The proposed four-month planning grant will create an interinstitutional consortium known as the Southwest Minority Alliance. The Alliance will develop a five-year plan to implement a series of recommendations from recent national reports focusing on minority participation in science and engineering at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Five components will initially serve as cornerstones of the Alliance: 1.) Formation of institutional consortium to pool counseling and transitional support resources from high school to undergraduate school to graduate school; 2.) Development of clear articulation agreements to offer binding transfer from one participating institution to another; 3.) Operation of residential summer science and academies for students beginning at the seventh-grade level to enrich science knowledge and experience; 4.) Establishment of a freshman-year, college-based program to increase student participation and opportunities for success in undergraduate programs in science and engineering; 5.) Involvement of the private sector in educational enhancement activities such as tutoring, mentoring, and advising minority students. During the four-month planning period the Southwest Minority Alliance will create and mobilized the infrastructure necessary to carry each of these components forward during the implementation phase. The Alliance members will devise innovative means to increase the retention and baccalaureate acquisition rates of minority students interested in science and engineering careers.
