STEM Program Grows with Four New Partners
At a White House summit on January 16, 2014, The Posse Foundation announced that it is increasing the number of colleges and universities committed to supporting science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) Posses, bringing the total number of top-tier Posse STEM partners to nine.
Over the next five years, these outstanding institutions of higher education will provide 500 students from diverse, urban backgrounds a total of $70 million in full-tuition, four-year scholarships, helping them to complete STEM degrees.
“Posse’s exceptional STEM partners are helping to ensure that our country’s rich diversity is reflected at the highest levels in these fields,” says Posse President and Founder Deborah Bial. “We are so grateful to the Obama administration for helping to shine a light on this need.”
“Posse’s STEM partners are helping to ensure that our country’s rich diversity is reflected at the highest levels.”
New partners Davidson College and Smith College will recruit STEM Posses from Miami and New York, respectively. Current Posse partners Middlebury College and Pomona College are expanding their commitment in order to recruit STEM Posses from Los Angeles and Miami, respectively, in addition to traditional Posses.
These elite institutions will select STEM Scholars in fall 2014, joining existing partners Brandeis University, Bryn Mawr College, Franklin & Marshall College, Texas A&M University and University of Wisconsin-Madison in welcoming STEM Posses to campus in fall 2015.
This expansion is possible thanks to a $5 million commitment from Posse Board Chair Jeff Ubben, the founder and managing director of ValueAct Capital, and The Tortora Sillcox Family Foundation. Each STEM partner institution will receive $500,000 over the next five years to help support the program on their campuses.
Scientific and technological innovation are inextricably linked to our national health, security and global competitiveness. The Posse STEM initiative is an effective method for increasing the number of underrepresented students in STEM fields and represents a special opportunity for leading institutions of higher education to help address this critical need as well as to share best practices and further inform the discussion.
