Alverno College in Milwaukee has received a six-year, $1.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to support STEM students from low-income families.
This funding will support Alverno College’s initiatives to increase the number of women with low-incomes enrolled in its STEM programs, increase the retention and graduation rates for those students, as well as increase the number of women entering STEM graduate programs or careers, according to the college’s Wednesday news release. Alverno College is a Catholic liberal arts college for women that was founded in 1887.
The National Science Foundation focuses on grantmaking to support science and engineering across the country.
The grant will fund cohort-building, professional development, mentoring, research and academic support opportunities for students, according to the news release. Alverno said it looks to build and support community partnerships to provide further opportunities for its students.
Through this project, Alverno said it will provide data on whether a “multi-disciplinary, mixed-age cohort model” can improve student success and sense of belonging, according to the news release.
“It’s imperative that more women, and more diverse women, pursue careers in science,” said Rebekah Klingler, Alverno project director for the grant. “As a women’s college and Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) that serves primarily low-income and first-generation students, Alverno is well positioned to address the national need for a more diverse STEM workforce, and we are thrilled that this grant will help us do that.”
