Gustavus Adolphus College

Gustavus Adolphus College, 15 other higher education institutions in Minnesota, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Minnesota High Tech Association have been awarded a five-year, $2.45 million grant to broaden the participation of underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in baccalaureate education. The National Science Foundation will fund this strategic program through its Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Partnership (LSAMP) program.

The funded project is a multi-faceted, comprehensive program designed to significantly increase the number of underrepresented minorities graduating with a baccalaureate degree within the grant period. Examples of funded initiatives include community-building conferences, bridge programs, peer-to-peer learning and mentoring, undergraduate research opportunities, industry internships, and course development workshops.

The grant program’s first activities will take place at Gustavus during the upcoming Nobel Conference on Oct. 2-3. Eligible LSAMP students from each of the participating colleges and universities will attend the conference, featuring the world’s leading authorities on energy, and begin to establish a sense of community among the individual campuses through a number of planned activities.

Gustavus is one of five private colleges in the alliance, along with Augsburg, Carleton, Macalester and St. Olaf. The University of Minnesota is providing project leadership for the alliance and overall fiscal oversight.

Faculty or others who have questions about this grant program or the college’s participation in it, should contact assistant professor of biology and chemistry Brenda Kelly at bkelly@gustavus.edu or 507-933-7039. Kelly is serving as coordinator of LSAMP activities at Gustavus.