The Arkansas Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (ARK-LSAMP) is a collaborative alliance of nine institutions, including two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and three two-year institutions. The overarching goal of ARK-LSAMP is to increase the pool of baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral degree graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) disciplines entering Arkansas? workforce. The Alliance maintains its commitment to the overarching goal of this transformative initiative through objectives that will continue to increase the number of STEM graduates, as well as implement best practices learned from initial NSF funding. A summer Bridge program prepares first semester freshmen to successfully navigate the transition to college level coursework. Mentoring programs provide peer mentoring (upper-level student to lower-level student) as well as faculty mentoring. Summer and academic year research in faculty laboratories provide extracurricular involvement in research at the forefront of STEM. In addition to undergraduate STEM programs, the Alliance continues to focus on increasing graduate STEM scholars with a STEM seminar series providing training in research ethics, information on STEM careers, STEM in society, and preparation for graduate school. In response to NSF priorities, a veteran student focus will be added to the program. An existing and well-established veterans program at a member institution will serve as the best practice model. Alliance-wide and inter-institutional conferences and activities will foster greater collaborative research among faculty across institutions.
