Dollars will support a project to strengthen pathways for low-income community college students to pursue STEM degrees.

SACRAMENTO, CA—October 20, 2022—Announced this month, the Foundation for California Community Colleges (FoundationCCC) has received a $120,536 grant to participate in the creation of the Community College S-STEM Network (CCSN), funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). FoundationCCC was selected as one of two grantees, alongside Rutgers University.

Funding will support a five-year S-STEM Research Hub (the Hub) project to strengthen pathways for low-income community college students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to successfully complete associate degrees at a community college and/or transfer to a four-year college or university. The Hub will conduct research in collaboration with STEM faculty at the California Community Colleges, the largest and most diverse system of education in the nation, to advance the understanding of students’ decision-making processes along academic and career pathways that lead them into the STEM workforce.  

California has the largest STEM workforce in the nation and STEM occupations are projected to continue to grow. However, there is a talent shortfall in the number of graduates holding STEM degrees. Currently, transfer students from California Community Colleges to University of California currently account for 48 percent of UC’s bachelor’s degrees in STEM. By working to disseminate broadly effective strategies that promote academic success of California community college students in STEM disciplines, the project will expand the industry’s talent pool. 

“We are honored to be selected as one of the NSF S-STEM Hub award recipients,” said David Brown, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and STEM Education Consultant "to uncover strategies that promote success for low-income students who otherwise may not be retained on pathways that lead to successful careers in STEM fields and contribute to the California innovation economy with their knowledge and skills."

The NSF S-STEM-Net Program is a flagship STEM workforce development program within the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education. The inspiration for the program within the U.S. Congress was a desire to produce a greater number of domestic graduates in STEM majors to join the nation's STEM workforce, which is a major driver of the American economy.

To learn more about the NSF’s S-STEM-Net Program, please see the National Science Foundation’s information page.

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About the Foundation for California Community Colleges
The Foundation for California Community Colleges is the official nonprofit foundation to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors and Chancellor's Office. The Foundation's mission is to benefit, support, and enhance the missions of the California Community Colleges system, the largest higher education system in the nation. Incorporated in 1998, the Foundation works to benefit all California Community College students, colleges, college foundations, and the system as a whole by accelerating paths to economic and social mobility, strengthening communities, and reducing barriers to opportunities for all Californians. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization. For more information, visit www.foundationccc.org.