities. Parents may participate in bilingual workshops on the financial aid process and college choices. Every year, SHPE sends teams to the National Science Bowl competition, where teams compete with their peers across the United States. The winning teams attend the National Science Bowl in D.C. SHPE also sponsors an annual conference that brings together educators, students, and leaders in government and industry. The purpose of this summit is to advance scientific and

technical education, career paths, and life goals for a variety of Hispanic and Latino students across the United States. This annual conference is an opportunity for Hispanic and Latino high school students who are focused on careers in technological fields to see what college is all about, prepare for SATs, learn how to write effective essays, and obtain a wider view of the jobs available in the technical fields. High-profile government agencies, such as NASA and the Department of Energy, participate in this conference. Representatives of these and other agencies and companies attend this conference to speak directly to students aspiring to work in scientific and technical fields and study at colleges and universities across the U.S. The SHPE Foundation also hosts a Teacher Program during the conference at which 100 middle and high school science and math teach-

ers who teach in predominantly Hispanic-serving schools are apprised of opportunities for their most talented students. During the conference, high school seniors participate in seminars where they take a closer look at the college application process and learn about scholarship opportunities. Graduate students learn how to improve their résumés and are given an overview of internship opportunities. Deans of colleges and universities discuss matters affecting science, technology, engineering and mathematics students at the college and graduate level. In the area of financial aid, the Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program has been established by the Department of Defense (DoD) to support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in STEM disciplines. The program aims to increase the number of

civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories. It provides a full scholarship and paid internship at the DoD. After receiving their degrees, students are required to work for the DoD a year for every academic year they received scholarship monies from SMART. The National Science Foundation seeks to encourage talented science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors and professionals to become K-12 mathematics and science teachers. Toward this end, it offers the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. The Noyce Scholarship Track provides funds to institutions of higher education to support scholarships, stipends, and academic programs for undergraduate STEM majors and post-baccalaureate students holding STEM degrees that earn a teaching credential and commit to teaching in high-need K-12 school districts.

Theory into Practice Getting Hispanic teens interested in pursuing careers in STEM careers takes a concentrated effort by parents and teachers. Here are some suggestions from the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities report Overview of Hispanics in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology: K-16 Representation, Preparation and Participation. 1. It’s Never Too Early to Start – Students should be exposed to information about STEM careers at an early age. Most never consider a STEM career because it seems foreign and strange to them. Students should be encouraged as early as elementary school to explore math and science as viable for career options. Make math and science relatable to the lives of the students in your charge. Many students ignore STEM careers because they think these careers are boring and not fulfilling. Science and math fairs challenge the imagination of students. Remember the excitement at the White House when a student at a science fair there demonstrated a cannon that shot marshmallows? 2. Level the Playing Field – Another barrier to Hispanics pursuing STEM careers is the achievement gap in math and science between Hispanic and non-Hispanic students. The development of preschool programs promoting math and science helps Hispanics remain on par with their non-Hispanic peers. According to the report, “Participation and success in mathematics and science in middle school leads to participation and success in mathematics and science in high school. The key to increasing the number of STEM majors and graduates at the undergraduate level is to increase the overall mathematics and science competencies among all high school students, particularly Hispanics and African-Americans.” 3. Change Negative Influences – Unless family and peer members are positive influences when it comes to STEM careers, a student will be more reluctant to choose them. The job of teachers and counselors is to reach out to family members and educate them about all the opportunities and possibilities that exist in math and science fields. This could be accomplished by involving family in student science projects. Also, students often choose a major based on the number of peers in that field. There is strength in numbers. 4. Look to Community Colleges for Help – A great partnership between high schools and community colleges can lay the groundwork for student interest in STEM degrees or certificates. It’s not only a case of creating programs for these students, it is also linking them with Hispanic faculty members and undergraduate students in the science and math disciplines who can perform the duties of mentoring and explaining these fields to interested students. The study explains, “One means of initiating those connections is by establishing a series of brown bag seminars, lectures or presentations by research faculty (minority and non-minority) where several classes during a specific time period would be required to attend.” 5. Show Them the Money – Financial considerations are always factors in the minds of students and families as they chart higher education goals. Counselors should begin conversations about funding a college education early in the high school experience. There are a variety of scholarships available for students pursuing a STEM career. When President Obama won the Nobel Prize in late 2009, he donated his $1.4 million winnings to 10 charities. The $125,000 donated to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund was divided into 24 $5,000 scholarships for Hispanic students studying STEM-related fields. There is a new emphasis on encouraging STEM careers through scholarships and grants programs. Students and their families should be aware of them long before higher education planning begins.

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The Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education

www.hispanicoutlook.com

Hispanic Bachelor’s Degree Attainment Increases 80 Percent, Census Bureau Reports WASHINGTON, D.C.

In March 2011, for the first time ever, more than 30 percent of U.S. adults 25 and older had at least a bachelor’s degree, the U.S. Census Bureau reported in February. As recently as 1998, fewer than one-quarter of people this age had this level of education. From 2001 to 2011, the number of Hispanics with a bachelor’s or higher educational degree increased 80 percent from 2.1 million to 3.8 million. The percentage of Hispanics with a bachelor’s or higher educational degree increased from 11.1 percent in 2001 to 14.1 percent in 2011. Overall, the increase in the proportion of the population with a bachelor’s degree or higher went from 26.2 percent to 30.4 percent. “This is an important milestone in our history,” Census Bureau Director Robert Groves said. “For many people, education is a sure path to a prosperous life. The more

Pew Hispanic Center: Intermarriage Rates Highest Among Hispanics and Asians WASHINGTON, D.C.

