Stockton Receives Nearly $600,000 in Grants From NSF

Twenty-five students at the will benefit from nearly $600,000 in grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the college announced on Monday.

It is one of the largest science and math grants ever awarded, and it will help support and retain science, technology engineering and math students, the school said.

The grant totals $597,992 over four years, and allows for the college to pass the funds directly to the students via scholarships. It is the second large grant the NSF has ever awarded to the college. In 2003, the NSF awarded Stockton $395,934 in grant money, with 90 percent of the funding going toward scholarships.

For this academic year, Stockton received $153,468, and awarded $5,200 to each of the 25 students. Twenty-five additional scholarships of $5,200 will be awarded over the next three academic years.

Fifteen percent of this year's grant has been allocated for the recruitment of students in these fields, including initiatives such as the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) awareness campaigns; faculty involvement at the high school level of students, teachers, parents and career counselors; and a presence at open houses and admissions programs, among others.

Funds are also used to retain students once they enroll at the college.

“Five special courses for the encouragement of present and future STEM students will result from this funding, as well as new research and educational opportunities, mentoring activities and a special NSF Scholar Seminar,” Jill C. Gerhardt, associate professor of computer science and information systems and principal investigator and director of the grant said. The objective is for increased enrollment in STEM fields, particularly increased female enrollment, which has traditionally lagged behind, despite a majority of female enrollment overall. This grant will enable us to increase retention, develop increased participation and interest in these fields in high school and provide opportunities for job placement and entrance to graduate school.”

“The award by the NSF is obviously significant in terms of dollars, but more importantly it will have a major positive impact on the lives of 25 of our deserving students,” Stockton Provost and Executive Vice President Harvey Kesselman said. “A financial award of this magnitude reduces the cost of attending Stockton approximately in half.”

Stockton President Herman J. Saatkamp said the college is already a leader when it comes to recruiting, retaining and graduating Science and Math students.

“Stockton graduates 25 percent of the students in these areas among all of the state colleges and universities,” Saatkamp said. “This certainly enhances our efforts.”

While the funds are designated for the scientific, technical and mathematical fields, most of the special activities funded through the grants are open to all Stockton students, including free tutoring and a bridge program to help students having trouble with calculus.

The fields covered by the grant are promising ones, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

That group's 2011 projections predict employment in professional, scientific and technical services will increase by about 2.7 million by 2018, the college said, for a growth of 34 percent. Meanwhile, growth in computer systems design and related services is expected to increase by 45 percent, accounting for one-fourth of all new jobs in this industry sector, according to the college.

“Employment growth will be driven my increased demand for the design and integration of sophisticated networks and Internet and intranet sites,” Gerhardt said.  “The objective of our STEM project resulting in this grant is to attract students and effectively train them. We are helping to produce the scientists, engineers and mathematicians to fill these positions and others that are desperately needed in the United States.”