Nov. 7, 2008
Center Valley, Pa. - The Patriot League Academic Conference will bring faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields to Lafayette Nov. 7-8 to focus on best practices for attracting and retaining students, innovative teaching methods, and potential collaborations among the schools.
Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a renowned expert on minority student achievement, will be the keynote speaker at the inaugural Patriot League Academic Conference this weekend. He will deliver a free, public talk entitled "Beating the Odds: Preparing Underrepresented Minority Students for STEM Careers," at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, in the auditorium of Lafayette's Kirby Hall of Civil Rights.
Sponsored by the provosts of the League's member institutions, the conference will feature a workshop on pedagogies of engagement facilitated by Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), a leading national advocate for strong undergraduate STEM programs, and League members, who are among a select group of institutions collaborating with PKAL on initiatives to strengthen student learning in STEM fields.
Wendy L. Hill, Lafayette's provost and dean of the faculty, says, "Through the conference and other initiatives, we seek to strengthen the partnership among Patriot League institutions across a spectrum of activities. I am enthusiastic about the possibilities that such a conference can provide and hope that it serves as a model for future gatherings that focus on other academic disciplines."
Hrabowski has spent much of his professional career studying minority student achievement, focusing special attention on the participation and performance of African Americans in STEM fields. A major outcome of his research and vision is UMBC's Meyerhoff Scholarship Program. Open to high-achieving students from all backgrounds who are interested in pursuing advanced degrees and research careers in science and engineering and are committed to the advancement of minorities in these fields, the program was created in 1988 to address the shortage of African Americans, particularly males, who successfully pursue careers in science and engineering.
The program is recognized as a national model in terms of its components - which include emphasizing scholarship support, faculty involvement, study groups, mentoring, and research experiences - and outcomes. It has produced nearly 560 graduates, including 125 who have earned an M.D., Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D.; more than 100 who have completed graduate degrees in engineering; and 250 others currently enrolled in graduate and professional degree programs.
"Rapid and dramatic demographic and technological changes present enormous challenges for educating and preparing students - particularly underrepresented minority students - for careers in science, technology, engineering, and math fields," Hrabowski says. "Among the most critical questions we face are what will students need to know in order to succeed academically, and what skills and values must they possess?'
"Additionally, what strategies can colleges and universities use to support and ensure the successful recruitment, retention, and graduation of students from all backgrounds in these fields? Answers to these questions will substantially affect the quality of life of all Americans and the nation's global competitiveness in the first part of the 21st century."
