U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) today announced that Passaic County Community College (PCCC) has been awarded a one-year $826,340 federal grant to assist low-income Hispanic students excel in science, technology, math and engineering (STEM) degree programs.  The grant award is aimed specifically at increasing the number of Hispanic and other low income students who attain degrees in the sciences, technology, engineering and math.

“Low income, Hispanic students are under represented in America’s science and technology workforce,” stated Pascrell.  “With this grant funding, the federal government has partnered with PCCC to assist Passaic County students lead America’s next generation of scientists, engineers and technicians.”

“PCCC and its partners feel strongly that the next great innovation, invention, or idea, around which an entire economy is built, should come from a Paterson or Passaic County student,” stated PCCC President Steven Rose.  “That is the goal of this project, to unleash the creative potential of our students and to provide them with the interest, motivation, and skills to succeed in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.   The strength and stability of our local and regional economies and the security of our nation will increasingly require individuals who possess academic backgrounds in these subject areas.”

Committed to moving students through key transition points in the STEM pipeline, PCCC has partnered with seven local high school and five northern New Jersey colleges and universities.  The partnership has developed three essential components to achieve student success:

1.  A k-12 outreach component that involves high school students in hands-on collaborative activities to better prepare them for postsecondary education.  

2.  A STEM improvement effort on the PCCC campus that engages students in their STEM learning and provides them with the academic and personal support needed to persist, especially in the most critical first year of study.

The project’s goal is to increase the completion rate of STEM degrees by 5 percent.  By 2010 the project is expected to serve more than 2,000 high school and college students per year, a majority of whom will be Hispanic.

“I applaud PCCC for embracing its student body and leading this important educational initiative.  Thousands of Passaic County students who have struggled to succeed in math and the sciences stand to benefit from PCCC’s leadership and commitment to excellence,” concluded Pascrell.

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