NAU launches new initiatives to recruit and retain more students in STEM

 

POSTED ON Jun 11, 2020

 

The College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences at Northern Arizona University has announced a new effort to increase diversity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and ensure that all students become accustomed to working with people of different backgrounds.

“We want our EPIC students to become change agents,” said Fethiye “Faith” Ozis, a senior lecturer in civil and environmental engineering and the college’s inclusion fellow.

Last month, Northern Arizona University, a leading university serving Native American/Alaskan and Hawaiian Native cultures,  and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation announced a partnership with the goal of promoting academic cooperation and conducting research on programs, including Code As a Second Language.

“The importance of diversity in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math cannot be overstated,” President Rita Cheng said in a statement. “STEM skills are critical in the ability of the U.S. to compete in a global economy. As the largest minority group in the public school system, Hispanics are underrepresented in undergraduate and graduate STEM programs and are not sufficiently exposed to STEM subjects at the K-12 level.”

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles with satellites in New York, Silicon Valley, Chicago, Austin and Miami, is a nonprofit organization focused on education, workforce, leadership and culture.

“We are thrilled to work with Northern Arizona University, which will help us move our mission forward in ensuring Latinos and Native Americans have a stronger path to the STEM fields in education and careers,” said Antonio Tijerino, president and CEO of the Hispanic Heritage Foundation. “Research is critical to better programs, strategies and service in support of our Latino community, who are underrepresented in the STEM fields, not because of talent but because of opportunity. This partnership will work to increase opportunities for Latinos in STEM.”