Marriage across racial and ethnic lines continues to be on the rise in the United States, according to a recent report by the Pew Research Center’s Pew Social & Demographic Trends project. The share of new marriages between spouses of a different race or ethnicity increased to 15.1 percent in

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April 23, 2012

education people have the more likely they are to have a job and earn more money, particularly for individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree.” This information comes from Educational Attainment in the United States: 2011, a collection of national-level tables from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC). These tables present statistics on the levels of education achieved by various demographic characteristics, as well as changes over time. Historical tables go back to the late 1940s, when the CPS first began collecting data on attainment. This table package is one of five education-related statistical products released in February. Here are the other four: • Educational Attainment in the United States: 2009, a report that shows the monthly employment rates by educational attainment from January 2008 to December 2010, along with other information on education from the American Community Survey (ACS), the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) and the monthly Current

Population Survey • Field of Bachelor’s Degree in the United States: 2009, the first report to examine results from the ACS question that asked respondents who held a bachelor’s degree or above to indicate their major; the question was added to the ACS in 2009 • What It’s Worth: Field of Training and Economic Status in 2009, a report that examines the relationship between educational attainment, fields of study, and eventual occupation and earnings; the statistics were collected between January and April 2009 from the Survey of Income and Program Participation • Measurement of High School Equivalency Credentials in Census Bureau Surveys working paper People with a bachelor’s degree had lower rates of unemployment than those with less education in every month from January 2008 to December 2010. This period included all but one month of the recent recession, which began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009.

2010, and the share of all current marriages that are either interracial or interethnic has reached an all-time high of 8.4 percent. According to the report, intermarriage rates are highest among Hispanics and Asians. In 2010, more than a quarter (26 percent) of Hispanic newlyweds and 28 percent of Asian newlyweds married someone of a different race or ethnicity, or “married out.” By contrast, about one in six (17 percent) newlywed Black non-Hispanics married non-Blacks, and less than one in 10 White non-Hispanics (9 percent) married

someone who is not White, the lowest among all groups. Whites are by far the largest racial group in the United States, meaning that marriages between Whites and minority groups are the most common types of intermarriage. The report, The Rise of Intermarriage: Rates, Characteristics Vary by Race and Gender, authored by Wendy Wang, research associate, Pew Social & Demographic Trends, is available at the Pew Social & Demographic Trend’s website, www.pewsocialtrends.org.

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The Hispanic Outlook In Higher Education

Excelencia in Education Launches New Project to Help Employers Look for Latino Degree Holders WASHINGTON, D.C.

Excelencia in Education has unveiled a new project to help employers look for recent Latino degree recipients in key sectors. Called, Finding Your Workforce, the project launched in March with the release of an analysis of the top 25 institutions graduating Latinos. During the coming months, the project will include a series of releases revealing and analyzing the top 25 institutions enrolling Latinos overall and in key sectors, such as health, science, technology, engineering, math, business, education and liberal arts. “Corporate leaders have expressed both their desire to hire more Latinos and their frustration at not knowing where to find

What Happens to Borrowers Who Drop Out? WASHINGTON, D.C.

The stories of college graduates burdened with mountains of debt and poor job prospects have been well documented in this recession year. But while these students do face real problems in today’s tough economy, their degree will still likely prove to be a wise investment even as the recession draws to a close. This isn’t the case for another group of borrowers who may have bigger financial problems, even if the economy rebounds. What is happening to borrowers who did not graduate, but still have loans to repay? In Degreeless in Debt: What Happens to

www.hispanicoutlook.com

April 23, 2012

Latinos with the necessary educational credentials in their sectors,” said Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education. “Therefore, we are using our unique analytical focus to provide practical information to address this need and make the direct connection between Latino college completion and America’s future workforce.” “Business leaders know that America’s workforce cannot be competitive in the future without a significant influx of Latinos who have the educational credentials necessary for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Emily Stover DeRocco, president of the Manufacturing Institute. “Excelencia is giving us practical information so we can meet that need.” The recent analysis points to some interesting conclusions: • For-profit institutions are well represented among schools graduating Latinos with certificates

• Nearly all top 25 schools at the bachelor’s degree level are public colleges or universities • Latino graduates earning master’s degrees come nearly evenly from private nonprofit and public colleges • Private universities are well represented among schools graduating Latinos with their first professional degree, but Latinos earn doctoral degrees disproportionately at public universities “This analysis literally points recruiters to where they can find Latino degree holders for their workforce,” said Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia. Finding Your Workforce is a project of Excelencia’s national initiative called Ensuring America’s Future by Increasing Latino College Completion, which brings together federal, state, institutional and community leaders to develop and provide specific tools and information to accelerate degree attainment among Latinos.

