The National Science Foundation has awarded five Denver-area community colleges with a three-year, $1.5 million Louis Stokes B2B Alliances for Minority Population (LSAMP) grant. The five Colorado Community College System schools will establish the Metro Denver STEM Alliance, a partnership led by the Community College of Aurora (CCA), which also includes Arapahoe Community College, Community College of Denver, Front Range Community College, and Red Rocks Community College.

“Our community colleges serve nearly half of Colorado’s students of color,” said CCCS President Joe Garcia. “For many of these students, a college education has seemed unattainable, much less a career in STEM. The STEM Alliance will help make the path to success a possibility for anyone who pursues it.”

“We thank the National Science Foundation for their support of this very important work and for helping us to diversify the STEM pipeline,” added CCA President Dr. Betsy Oudenhoven.

The Metro Denver STEM Alliance will increase the number of underrepresented minority students enrolling in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs at two-year institutions, transferring to four-year STEM baccalaureate programs, and ultimately embarking on successful STEM careers. The grant will also support collaborative projects to foster STEM student success, address systemic barriers, and promote a unified agenda with four-year university partners to:

• strengthen and streamline transfer pathways,
• elevate awareness of the value and potential of underrepresented students among STEM employers, and
• serve as a model for best practices and replication in other areas of the state and nationally.

For more information about this award, contact Victor Vialpando Nunez, dean of the Community College of Aurora School of Professional Studies and Sciences, at 303-340-7243

About the Colorado Community College System

Serving 137,000 students annually at 13 colleges and 40 locations, the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is Colorado’s leader in educating today’s workforce. We pledge to prove that the doors to a college education are open, and the tuition is affordable to all Coloradans who wish to pursue a career in one of over 1,000 fields of study offered through our colleges. CCCS is committed to providing thought leadership, advocacy, and support to our colleges, communities, and employers state-wide under the direction of the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE).