(L-R) Heartland President Keith Cornille, ISU President Larry Dietz, IWU President Eric Jensen.

Heartland Lincoln Center included in $4.6 Million NSF Grant with ISU, IWU

 

[November 14, 2018]   The National Science Foundation has awarded $4.6 million to a consortium comprised of Illinois Wesleyan University, Illinois State University and Heartland Community College to fund NexSTEM: A Community Assets Program that Fosters the Next Generation of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Leaders.

Grant dollars will fund scholarships and support at all three Heartland Community College locations including Normal, Pontiac and Lincoln.

Over the five-year granting period, the three-school consortium will disburse nearly $2.8 million in scholarships and receive more than $1.8 million to involve the NexSTEM scholars in community-based research projects, to support the scholars’ classroom learning, to study new strategies for retaining students in STEM majors, and to keep the consortium running smoothly.

NexSTEM represents a collaborative effort between IWU, ISU and Heartland with local not-for-profit agencies to increase the recruitment and retention of talented, socio-economically underrepresented students in four-year STEM degree programs.

The program is built on the premise that its three institutions of higher education can generate a larger number of more successful STEM graduates by working together, and with community partners, than by working separately.

“Few communities enjoy such rich collaborations between a large state university, a small private liberal arts college, and a community college,” said Heartland Community College President Keith Cornille. “The NextSTEM program will help bolster our shared commitment to the community and our responsibility to provide all students with a pathway to success.”

While the project's three institutions of higher education have a shared commitment to student-centered, undergraduate STEM education, they offer programs of study and campus environments that complement rather than duplicate each other.

Because of a national shortage of STEM professionals, employers in the U.S. often struggle to fill jobs in these fields. This shortage of STEM professionals arises, in part, because persistent socio-economic inequities have prevented equal access to these disciplines.

NexSTEM aims to counter these trends by offering substantial four-year college scholarships, research experiences, and mentoring to talented high school seniors who are interested in STEM, but for whom significant financial need and limited familiarity with STEM careers are obstacles to obtaining bachelor's degrees. In this way, the program intends to diversify and grow the pool of STEM professionals.

An estimated 70 four-year scholarships will be offered through NexSTEM, with between 20 and 25 scholarships awarded to students at each of the three schools who matriculate in the falls of 2019 and 2020. Recipients may be awarded up to $10,000 annually from the NexSTEM grant; however, each student’s specific NexSTEM award is dependent upon financial need. NexSTEM scholars who begin their undergraduate educations at Heartland can carry their scholarships with them if they transfer to Illinois Wesleyan or Illinois State.

Offices of Admissions, Financial Aid, and Student Services at the three institutions will join the PI and Co-PIs in identifying the cohort pool. Students can apply now by visiting NexSTEM.org.

[Steve Fast
Associate Director of Public Information
Heartland Community College]