Borrowers Who Drop Out, Education Sector Research Assistant Mary Nguyen takes a look at an often overlooked group: students who took out large loans but failed to complete a college degree. Their prospects are bleak. “Many of those who drop out are saddled with high loan payments even as they are more likely to be unemployed and earn less than their degree-holding peers,” Nguyen notes. “When they default, as many do, they experience devastating financial consequences.” Nguyen found several disturbing trends: • Student borrowing has increased to the point that a majority of freshmen at all institutions now borrow to pay for their education; borrowing has grown the most at forprofit institutions; this is especially signifi-

cant because for-profit institutions enroll just 9 percent of all college students • While borrowing is on the rise, dropout rates among borrowers are also increasing across all institution sectors; for-profit, four-year institutions, however, have the highest dropout rate among borrowers; in 2009, 54 percent of borrowers in these institutions dropped out, an increase of 20 percentage points from 2001, when the rate was 34 percent • Borrowers who drop out face higher unemployment rates, lower median incomes, and higher loan default rates than those who graduated Degreeless in Debt is part of a larger body of work by Education Sector analysts focusing on the issue of college affordability.

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HI S PAN I C S O N T H E MO VE CSU Dominguez Hills Names Torrecilha New Provost California State University-Dominguez Hills President Mildred García recently announced the selection of Ramón Torrecilha as the university’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. He will oversee all academicrelated divisions, programs and activities, including recruitment and retention of faculty. “Dr. Torrecilha brings with him a wealth of experience and a strong track record of working collaboratively across divisions and in the external community to develop innovative programs that benefit students,” said García. Torrecilha has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology from Portland State University and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Rodrigues Saturn Receives Prestigious NSF Career Award

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Sotomayor Attends Jurist-inResidence Program at HawaiiManoa

Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association (LISTA) and the National Latino Alliance on Health Informa -tion Technology have announced that the recipient of their 2011 Government Beacon Lifetime Achievement Award is Rep. Charles González of Texas. The award recognizes a government official who has gone above and beyond to represent his community. González is currently in his seventh term in the United States Congress as the representative from the 20th Congressional District of Texas. He now serves on the House Committees on Energy and Commerce and House Administration and is the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor took part in a jurist-in-residence program at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii-Manoa in late January/early February. During her visit to the law school, Sotomayor taught classes, judged a Moot Court practice and met with faculty and students. She also was a guest at an event for the Hawaii Bar and guest of honor at a breakfast with Hawaii Women Lawyers and the Hawaii Women’s Legal Foundation.

López Receives Malave Outstanding Student Leader Award

An Oregon State University neuropsychologist has received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award designed to support emerging influential scholars and educators. Sarina Rodrigues Saturn, an assistant professor of psychology, will use the funding to investigate how naturally occurring variations in the oxytocin hormone (also known as the “love hormone”) influence the experience and expression of uplifting emotional states and altruism in young children, young adults and older adults. The CAREER award is the NSF’s most prestigious award for new faculty members, designed to recognize and support the early career-development activities of the academic leaders of the future. Rodrigues Saturn has a doctoral degree from New York University and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of CaliforniaBerkeley.

LISTA and LatinoHIT Honor González with “Lifetime Achiever Award”

Chancellor Matthew Goldstein of the City University of New York (CUNY) recently presented the inaugural Ernesto Malave Outstanding Student Leader Award to Liliete López, Hostos Community College class of 2010 and presently at Queens College majoring in political science and urban studies. The ceremony took place during the New York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislators Annual Conference held in Albany. The Ernesto Malave Award is named after the former CUNY vice chancellor for budget and finance. The award recognizes a student leader who inspired others by their actions. López, who has been legally blind since she was nine months old, emigrated from Nicaragua when she was 13. She could speak Spanish but could not read or write. Yet she went on to graduate from Hostos with a 3.8 GPA.

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National Hispanic University Honors Villaraigosa The National Hispanic University (NHU) honored Los Angeles, Calif., Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa during its 30th anniversary celebration event in February. Villaraigosa was the keynote speaker, addressing students, faculty, alumni and members of the community. NHU President Dr. David P. López presented the mayor with an honorary doctoral degree in recognition of his commitment to education and for his involvement in improving access to education on behalf of the Hispanic community. “Mayor Villaraigosa is a reform-minded leader in urban education and a champion for quality education,” said López.

Interesting Reads Halls of Ivy By Roland Núñez Three students commit suicide and nothing seems to explain their actions. University administrators are baffled. The novel’s fast pace and detail of college life provide a look at the inner workings of the modern American university and the struggles students face to earn a degree. 2011. 286 pgs. ISBN: 978-1466284432. $10.99 paper. CreateSpace, (206) 266-7180. www.Createspace.com.

Lou: From Brooklyn to Broadway By Patricia A. Watkins When Lou Agnese was hired as the eighth president of Incarnate Word College in 1985, he was one of the youngest university presidents in the United States. At 33, the Brooklyn native faced the daunting challenge of reviving an institution with a shrinking enrollment and an uncertain future whose student demographics were out of step with San Antonio. 2011. 232 pgs. ISBN: 978-1893271609. $26.95 paper. Maverick Publishing, (210) 828-5777. www.maverickpub.com.

Narrowing the Achievement Gap Edited by Thomas B. Timar and Julie Maxwell-Jolly Closing persistent gaps in educational outcomes between different groups of students has been a central goal of education policy for the past 40 years. The commitment to close existing achievement gaps poses an unprecedented challenge to policy makers, school leaders, and teachers alike, since the causes of those gaps are multiple and complex. 2012. 336 pgs. ISBN: 978-1612501239. $29.95 paper. Harvard Education Press, (617) 495-3432. www.hepg.org.

