The University of Texas at Austin is partnering with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Institute to produce outstanding undergraduates for service and research in the public sector as part of a unique academic experience for computer science, mathematics and engineering majors. A total of 32 four-year scholarships are being awarded to talented students who are entering the University as Longhorn Scholars with an interest in technology fields. The highly successful Longhorn Scholars Program, now in its third year of operation, identifies financially needy students who graduate in the top 10% of their class from 70 historically underrepresented high schools in the State of Texas. The Colleges of Engineering and Natural Sciences participates by providing a rigorous curriculum and associated degrees in the targeted areas. Recognizing the substantial population of minority students graduating from these high schools, the Hispanic Scholarship Foundation has offered to assist in devising a collection of retention strategies including mentoring programs and placement opportunities in public sector research laboratories, research internships and cooperatives. Despite its large size, the University of Texas is committed to a personalized academic experience for its students. In particular, Longhorn Scholars are evaluated to identify career interests as well as academic strengths and weaknesses. This information is used to determine the appropriate academic track for each student. Depending on major and background, students become part of either the Equal Opportunity in Engineering Program (EOE), the Partnership for Excellence in the Natural Sciences program (PENS) or the Emerging Scholars Program (ESP) that serves both Colleges. Each of these programs provides an intricate support structure that includes strong faculty participation, personalized academic advising and mentoring and an intensive math and science curriculum. The Hispanic Scholarship Fund Institute is augmenting these existing services with external mentoring programs as well as seminars and field experiences to introduce students to the function and significance of the public sector in technology advancement. By their junior and senior years, students will be poised to begin capstone experiences through academic research, internships and co-ops. It is expected that many will participate in the public sector opportunities made available as a part of this initiative. The CSEMS scholarships and the support programs surrounding them contribute directly to the primary mission of The University of Texas at Austin to effectively serve all populations of the State of Texas in producing outstanding graduates. The ability to bring together such a wide array of collaborators speaks to the importance of this mission in producing a new generation of leaders in technology fields.
