Cedar Valley College has been awarded a grant to help ensure the success of African American males in science, technology, engineering and math.
The college will receive $2,452,567 over the next five years from the U.S. Department of Education's Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) program to focus on STEM programs.
"It's going to allow us to have more resources to work on the whole student," said Cedar Valley College president Dr. Jennifer Wimbish. "We are going to make connections to internships and apprenticeships."
In the past 10 years, African American men have been one of the only minority groups to not make significant progress in STEM careers.
"I haven't seen too many more African Americans. I have seen a lot of Caucasian males, but I haven't seen too many people that look like me," said STEM student Brian Walker.
U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, presented the first installment of the PBI grant to Cedar Valley College Wednesday.
"I am very pleased to see Cedar Valley College at the forefront of eliminating barriers and providing opportunities for African American male students to succeed in the STEM fields. Their STEM education will be key in helping these students to secure good paying jobs in the 21st century," Johnson said.
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Cedar Valley College is the only Texas institution to receive a PBI grant for this round of funding.