Trans-Americanity By José David Saldívar A founder of U.S.-Mexico border studies, José David Saldívar is a leading figure in efforts to expand the scope of American studies. In Trans-Americanity, he advances that critical project by arguing for a transnational, antinational, and “outernational” paradigm for American studies. 2011. 304 pgs. ISBN: 978-0822350835. $23.95 paper. Duke University Press Books, (919) 688-5134. www.dukeupress.edu.

I Got My Dream Job and So Can You by Pete Leibman Amacom Books. www.amacombooks.org. $15.95 paper. 256 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8144-2020-1.

this tough economy, it’s hard enough to land any job, let alone a dream job. But the author of this self-help book believes that job seekers can aim high and be happily and gainfully employed by following his example and the system he’s developed. When he was only 21 years old, Pete Leibman fulfilled his lifelong ambition of working in the front office of the NBA’s Washington Wizards. He went on to be their No. 1 salesperson for three straight seasons and was promoted to management in under two years. In I Got My Dream Job and So Can You, Leibman shares what he did to achieve this success and land his dream job. The book is filled with success stories of other young professionals who have used Leibman’s methods. It’s a guide that includes creative strategies for leveraging social media in the job search process. Liebman then offers job seekers tips on how to quickly move up the corporate ladder once they get their foot in the door with an entry-level job. The author says he combines creative tips on traditional job-hunting tools and tactics with little-known secrets for advancing a career through social media and innovative online resources. He uses the acronym S.I.M.P.L.E. to describe this process. S stands for Start – the idea that job hunters shouldn’t make any excuses or delay the job search even if they don’t know what exactly they are looking for. I stands for Identify. The idea is to identify your passions, talents and values and apply to them to a longterm career goal. Makeover is the M in S.I.M.P.L.E., and it stands for the Makeover that needs to happen once job seekers do an honest assessment of their assets and liabilities in terms of their talent, appearance, and public profile. Plan (P) refers to the strategy a job seeker should employ in terms of using social networks, attending networking events, and finding ways to target and distribute résumés. Look (L) for experts and influential people to help get a foot in the door. Execute (E) a perfect interview by anticipating the questions and avoiding what the author calls the six deadly interview sins. The author’s book is a grooming guide of sorts for job seekers. The key, he says is being professional. It’s not only the way a job seeker acts, it’s a highly developed mindset. The book includes Q&A’s addressing common job-seeker concerns and Leibman Life Lessons. The author believes that job seekers in any economic environment can not only get a job, they can get the job they want if they follow his lead. Reviewed by Mary Ann Cooper

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ounded in 1956, the University of South Florida is a public research university of growing national distinction. The USF System is comprised of member

institutions; USF Tampa, the doctoral granting institution which includes USF

Health; USF St. Petersburg; USF Sarasota-Manatee; USF Polytechnic, located in Lakeland, separately accredited by the Commission Colleges of the Southern

Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). USF is one of only four Florida public universities classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in the top tier of research universities. More than 47,000 students are studying on USF

campuses and the University offers 228 degree programs at the undergraduate,

graduate, specialty and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine. USF is a member of the Big East Athletic Conference. And, USF is listed in the Princeton Review as one of the nation's 50 "Best Value" public colleges and universities.

The university is currently recruiting for the following positions; the number in parentheses represents the number of positions available to that specific title:

Administrative Positions: Director of Parking Service

Director of Counseling Center

Director of Housing Facilities (Student Affairs)

Assitant Vice President Student Services (COM)

Director of Engineering Operations (Public Broadcasting) Director of Human Resources/Payroll

Faculty Positions: College of Arts and Sciences

Engineering

Assistant Professor (1)

Assistant Professor (4)

Chair, Associate/Full Professor (1)

College of Arts

Business

Dean (1)

Assistant/Associate Professor (1)

St. Petersburg Campus

Sarasota

Assistant/Associate/Full Professor (1)

Assistant Professor (1)

Division of Administration

Assistant/Associate Professor (1)

College of Medicine

College of Nursing

Assistant/Associate Professor (2)

Associate to Full (1)

Assistant Professor (12)

Assistant/Associate/Full Professor (1)

Pharmacy Director (1)

Nursing Faculty (2)

Assistant/Associate Professor (1)

For a job description on the above listed positions including department, disciple and deadline dates: (1) visit our Careers@USF Web site at https://employment.usf.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/Welcome_css.jsp; or (2) contact The Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, (813) 974-4373; or (3) call USF job line at 813.974.2879.

USF is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution, committed to excellence through diversity in education and employment. www.usf.edu â&#x20AC;˘ 4202 E. Fowler Ave,Tampa, FL 33620

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04/23/2012

DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

The University of Wisconsin-Madison invites applications and nominations for the position of dean of its College of Engineering. UW-Madison is a major land-grant university committed to excellence in teaching, research and public service, with revenues of $2.7 billion, a student body of approximately 42,000 and faculty/staff of approximately 18,000.

The College of Engineering currently offers research programs as well as graduate, undergraduate, and outreach instruction in a wide range of fields organized through nine academic departments: biomedical engineering, chemical and biological engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical and computer engineering, engineering physics, engineering professional development, industrial and systems engineering, materials science and engineering, and mechanical engineering, five interdisciplinary degree programs: environmental chemistry and technology, geological engineering, manufacturing systems engineering, materials science, and limnology and marine science, as well as a number of certificate programs, professional masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees, and thriving continuing education and lifelong learning programs. The college enrolls approximately 1500 graduate and 3800 undergraduate students. More comprehensive information about the college and the university can be found on the following websites:

http://www.engr.wisc.edu

http://www.wisc.edu

The college has a total annual budget of $160 million with over $100 million in annual extramural research support, and ~200 faculty, 1100 research and support staff, 1500 graduate assistants, and 500 undergraduate employees. The dean is the chief academic and executive officer of the college, with responsibility for personnel, curriculum, academic affairs, research, budget, fund raising, community relations, and physical facilities.

