Cal State Long Beach received a $5.8 million grant for United States Department of Education’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions, according to a university press release.
The grant, which is the second of a five year installment, is for Latinx and low-income students in the science, technology, engineering and math fields.
The money is meant to help fund a collaborative effort between the College of Engineering and the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics to help boost degree attainments for low-income and Latinx students.
“This partnership between the colleges will impact a large number of students and place them in a better position to achieve success and confidence to become scientists and engineers,” Eric Marinez, associate professor in CSULB’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said.
The grant is also sponsored by the Sí Puedo, a series of grants form the Articulation Program. The program’s aim is to improve student academic success, increase timely degree completion, increase degree attainment and develop model transfer programming.
“Sí Puedo will foster the academic development, sense of belonging and STEM identity for Hispanic and low-income students through an asset-based and social-belonging framework and by increasing their career awareness,” the press release said.
This grant will help sponsor events such as summer preparation programs, peer mentoring and tutoring summer research programs for transfer students and supplemental instruction.
While the Latinx population represents the largest ethnic group at the university, comprising 39 percent of CSULB students, representation in the STEM colleges remains below one-third with 31 percent in the CSNM and 32 percent in the COE.