Nearly $1 Million Awarded to Mount Saint Vincent to Enhance STEM Student Success
8/31/2018
Riverdale, N.Y. – The University of Mount Saint Vincent has received a $959,955 grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program to promote achievement across STEM fields and provide financial assistance for four years to exemplary students in the Division of Natural Sciences.
The NSF funding will provide scholarships to 22 high-achieving, low-income students and will support the Mount’s Scholars-on-Track II program—a program that expands diversity in the STEM workforce by recruiting students with strong academic potential from underrepresented and underserved populations, while promoting improved academic performance, retention, degree completion, and post-baccalaureate opportunities for participants.
Activities offered through the program have been shaped by models that have proven to be effective for all students, but particularly so for students from minority and underserved populations, both of whom comprise a significant portion of the College’s student population.
“Scholars-on-Track further enhances Mount Saint Vincent’s efforts to prepare students for important STEM careers,” said Dr. Pamela Kerrigan, Director for the Division of Natural Sciences and Associate Professor of Chemistry. “This grant builds on the success of the College’s previous S-STEM award, and advances the College’s commitment to making higher education available to talented students without regard for their financial means.”
To support student engagement and success, the College will offer students an array of career development and enrichment activities, such as conducting scientific research with faculty, presenting at national conferences, attending workshops and career panels, and visiting museums and academic centers. Scholarship recipients will also receive a summer stipend, guaranteeing additional research opportunities, internships, and the ability to explore careers in all disciplines of the scientific enterprise.
“It is an honor for the College that the exceptional work by the faculty in the Division of Natural Sciences has been recognized by the NSF,” said Dr. Ana Ribeiro, Associate Professor of Biology. “We’re training the next generation of scientists and expanding opportunities for all students.”
The program is under the direction of Principal Investigator Pamela Kerrigan and Co-Principal Investigators Ana Ribeiro and Erika Gillette, Chair and Instructor of Teacher Education.
This is Mount Saint Vincent’s second S-STEM grant, having received NSF funding from 2012-2017.
About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational, and career opportunities of New York City, the College equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment and leadership in the 21st century.