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Interdisciplinarity is a strength of the UW-Madison campus, and the College of Engineering has extensive research and teaching collaborations with other outstanding schools and colleges including the schools of business, education, and medicine and public health, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and many physical and life science departments in the College of Letters and Science. The College of Engineering also has strong connections to the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), which facilitates the patenting of research discoveries and licensing of technologies.

Candidates will be evaluated on the following professional and personal characteristics: a record of successful visionary and collaborative leadership; a comprehensive appreciation of the complex issues in the fields of engineering; a demonstrated commitment to advance the quality of undergraduate and graduate instruction, research, technology transfer, and public service; strong management, communication and fund-raising skills and success including a talent for identifying and supporting entrepreneurial opportunities; commitment and ability to work with faculty, staff and students within one of the strongest shared governance environments in the United States; an understanding and appreciation of the diverse missions and constituencies of a major public research university; proven ability to build interdisciplinary coalitions and engage diverse constituencies to advance the college; a commitment to the diversity of students, faculty and staff, and to advancing an inclusive diverse climate that stimulates excellence; experience with governmental agencies, industry and philanthropic foundations; the ability to represent the college and university effectively in educational, governmental, business, alumni, and public forums; and a record of scholarship and teaching that qualifies the candidate for a tenured appointment at the rank of full professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Electronic applications and nominations must be received by 23 May 2012 to ensure consideration. Later applications and nominations may also be considered. The committee encourages applications and nominations of women and individuals from underrepresented groups. Applicants should include a current curriculum vitae and a comprehensive cover letter that addresses how their strengths and experience match the qualifications for the position, and what they see as challenges and opportunities of the position, as well as the names, addresses, email addresses, and telephone numbers of five references. Candidates will be consulted before references are contacted. Please note that in accordance with Wisconsin statutes the names of nominees and applicants who explicitly request confidentiality will not be made public, although the university is required to release the names and titles of the finalists who will be interviewed by the chancellor and the provost. Submit applications and nominations electronically to the College of Engineering Dean Search and Screen Committee at:

Engr-Dean-Search@secfac.wisc.edu

Questions may be directed to the search committee office at 608-262-1677 or ckrenke@secfac.wisc.edu

!!"

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer.

04/23/2012

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Bunker Hill Community College www.bhcc.mass.edu 250 New Rutherford Avenue, Boston, MA 02129-2925

The College Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC), a dynamic institution with more than 13,000 credit students, is the largest community college in Massachusetts. It is also one of the most diverse institutions of higher education in New England, with 63% students of color and international students from more than 95 countries. A multi-campus urban institution, BHCC has locations in Boston and the adjacent city of Chelsea as well as satellites in several nearby communities. Students choose from more than 94 degree and certificate programs as well as Adult Basic Education, an online college and programs offered through the Center for Workforce Development and Community Education. Courses are offered days, evenings, weekends, and at midnight.

College Goals BHCC is a progressive institution guided by seven goals: to create pathways and partnerships to promote student success; to demonstrate strength through diversity; to develop and cultivate college-wide sustainability initiatives; to expand technology throughout the College; to foster wellness, growth and life-long learning; to identify and close workforce gaps; and to institute a culture of evidence and accountability. The College is committed to a learning community teaching/learning environment and, as an Achieving the Dream institution, is focused on data-driven student success.

DEAN OF NURSE EDUCATION, MEDICAL IMAGING, RESPIRATORY THERAPY Reporting to the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Services, the Dean is responsible for the administration and leadership of the Division. These responsibilities will include faculty recruitment, evaluation and development, implementation of academic policies, new program and curriculum development, program assessment, establishment and maintenance of articulation and clinical affiliation agreements, budget development, compliance with accreditation bodies and agencies including reports, and maintenance of appropriate standards of admission for all programs in the Division. Required Qualifications: s -ASTER S DEGREE IN .URSING $OCTORATE PREFERRED s 3UCCESSFUL PROGRESSIVE EXPERIENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION OR EQUIVALENT ADMINISTRATIVE experience in health care; s %XPERIENCE WORKING IN A HEALTH CARE PROFESSION WITH STRONG CLINICAL AFlLIATION s +NOWLEDGE OF PROGRAM ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENTS s $EMONSTRATED ABILITY TO PROVIDE CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP s $EMONSTRATED CAPACITY TO FOSTER AND MANAGE CHANGE IN A FAST PACED ENVIRONMENT s 3UCCESSFUL COLLEGE LEVEL TEACHING EXPERIENCE s %XPERIENCE IN THE RECRUITMENT EVALUATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF FACULTY AND OR professional staff; s %XPERIENCE WITH CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT AND STRATEGIC PLANNING s 0ROVEN ABILITY TO PROMOTE AND FOSTER INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAMS ,EARNING #OMMUNITIES

and innovative teaching pedagogy; s $EMONSTRATED COMMITMENT TO A STUDENT CENTERED AND LEARNING FOCUSED APPROACH to teaching; s %XCELLENT COMMUNICATION AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AND DEMONSTRATED ABILITY TO PROMOTE collaboration among the departments; s %XPERIENCE IN DEVELOPING AND MANAGING BUDGETS s 0ROVEN ABILITY TO WORK EFFECTIVELY WITH A DIVERSE STUDENT FACULTY AND STAFF POPULATION s Demonstrated commitment to the mission of a community college and student-centered learning environment. Salary Range: $105,000 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; $110,000 Bunker Hill Community College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, people of color, persons with disabilities and others are strongly encouraged to apply.

