UTEP, EPCC receive nearly $540,000 in federal grants
8/22/2008
Washington, D.C.
News
REYES ANNOUNCES NEARLY $540,000 IN FEDERAL GRANTS FOR EPCC AND UTEP
Washington, DC - The Department of Education through the Minority Science Improvement Program has awarded two federal grants totaling $539,112 to El Paso Community College (EPCC) and UTEP Congressman Reyes, D-El Paso, announced today. The funds will support collaborative projects by EPCC and UTEP to support under-represented students entering Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
The funds will benefit students enrolled in the Early College High School (ECHS), an initiative that allows high school students to graduate with a dual High School and Associate's degree in four years. The ECHS provides mentoring programs and other activities to attract and retain underrepresented minorities into the STEM fields.
One of the grants will also provide EPCC students with supplemental instruction and mentoring in Pre-Calculus I and II by graduate mathematics students from UTEP. Providing this supplemental instruction is known to increase student performance, student retention, and student satisfaction in these mathematics courses.
"Increasing the number of under-represented minorities in the STEM fields has been one of my top priorities in Congress," said Congressman Reyes. "If our country is to remain competitive in the years ahead, we must encourage more students to pursue careers in the STEM fields. I applaud UTEP and EPCC for combining their resources to provide these opportunities to El Paso-area students."
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Vincent M. Perez
202-225-4831
vincent.perez@mail.house.gov
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