Una Awarded National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliances For Minority Participation Grant

Sep. 16, 2020

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@una.edu, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256-606-2033 or 256-765-4392 FLORENCE, AL - The University of North Alabama has been awarded $116,835 from the National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation program to establish a partnership with the University of Tennessee-Martin, Mississippi University for Women, East Mississippi Community College, and Northwest-Shoals Community College. The primary goal of this three-state project is the development of a successful model for the recruitment, retention, graduation, and post-graduate success of primarily rural, historically underrepresented minority students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math disciplines. "STEM job growth is expected to increase by more than 20 percent in the Tennessee Valley by 2026," said Dr. Ross Alexander, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at UNA. "UNA is excited to lead this initiative and to partner with other institutions to diversify the STEM workforce in our region." The Tennessee Valley Tri-State Alliance LSAMP Pre-Alliance Planning grant will establish and formalize pathways from rural northern Alabama, rural Mississippi, and rural Tennessee in preparation for a full alliance that will be both responsive and competitive for workforce needs across the three-state region. The grant will also solidify strategic partnerships that will ultimately strengthen the tri-state's collective economy and infuse the national job market with highly trained STEM professionals who will be prepared to make economic and social contributions in the growing array of STEM fields. This collaborative project is led by UNA administration, faculty, and staff, including Dr. Alexander, who serves as the Principal Investigator for the project. Other senior UNA personnel include Dr. Amber Paulk, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate and Online Education; Dr. Tanja Blackstone, Professor of Economics; Dr. Melissa Moore, Professor of Geology; and Dr. Molly Mathis, Director of the Office of Institutional Research. Co-Principal Investigators are Dr. Philip Cavalier, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Tennessee-Martin; and Dr. Scott Tollison, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Mississippi University for Women. "The UNA senior personnel from the NSF LSAMP grant are to be commended," said Dr. Alexander. "This is their second award from the National Science Foundation within the last 12 months. Both of their NSF grants have focused on increasing access to higher education for students from rural and/or historically underrepresented backgrounds, which is in direct alignment with UNA's Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Plan." If funded, the LSAMP Pathways Implementation Proposal would provide up to $700,000 annually for five years to UNA and its partner institutions to support the recruitment, retention, graduation, and post-graduation success of primarily rural, historically underrepresented minority students in STEM disciplines. About The University of North Alabama The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs through the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Sciences, and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I's ASUN Big South Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.eduand www.una.edu/unaworks/