The Louis Stokes Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation (LS-LAMP) is a statewide, comprehensive systemic mentoring program aimed at rapidly increasing the number and quality of minority students earning baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)disciplines. An associated goal is to increase the number of minority students enrolling and succeeding in STEM graduate programs, with emphasis on the Ph.D. Over the next five years, (2010-15), to attain the annual degree production objective of 850 minority STEM BS degrees by 2015 and to achieve the transition of at least 30% of these graduates to graduate school. The attainment of these clear objectives is reasonably ensured by our holistic implementation of strategies characterized by (1) expanding our effective Systemic mentoring and learning practices for minority STEM undergraduate students (including research participation and financial support); (2) the establishment of a new bridge program for community college graduates transferring to a 4-year STEM program, (3) collaboration with other statewide systemic programs, business and industry organizations, professional organizations, federal agencies and national laboratories, and other entities; (4) enhancing the STEM infrastructure of partner institutions in a fashion that promotes total institutionalization of the gains of LS-LAMP; and (5) providing institutional support over five years and supplemental leveraging of resources by LS-LAMP partner institutions.
Southern University and A&M College serves as the lead institution for LS-LAMP with the active input and advice of eleven (11) Louisiana higher educational institutions and one research organization. The institutions are: Dillard University, Grambling State University, Louisiana State University, McNeese State University, Nunez Community College, Southern University and A&M College, Southern University at New Orleans, Southern University at Shreveport, Tulane University, the University of New Orleans, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.
Special emphasis will continue to be placed on (1) transfer of community college graduates to STEM disciplines in 4-year institutions, (2) pre-college outreach activities driven by the Louisiana Tuition Opportunity Programs for Students (TOPS), (3) comprehensive collaboration with statewide programs, public and private stakeholders, and (4) broadening international research experiences for our students.
The proven capability of the investigators ensures the attainment of the objectives. Thorough external and internal evaluation is woven into the fabric of the project activities.
