$1.8 million Grant Prepares High-Achieving Students for Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
TO HELP REDUCE THE SHORTAGE of highly educated workers entering STEM career fields, W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation at CFT has announced a $1.8 million grant to the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) Foundation to train the best and brightest students in theDCCCD STEM Institute.
The STEM Institute helps high-achieving students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) earn degrees and prepare for careers in their respective fields. Educate Texas, a public-private initiative of CFT, will work closely with the DCCCD STEM Institute to aid its long-term sustainability, program evaluation and alignment to the statewide STEM effort.
“The 
greatest driver of economic development in our community will be the quality and education of our workforce,” said Hunter L. Hunt, President and CEO of Hunt Consolidated Energy Inc., and the new board chairman of the DCCCD Foundation. “With more than 700,000 jobs in STEM industries forecast for Texas by 2013, these STEM Scholars hold the key to the future success of our region.”
In its fourth year, the STEM Institute draws from more than 6,000 students who enroll each semester in advanced mathematics and science classes at all seven colleges in DCCCD’s system, pairs them with outstanding STEM faculty mentors, accelerates their studies and offers them bridges to university degrees. In addition to providing scholarships, the grant will pay for students to attend institute-specific events and seminars. The grant also funds the STEM Faculty Fellows Academy, which provides year-round development for math and science teachers at DCCCD.
“Thanks to Caruth, Educate Texas and CFT, our students will be better prepared to complete their degrees and become the next generation of engineers, scientists and educators,” said DCCCD Chancellor Wright L. Lassiter Jr.
Created in 1973, the DCCCD Foundation supports Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake and Richland colleges. Together, the seven colleges of DCCCD enroll more than 100,000 undergraduate students each semester—more than any other college, university or community college system in the state.