Review Date: Applications will be accepted until position is filled. To ensure consideration, applications must be received by April 26, 2012.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Submit cover letter and resume ADDRESSING THE REQUIRED QUALIlCATIONS TO BHCC.InterviewExchange.com Expand position then click on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Apply Nowâ&#x20AC;? and follow instructions.

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WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINANCIAL OFFICE POSITION Director of Student Accounts Oversee payroll, includes Bursar responsibilities.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS POSITION Senior Maintenance Mechanic I, Information Technology Division Telecomm installation, relocation, maintenance. Details at www.sunywcc.edu/jobs. Resumes to Human Resources, Westchester Community College, 75 Grasslands Road, Valhalla, NY 10595; fax 914-606-7838; email Word documents to humanresources@sunywcc.edu.

Vice President for Instruction & Vice President for Student Support Services Exciting leadership opportunities exist at a diverse and highly regarded community college located in the heart of the Piedmont Triad! GTCC is the third largest community college in North Carolina and offers over 100 programs of study within our academic curriculum. GTCC is accessible to all the great things that High Point, Greensboro and Winston-Salem have to offer. With three conveniently located campuses, one under construction, an Aviation Center and a small business center, it’s easy to see that GTCC has a plan for an exciting tomorrow. • •

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GTCC is an accredited two-year community college serving approximately 42,000 curriculum, continuing education & Adult Basic Education students. GTCC is one of just four colleges in the nation taking part in a national initiative entitled Completion By Design funded through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The college campus locations include: the main campus in Jamestown, the Greensboro Campus, the High Point Campus (home to the Larry Gatlin School of Entertainment Technology), the Aviation Center at the Piedmont Triad International (PTI) airport, a Small Business Center in Greensboro and a fourth site, the Cameron Campus, is being developed as future home of the North Carolina Center for Global Logistics (NCCGL).

From the scenic overlook of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway through the Appalachian Mountains to the call of the North Carolina coastline, you’ll have easy access from Jamestown, NC, homestead to GTCC. GTCC invites applications for the positions of Vice President for Instruction & Vice President for Student Support Services, for additional information please visit us @ www.gtcc.edu. JOIN A LEADER! As an Equal Opportunity Employer, GTCC is strongly committed to diversity & welcomes applications from all qualified candidates, particularly minorities and faculty under-represented in higher education. EOE

SYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Syracuse City School District is accepting applications for anticipated teaching openings for the 2012/2013 school year in the following areas: English Language Arts ESL (K-12) Family and Consumer Science Literacy

Math (7-12) Music Special Education (secondary)

To Apply: 1) Submit cover letter for the specific position for which you are applying 2) Include updated resume with a current contact number 3) Enclose copy of teaching certification 4) List at least three references, their titles, and their current contact information

Please send to: Randolph Williams, Director of Personnel, 1025 Erie Blvd., W., Syr, NY 13204

Or deliver in person to: Randolph Williams, Director of Personnel, 725 Harrison St., Syr, NY 13210

FAX: (315) 435-4023 FOR INFO: (315) 435-4525

IMPORTANT: If you have applied for the 11/12 School Year you need not re-apply.

04/23/2012

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P ri min g the Pump. .. HELPING DISORGANIZED LATINO STUDENTS PREPARE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

Miquela Rivera, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with years of clinical, early childhood and consultative experience. She lives in Albuquerque, N.M.

the parents and teachers of woefully scattered Latino adolescents who just can’t seem to get it together: help is in sight. Organizational skills require an early start (say, around birth), time to develop and effort to maintain for any child, but for those who are challenged because of personal issues like ADHD or pressures at home, more diligence, patience and other strategies are needed. One can argue that teens should be allowed to live by natural and logical consequences: if you lose your phone, replace it yourself or go without. Forget to turn in your homework? Live with a lowered grade. For those willing to lend more support for the organizationally challenged Hispanic adolescent to develop self-structure skills, there are some options. Latino parents can provide additional support at home to help their teen stay organized. Parents in some low-income families, families undergoing divorce or those experiencing frequently changing situations at home, though, may not have developed or maintained a routine for their children. For Hispanic families whose routines have loosened “because the kids are older,” and appear to be more self-sufficient, routines should be kept anyway. A basic structure at home is still one key to helping adolescents get and keep it together despite busy schedules, many demands and increasing independence. Designated family time and home-based schedules that include study time or quiet hours may be met with some sighs, complaints or resistance by teenagers, but such structure at home lends support to the middle and high school student who is trying to meet the demands of school and social life. For busy Latino homes with many people coming and going, sufficient space, routine and quiet are not always easy to come by. Early childhood program staff members who work directly with families can help parents build and maintain routine and structure to help their young children develop early self-organizational skills. Since school-age program staff typically do not work as closely with parents, the emphasis on routine takes a backseat. By high school, few teachers or administrators mention the need for structure to parents, but that phase is often

