CCC Awarded $5.95 Million HSI STEM Grant

In October 2016, Contra Costa College was awarded $5.95 million by the U.S. Department of Education’s Hispanic-Serving Institution’s Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics and Articulation (HSI STEM) Program. The purpose of the HSI STEM Program is to increase the number of Hispanic students attaining degrees in STEM fields and better facilitate transfers between two-year and four-year institutions in such fields.

“We are so pleased that the U.S. Department of Education selected Contra Costa College (CCC) to receive another Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) grant focused on expanding exposure, access and completion in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for Hispanics and low-income residents in our region,” says President Mojdeh Mehdizadeh. “Many areas of job growth in our community will require a strong STEM foundation, and our proposal is designed to help more students successfully achieve the confidence, education and skills to be competitive for these opportunities. In addition, we are excited because this grant allows us to continue our important work in promoting and supporting STEM literacy for elementary students and their parents.”

Specifically, the funds will be used to help the Caminos al Exito Project:

• Increase access and college readiness to accelerate success in STEM for Hispanic and low-income area residents;
• Increase the number of articulation agreements in STEM disciplines with the University of California-Berkeley, University of California-Davis, University of California-Santa Cruz, California State University-East Bay, San Francisco State University, and San Jose State University; and
• Increase the retention, graduation and transfer rates of students in STEM through case management advising and high-impact educational practices.