Queens STEM Academy Launched by LaGuardia Community College and Queens College to Increase Hispanic, Low-Income, and other Under-Represented Minorities in High-Demand STEM Fields
LaGuardia Community College (LaGuardia) and Queens College (QC) have received a $4.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE) to prepare thousands of Hispanic and low-income students to enter fast-growing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. Together the colleges will launch the Queens STEM Academy (Q-STEM), recruiting students from under-represented groups into STEM majors, enhancing STEM education at LaGuardia, streamlining the transfer process for LaGuardia graduates to earn bachelor’s degrees at QC, and providing robust career guidance for students.
“We are thrilled to partner with Queens College on this initiative and are grateful for the U.S. Department of Education’s support that is making the Queens STEM Academy possible. LaGuardia produces more STEM graduates than any other community college in the CUNY system, and this grant will help to attract even more students to our stellar programs,” said LaGuardia President Kenneth Adams. “Jobs in STEM, where there’s high demand and financial rewards, are possible for so many of our Queens residents. Q-STEM will provide students the education and support they need to succeed, while addressing employers’ urgent calls for an expanded workforce of well-prepared STEM experts.”
“Queens College is delighted to partner with LaGuardia Community College in preparing Hispanic and low-income students to enter STEM-related fields,” said QC President Frank H. Wu. “As New York looks to rebound from the pandemic, there will be opportunities in every sector of the economy for people with this kind of education. Strengthening the STEM pipeline in the borough will benefit everyone.”
This LaGuardia-QC initiative [ed.gov] aims to significantly boost the number of LaGuardia STEM graduates who transfer to QC to earn their bachelor’s degrees. High school graduates will be recruited for STEM programs at LaGuardia. Q-STEM participants will have opportunities to take classes on the QC campus and participate in a Summer STEM Academy to enhance their skills and knowledge. Faculty exchanges and curriculum review will occur between the two colleges, and a learning community cohort model will be launched. Over the grant term, LaGuardia and QC intend to work toward implementing joint degrees and shared transfer advisement.
The five-year grant is from the U.S. DOE’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions STEM and Articulation Program (Title III). Both LaGuardia and QC are Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI), a special designation for colleges with 25 percent or more Hispanic or Latino students. At LaGuardia, Hispanic and Latino students make up 48 percent of the student population. At QC, Hispanic and Latino students make up 28 percent of the student population.