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when the parents and teen need help most. If possible, teachers can help the organizationally challenged Hispanic teen by having duplicate materials available. Allowing a student to have two textbooks – one at home and one at school – can help that high schooler who would otherwise forget the materials needed for a homework assignment. Providing a URL that can be bookmarked for the student to use to complete a homework assignment means that the needed information is a click away. Teachers using the Internet to load calendars with assignment specifics and ancillary materials are also wise to automatically link or load schoolwide deadlines or school closings onto that same calendar. Allowing parents access to those school and individual class-based calendars offers them the opportunity to coordinate events or deadlines from home with school-provided calendars so the student can see at a glance all the responsibilities for which he is responsible. Latino parents who are cautious about or unable to approach the school can be current on their teenager’s school activities and demands via the Internet. This reduces the number of double-bookings, missed deadlines and last-minute changes that occur when multiple calendars are managed by a family. Teaching Hispanic students to book assignments, meetings, deadlines, important family days, and holidays can help them pull together all the aspects of their own lives. Automated tickler reminders on phones or computers, alarms, text messages, e-mails or other notifications are good reminders. Most important, ask the Latino middle or high school student for his own suggestions on what would help them get and stay organized. (Of course, this needs to be conveyed as an honest question lest the sensitive adolescent takes it as an adult’s sarcastic statement of exasperation.) They may have some techniques that would fit their needs and do the trick. Whether a Hispanic student is organizationally challenged because of a chaotic home environment, lack of supervision, basic temperament and style or ADHD, getting and keeping it together is a lifelong challenge. Learning to keep on top of things does a student good early in life and well beyond college.

This article appeared online only in the 04/23/12 Issue

INNOVATIONS/PROGRAMS/COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Community Colleges Growing in STEM Education Benefits

by Marilyn Gilroy

ommunity colleges have become key players in the effort to train a highly skilled and diverse workforce in STEM fields. Organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), have acknowledged the importance of the two-year sector by awarding millions of dollars to community colleges to fund scholarships in STEM areas, especially for underrepresented students. In addition, the NSF plans to give $100 million to Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) for Stem and Articulation

Education Landscape.” The event featured speakers from several government agencies who discussed how community colleges can broaden their STEM programs and minority participation in those fields of study. “There are many new opportunities for community colleges to advance STEM education and to form strategic cross-institutional partnerships with four-year schools,” said Jay Labov, senior advisor for education and communication for the National Academy of Sciences and the

Student from Hillsborough Community College

Grants to support transfer between two- and four-year colleges and to enhance STEM education at these institutions. The National Academies, the collective organization that includes the National Academies of Science and Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, also focused on community colleges by sponsoring a summit last December in Washington, D.C., titled “Community Colleges in the Evolving STEM

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National Research Council, who was one of the organizers of the summit. Community college STEM programs got another boost last fall when Department of Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solís announced that a 10-college consortium, led by Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) in Maryland, will receive a $19.7 million grant to provide training for high-demand jobs in science, technology, engineering and math fields.

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“We in this country need to encourage our young people to pursue STEM careers,” Solís said, calling these jobs vital to economic growth and moving the country forward. There are several reasons why community colleges are seen as an increasingly viable pathway for educating a STEM workforce. The twoyear sector has always been noted for its flexibility in developing curricula based on the needs of employers and it is doing so now with dozens of new science, health and technology programs. But experts say community colleges also might be a partial antidote to the high attrition rate of STEM students. Studies show that almost 40 percent of STEM students switch majors after the first year because of the rigorous curriculum that often includes a concentration of math and science courses. As one analyst said, “The STEM grind wears down even the brightest students.” These courses can be more daunting when first-year science classes at universities are large lectures, sometimes with as many as 400 students, where individuals must “sink or swim” on their own. In contrast, community college classes are smaller, often limited to 25 to 40 students. This gives students more opportunity to interact with professors, participate in “hands on” lab projects, and receive support at tutoring centers. The ability to engage STEM students early in their studies helps maintain interest and could lead to increased retention by overcoming “the fear factor” associated with these fields of study. In addition, the diverse student body at most community colleges is viewed as a more welcoming environment to minorities and older students who might seek STEM careers. STEM Programs Benefiting Hispanic Students At large and small community colleges across the nation, programs funded by grants that will serve as the new pipeline for Hispanics and underserved students to access STEM careers are in place or underway.

Importance Hispanics Last year when 10 graduates of the Community College of Allegheny County’s (CCAC) Biotechnology Workforce Collaborative in Pittsburgh walked across the stage to get their degrees, it was the culmination of an initiative that began in 2009 with a grant of $598,000 from the National Science Foundation. The grant was designed to support the expansion of an education and career development program that offers local disadvantaged women and veterans the chance to develop occupational skills in the biotechnology and health sciences fields. The college currently enrolls several cohorts of students in the program and expects eight more graduates this spring. “The students are at various points in their studies, but all look to the day when they can graduate and begin a rewarding career in biotechnology,” said Christine Compliment, student support coordinator for the program. “For many, this has been their only chance to get an education that will allow them to become self-sufficient and earn a living wage for their families.” In addition to CCAC, the collaborative also includes Allegheny General Hospital (AGH), the Allegheny Singer Research Institute (ASRI), the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI) and the North Side Leadership Conference. Its goal is to widen the spectrum of available skilled health care and biotechnology workers in the region. The program was originally funded by, and continues to receive money from, private sources in Pittsburgh. The NSF grant has been used to fund scholarships that cover tuition, fees, books and supplies. But the program goes beyond scholarships and includes support for students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. It offers a sixweek bridge program to prepare students for coursework, followed by a two-semester learning community in which students create study groups and build friendships with fellow students, faculty and staff. In addition, each student works with a mentor through internships in the labs of biotech

