Foundation Awards to Fund UE Scholarships
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowTwo professors have landed what the University of Evansville is calling the largest faculty grant in school history. The more than $610,000 National Science Foundation funding will go toward science and math scholarships. September 23, 2013
News Release
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville faculty members Joyce Stamm, associate professor of biology, and Adam Salminen, associate professor of mathematics, have secured a five-year, $610,600 grant through the National Science Foundation's S-STEM (Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program to assist students in science and mathematics. The grant is one of about 90 awarded from the 436 proposals submitted to the S-STEM program, and is the largest faculty grant in school history.
The award provides funds for financial, academic, and professional support for students majoring in the sciences and mathematics. The majority of the grant, around $528,000, will fund the new UE Science and Math Scholarship (SAMS), which will provide four-year scholarships to approximately 34 academically talented students with financial need who are majoring in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, environmental science, mathematics, or physics.
The grant also provides funds for new support services for science and mathematics majors at UE. These services include an introductory summer course for incoming students, a semester-long course on study skills and time management, monthly career colloquiums, and a science and math-themed living-learning community in a campus residence hall. These activities will be available to all math and science students at UE and will continue after the grant ends in 2018.
“This grant not only represents an incredible opportunity to transform the lives of future students at the University of Evansville, but the National Science Foundation's decision to fund the proposal also demonstrates the University's outstanding track record of preparing students to succeed in math and science careers and graduate programs,” said John Mosbo, UE senior vice president for academic affairs. “At UE, students receive a personalized education that equips them to make an impact on the national shortfall of qualified STEM professionals. Dr. Salminen and Dr. Stamm's successful grant application affirms that commitment to teaching.”
“Thanks to this grant, we'll be able to help an even greater number of high-achieving students pursue an education at the University of Evansville,” said Salminen. “We expect that the SAMS scholarship will increase enrollment of students majoring in math and the sciences.”
“The new student success initiatives will also help ease students' transitions from high school to college, and from college to graduate school or the workforce,” Stamm added. “We believe this level of personal support will increase retention of students in math and science majors, and ultimately increase the number of qualified professionals in the STEM workforce.”
SAMS scholarships will be available starting with UE's entering freshman class of 2014. For selection criteria and application details, interested students may visit the program website.
Members of the media seeking more information may contact Kristen Lund, UE director of news services, at 812-488-2241.
About the University of Evansville
The University of Evansville is a private, liberal arts-based university in Evansville, Indiana, with a full-time undergraduate enrollment of approximately 2,300. UE's diverse student body represents 41 states and 54 countries.
U.S. News & World Report recognizes UE as a top 10 master's-granting university in the Midwest, and third in the region for “Great Schools, Great Prices.” For more information, please visit http://www.evansville.edu.
Source: The University of Evansville