Lone Star College-Tomball awarded $2.8 million grant to promote STEM programs

TOMBALL, TX -- The U.S. Department of Education awarded Lone Star College-Tomball a $2.8 million Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) and Articulation Program grant to help increase the number of Hispanic students obtaining degrees in STEM fields.

“More and more jobs require individuals with STEM degrees and STEM-related skills,” said Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., LSC chancellor. “This funding will help expand the number of Hispanic students graduating with STEM degrees and help them be ready to join the workforce.”

The five-year grant, which was 100% funded by the U.S. Department of Education, will also be used to increase the transfer rate between LSC-Tomball and University of Houston-Downtown (UHD).

LSC-Tomball plans to develop the Science First Success Center. This center will incorporate integrated centralized academic support and guided pathways to streamline STEM degree requirements, as well as support faculty and staff through professional development to impact transformative changes.

“This grant will allow students to see the great opportunities STEM careers can provide and ensure student learning objectives are aligned with the skills or knowledge required for employment in in-demand industry sectors,” said Lee Ann Nutt, Ed.D., LSC-Tomball president.

An Hispanic Serving Institution is defined as an institution of higher education that has an enrollment of undergraduate, full-time equivalent students that is at least 25% Hispanic. In fall 2021, Hispanics made up 38% of the total LSC-Tomball student population.

In addition to the extra support provided to students, LSC-Tomball will work with UHD to strengthen articulation pathways and improve communication to foster a culture of engagement between institutions, as well as develop guided pathways to streamline STEM degree requirements.

Lone Star College offers high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education to 93,000+ students each semester. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and has been named a 2021 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education and ranked 35th in Texas in the Forbes ‘America’s Best Employers By State’ list. LSC consists of seven colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence, Lone Star Corporate College and LSC-Online. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.