La Sierra University awarded $3 million Title V grant to train more STEM educators

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RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- La Sierra University announced today its award of a $3 million, five-year Title V grant from the U.S. Department of Education for increasing the number of students who become teachers in STEM subjects, particularly students of Hispanic descent and those from financially challenged backgrounds. 

<p> Left to right: Incoming first-year La Sierra University students Nicole Rivera, Sungyoung Choi and Melanie Zepeda work on a soil experiment in Dr. John Perumal's lab during the biology module of STEM Bridge 2021.  </p>

Left to right: Incoming first-year La Sierra University students Nicole Rivera, Sungyoung Choi and Melanie Zepeda work on a soil experiment in Dr. John Perumal's lab during the biology module of STEM Bridge 2021. 

<p> Divinity Monge learns coding during the computer science module of STEM Bridge 2021.  </p>

Divinity Monge learns coding during the computer science module of STEM Bridge 2021. 

<p> Left to right: Nicole Rivera, Divinity Monge and Sungyoung Choi select stamp pads for the art kits they were given as part of the ART and Communication modules set up by Art+Design Chair Terrill Thomas and Melissa Tafoya, communication professor, at STEM Bridge 2021.  </p>

Left to right: Nicole Rivera, Divinity Monge and Sungyoung Choi select stamp pads for the art kits they were given as part of the ART and Communication modules set up by Art+Design Chair Terrill Thomas and Melissa Tafoya, communication professor, at STEM Bridge 2021. 

This grant, which takes effect Oct. 1, will allow La Sierra’s School of Education together with the Guided Pathways to Success in STEM program, which was initiated through a prior Title V grant, the opportunity to develop additional programs and support mechanisms that will increase the number of students who qualify for STEM teaching credentials. Specifically, these funds will be used to strengthen articulation agreements with community colleges and local high schools; create additional ‘Summer Bridge’ programs that help freshmen and incoming transfer students succeed; establish yearlong internships that lead to immediate employment after graduation; implement technology toward influencing educational training; renovate STEM learning spaces; and integrate student support services, among other activities.

Additional services will include the linking of La Sierra’s accelerated Teacher Credentialing Pathway to instructional improvements in gateway STEM courses including supplemental instruction, learning assistants and personalized student coaching.

This Title V award is the third for the university over the past six years. It follows a five-year, $3 million grant received in 2019aimed at supporting and inspiring disadvantaged students to pursue bachelor’s degrees in STEM arenas, and a $2.6 million grant in 2015 which was used over five years to develop programming designed to help at-risk freshmen succeed in foundational courses, adjust to the rigors of college academics and inspire them toward degree completion.

Dr. Keith Drieberg, chair of Curriculum and Instruction in La Sierra’s School of Education will lead the major activities of this year’s Title V grant initiative and was instrumental in conceptualizing the grant’s goals and objectives. Dr. Marvin Payne, currently Project Director of the Guided Pathways to Success in STEM Title V Programs led the submission team and will assist with implementation.

“This will allow La Sierra University to continue its mission and expand its outreach to underrepresented populations in STEM fields and focus on assisting them to become STEM educators,” Drieberg said.

He also notes that STEM teaching careers are in high demand and that the Inland Empire especially needs qualified STEM teachers in the K-12 educational system. In surveying the opportunity for teachers in STEM careers Drieberg found that people of color are underrepresented in teacher education. The School of Education and its collaborators are striving through high impact practices and various support services additional ways to reach this group of potential students, he said.

According to Payne, La Sierra University has a high percentage of students who are first generation college students, who have great potential for success and who can benefit from innovative approaches to helping them navigate the college landscape. “We are excited to be able to work with the team in the School of Education to provide pathways and vision for students in the Inland Empire throughout all the K-16 space,” he said.

La Sierra University is designated by the U.S. Dept. of Education as an Hispanic-serving Institution and was ranked in September by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education 2022 College Rankings as No. 1 in the nation for its diverse student body and faculty. The ranking marked the fourth such designation for the university by the Wall Street Journal. Also in September, U.S. News & World Report's 2022 Best Colleges guide placed La Sierra 11th in 15 western states for social mobility for its ability to enroll and graduate students who are recipients of federal Pell Grants. In fall 2020, the university’s student body was nearly 47% Hispanic. During that school year, approximately 54% of the university’s undergraduates received Pell Grants.

“We are deeply blessed by this richness of experiences and backgrounds represented by our campus members,” said Provost April Summitt. “However, with that blessing comes a responsibility to serve our diverse community to the best of our ability so that those who study with us and look to us for direction have the best possible opportunity for success.

“Drs. Drieberg, Payne and their teams are examples of the dedication that resides among our faculty and staff for achieving this objective and we are excited by the impacts they are making and will make as they move forward with additional Title V programming.”

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