Miami Dade College is among several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) selected to receive grants totaling $3.9 million to improve science and engineering education programs.
The grant is part of the Department of Education‘s Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP), which supports expanding the scientific and technological capacity of the U.S. to build global competitiveness by increasing the number of minority graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. MDC will receive $250,000.
“We are honored to be selected for this grant and excited about being able to offer our students additional opportunities in STEM education,” said MDC’s Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Lenore Rodicio.
MDC is widely recognized as the most diverse institution of higher learning in the U.S. and awards more associate degrees than any other college in the nation. It also ranks 5th in the nation for awarding associate degrees to black students.
The new grant program is the latest in a long-term effort by the Administration to support and significantly increase investment in HBCUs and their students. In December 2019, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos worked with Congress to pass the FUTURE Act to permanently provide more than $250 million a year to HBCUs and other MSIs. Additionally, the Administration has focused on increasing HBCU competitiveness by requiring federal agencies to develop annual plans to help foster public-private partnerships between these institutions and businesses and organizations in their communities.
Only 17 colleges and universities in eight states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will receive grant funding under the program.