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solís (pictured l.) on tour at Anne Arundel Community College

companies. CCAC also provides job placement assistance as students prepare to graduate. Compliment says the learning community concept has been a key element in helping the students stay engaged and focused. “The learning community model builds cohesion among the group,” she said. “Their support of each other has been very important in retention.” College officials say some graduates have gone on to full-time employment, allowing them to leave the public assistance system or a minimum wage job. Others have enrolled in bachelor’s degree programs, continuing their education toward science or health careers. In general, these students have stories that reflect hard work, perseverance and a desire to overcome obstacles when they occur. Liz (who does not want to use her last name) is typical of the students who are benefiting from the program. She is a 30-year-old Hispanic woman, a single mom to a son, age 7. Liz was born and raised in New York but attended high school in the Dominican Republic. She was looking for a fresh start when she moved to Pittsburgh and enrolled in the biotech program in fall 2011. Although she still works at night to support herself and her son, she has earned a

3.25 grade average. As Compliment explains, Liz is motivated by several factors. “She looks forward to her own career in research,” said Compliment. “But she also is very committed to connecting with and helping other Hispanic women in Pittsburgh, especially those who find themselves newly single and needing to support a family alone.” Mesalands Community College in New Mexico hopes to have a similar success as it undertakes projects to increase its STEM opportunities for Hispanic and low-income students. Mesalands was one of eight institutions in the state to receive funding under the U.S. Department of Education’s HSI Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program. It was awarded $777,154 for the first year of a five-year period, which will bring the total funding to $3.8 million. College officials say the region has been impacted by economic distress common to many rural areas, as is evident by the high rates of poverty and unemployment, and low rates of high school graduation and postsecondary educational attainment. The funds will be used in a variety of ways, including adding more computer and science

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labs, more support staff, more scholarships for students, and enhanced multimedia support in the classroom. The college offers degrees in STEM-related areas such as wind energy technology, animal science, mathematics, and other physical science disciplines. “Our goal is to assist our students in successfully completing an associate degree in a related STEM program and to encourage them to further their education at a four-year university,” said

recently appeared in a video spot sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Science Foundation to highlight the role community colleges are playing in STEM education and careers. Sánchez has served in the Coast Guard for 11 years and is preparing for a career when he leaves the military. He recalls that his interest in engineering was sparked when he played with Legos as a kid. Sánchez clearly loves the chal-

Hilda Solís (l.) on tour at Anne Arundel Community College

Dr. Mildred Lovato, president of Mesalands. “Overall, this grant will impact not only economic development in our region but throughout the entire state.” Hillsborough Community College (HCC) in Florida received a $4.3 million grant to increase the number of science, technology and mathematics courses and to improve its success rates in gateway STEM courses. The funds are being used to renovate STEM classrooms and labs at HCC’s Dale Mabry campus. Plans also call for expansion of STEM support services with the ultimate goal of increasing the degree completion rates of Hispanic and at-risk students. The college’s “Learning Commons,” which houses the tutoring area, also is slated for infrastructure improvements. Like many community colleges, Hillsborough already has a number of STEM academic programs that will benefit from upgrades and enhancements. HCC student Emilio Sánchez, who is enrolled in engineering technology,

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lenge of his classes and the projects that are part of course assignments. “I look at engineering as a puzzle,” he said. “It is always dealing with something that needs to be put together or taken apart and then put back together.” The video shows Sánchez in a well-equipped lab working on models and being supervised closely by his professor. Sánchez explains enthusiastically that he hopes to have a career in research and development. “Problem-solving never gets tedious to me,” he said. “It’s fun.” It is an attitude such as Sánchez’s that officials hope will inspire others to follow similar paths. At Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland, a $598,000 grant from the National Science Foundation has been awarded to support the college’s Engineering Scholars Program: Increasing Access and Diversity (ESP Scholars). This program will provide scholarships of up to $4,000 each year to financially needy, academi-

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cally talented students to help them graduate from AACC engineering programs, transfer to a four-year institution and enter the workforce. About 50 percent of participants will come from populations underrepresented in STEM fields, such as including women, African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans. “We are all very excited,” said Dr. Alycia Marshall, associate professor of mathematics, who will oversee the program. “I hope it’s going to help people who want to come to Anne Arundel Community College, who are gifted and have the raw material there. We want to be able to provide the support system to help them be successful and get them into a four-year college and then into the workforce.” The college will market the scholarship program throughout the county including public and private high schools. They will also recruit from the college’s minority summer bridge program and new student orientation sessions. ESP scholars will have special academic support as well as workforce placement services and/or transfer advisement to four-year engineering degree programs. “We’re going to help more and more students succeed in completing their programs,” said Marshall. “We’re increasing the number of graduates who will continue in the engineering field, which will benefit the community as well.” At the same time, Anne Arundel is working with its National STEM Consortium partners to develop one-year certificate programs in five industries: composite materials technology, cyber technology, electric vehicle technology, environmental technology and mechatronics, a multidisciplinary field of engineering ranging from electronic engineering to computer and software engineering. The first group of students is projected to begin training in September 2012, with each new certificate designed to take nine to 12 months to complete.