By Jeff Murphy,
October 18, 2016
WARRENSBURG, MO – The University of Central Missouri is one of eight Missouri institutions
of higher education to jointly receive a $5 million grant from the National Science
Foundation’s Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program.
The announcement about the award was made last week by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon
who joined higher education leaders for a press conference at Harris-Stowe State University
in St. Louis. He called the grant a major achievement for students across the state.
He noted that “by increasing the diversity of students completing their degrees, entering
graduate programs, working in research laboratories and mentoring the next generation
of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students, Harris Stowe
and the Missouri Alliance will build a foundation for increased diversity in STEM
education across the nation.”
Called MoLSAMP, the consortium includes two historically black Missouri colleges:
Harris-Stowe State University and Lincoln University in Jefferson City. UCM is part
of the alliance, representing a state regional comprehensive university. Also involved
are three research institutions: the University of Missouri-Columbia, University of
Missouri-St. Louis, Washington University in St. Louis; a highly selective liberal
arts institution, Truman State University; and the Center for Plant and Life Sciences
at an urban institution of higher education, St. Louis Community College.
According to the governor’s office, the LSAMP program provides funding to alliances
that implement comprehensive, evidence-based, innovative, and sustained strategies
that ultimately result in the graduation of well-prepared, highly-qualified students
from underrepresented groups who pursue graduate studies or careers in STEM areas.
LSAMP is named for Ohio Congressman Louis Stokes, who retired from Congress in 1999.
He passed away in 2015, and was known for helping to focus federal attention on the
nation’s poor and underserved communities.
MoLSAMP, which is the nation’s 46th LSAMP alliance, has set a goal to double the
number of Missouri’s underrepresented minority STEM graduates by 2021. In 2014, there
were 283 underrepresented minority STEM graduates in the state. The alliance plans
to more than double that number to exceed 630 within five years. LSAMP identifies
underrepresented minorities as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians,
Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Native Pacific Islanders.
“The University of Central Missouri is proud to be affiliated with MoLSAMP,” said
UCM President Charles Ambrose. “We recognize that its goals are in the best interest
of our participating institutions, the students we serve, and the future of this state.
“We have a tremendous need in Missouri for graduates who are prepared to work in
STEM-related fields, and this alliance will help us ensure a much more diverse population
of graduates who are ready for the jobs of the future. That’s a winning proposition
for everyone involved,” Ambrose added.
The MoLSAMP alliance was formed during the fall of 2014 following unrest in Ferguson,
Mo. Higher Education leaders, including provosts and presidents, gathered to find
educational solutions to address a gap in the enrollment, retention and graduation
rates of Missouri underrepresented students.
