New York state will partner with several nonprofit organizations to recruit minority and female high school students to pursue college studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics ”“ fields of study collectively known as STEM.
The new partnership was announced Tuesday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. He said the statewide outreach will recruit African-Americans, Latinos and women in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class to sign up for the governor”™s STEM Incentive Program, which offers full-tuition scholarships to State University of New York and City University of New York schools to students that pursue high-demand, high-tech careers in New York.
Nonprofits partnering with the state are Girls Inc., United Neighborhood Housing, Catholic Charities, the New York Council of Nonprofits and the Association of Program Administrators for the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program and Science and Technology Entry Program. The groups will work with local high schools to identify eligible graduates in the Class of 2014 enrolling at SUNY or CUNY schools in the fall.
“With STEM fields linked to the enrichment of New York”™s education system and new economic opportunities, it is imperative that students in underrepresented communities across New York have access to programs in those disciplines,” Cuomo said in the announcement.
State officials said women make up 48.5 percent of the workforce in new York but hold only 27.5 percent of STEM jobs. African-American and Latino New Yorkers make up 30.9 percent of the workforce but hold only 13.4 percent of STEM jobs.
Scholarship students in the STEM program must commit to work a minimum of five years in New York after graduation.
