The state of Ohio knows the importance of STEMM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine.
And the University of Cincinnati (UC) is doing its part to increase the number of people working within these challenging fields.
In the latest round of funding from the state of Ohio, UC has received $3.5 million to put towards recruiting high school students into the STEMM disciplines and education fields.
The Ohio Board of Regents announced this sum, coming from the $100 million Choose Ohio First Scholarship.
In total, UC received over 26 percent of the $13.3 million in total first-round statewide funding for 2009.
"This latest news further positions the University of Cincinnati as a state leader in STEMM education," says UC senior vice president for Academic Affairs and provost Anthony J. Perzigian.
This substantial gift allows UC to go forward with three key proposals.
The first, entitled "Enhancing the Success of Future Health Care Professionals through Synergistic Cross-Collegiate Programming," will make $2.397 million available for the next five years to around 200 students planning to enter health-related careers.
This program is open to qualifying students who enter UC in the fall of 2010 and is done in collaboration with several area players in healthcare and education.
The second, entitled "Master Degrees as Conduits to Recruiting, Retaining and Upgrading the Ohio STEMM Work Force," intends to use $828,000 in funding from Choose Ohio First to recruit and graduate around 100 graduate-level students in the STEMM disciplines over the next five years.
And the third, a partnership led by UC entitled the "Cincinnati STEMM Hub Partnership: A New Model for Preparing the Next Generation of Dynamic and Innovative Secondary STEMM Educators," received $267,000 to recruit and graduate 45 STEMM educators over the next six years.
As part of STEMM Hub Partnership, the nearby Hughes High School, of Cincinnati Public Schools, will be transformed into a STEMM-focused high school, from which three groups of students will be chosen during their junior year to participate in the program from fall 2011.
"The funding builds on UC’s partnerships to extend STEMM excellence across colleges and disciplines, as well as graduate and undergraduate education," says Caroline Miller, senior associate vice president and associate provost for enrollment management at UC.
The organizations partnering with UC in this STEMM effort include Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Cincinnati Public Schools, Duke Energy Corporation, the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Strive partnership, among others in the corporate and educational sectors.
Writer: Jonathan DeHart
Source: Wendy Beckman, University of Cincinnati
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