This proposal describes the creation of a Texas Alliance where the Texas A&M University will lead an alliance of nine Texas Universities (Texas A&I, Corpus Christi State, Laredo State, Prairie View A&M, Texas A&M at Galveston, Texas Women's University, Texas A&M University, Tarleton State, and West Texas University), 31 Texas community colleges, 67 initial industry partners, and 12 national laboratories joined in a comprehensive coalition dedicated to improving the quality of the undergraduate and graduate education of minorities in engineering, mathematics and the sciences through a program of enhanced preparation, recruitment, transfer and retention. Eleven fundamental goals were presented which support six major components: 1. Texas Summer Research Internships Program - This program is the backbone of the Texas Alliance. It is designed to provide a comprehensive financial support mechanism to participating students while they interact with scientists and engineering. 2. Pre-College Program - This program will support TexPREP which is designed to strengthen problem solving skills and promote awareness, interest, and dedication to achieving the goal of entering college level engineering and science degree programs. 3. Transfer Stipends - This program will award Transfer Stipends to students in their final year of a science or pre- engineering degree track at the participating community colleges. 4. Texas Alliance Stipends - This program supplements the Texas Summer Research Internship Program by guaranteeing students that complete a summer intern academic year stipends support. 5. Non-Traditional Student Stipends Program - This program awards stipends to minority women with young children to assist these women to continue or start their science or engineering education. This is a supplemental award. 6. Internships at Monterrey Tech - Five summer research internships for study at Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico for minority students. Students will be allowed to work in a major center of research were Anglo culture is not the dominant experience.
