The nation needs more science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals
Los Angeles, CA -- Cal State L.A. is one of eight campuses selected to participate in California State University STEM Collaboratives, a program designed to retain students who major in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The system-wide effort is funded by a $4.6 million grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. The goal is to help meet the nation’s need for one million more STEM professionals over the next decade.
“We are grateful to the Helmsley Charitable Trust and the Chancellor’s Office for this exciting opportunity to establish a First Year Experience at ECST, which we are calling FYrE@ECST,” said Deborah Won, who is the principal investigator for Cal State L.A.’s program and an electrical engineering professor. “Our main goal is to close the achievement gap we’ve observed in the students in our College by working together with faculty, staff and administrators involved in STEM education.”
Others involved with the campus effort are Emily Allen, dean of the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology (ECST), Mark Tufenkjian, professor of civil engineering, and Frances Hidalgo, director of the ECST Student Success Center.
The FYrE@ECST initiative will cultivate a shared leadership over first-year STEM education to bring high-impact teaching practices to STEM majors. The Golden Eagle Flight Plan, a new advisement tool, will help students navigate through their college experience.
“We are very excited to be working with a great team of faculty and staff from ECST and across campus, to promote a culture of excellence in our incoming students and provide them with the mentoring and the STEM foundational skills they need to be successful in their majors and in the workforce,” Allen said.
The first two years of college are the most critical to the retention and recruitment of STEM majors, according to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
California State University STEM Collaboratives will integrate summer-through-first-year programs with redesigned foundational courses to inspire students to pursue and complete degrees in STEM. The seven other CSU campuses in the program are Channel Islands, Dominguez Hills, East Bay, Fresno, Fullerton, Humboldt, and Pomona.
“These eight campuses are taking the lead in the CSU’s STEM-related innovation,” says Ephraim Smith, CSU executive vice chancellor and chief academic officer. “They’ve really thought about how the whole institution – from specific departments in math, science, and engineering, as well residential life and themed learning communities – can work together to boost student success in these high-demand fields.”
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Cal State L.A. is a university dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good. Founded in 1947, the University is home to over 23,000 active students, and 235,000 distinguished alumni, who are as diverse as the city we serve. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, Cal State L.A. has long been recognized as an engine of economic and social mobility. Led by an award-winning faculty, the University offers nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and the humanities.
Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Fine Arts Complex, Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs, Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center, Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility, Billie Jean King Sports Complex, TV, Film and Media Center and the Center for Engagement, Service, and the Public Good. For more information, visit CalStateLA.edu, or like us at Facebook.com/CalStateLA.
10/30/14