Wright College and its partner, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), are the recent recipients of an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant that will fund an innovative program designed to encourage students of color to pursue graduate-level education in science and technology.
The $500,000 “Equitable Pathways” implementation grant from the Sloan Foundation will support Wright College and UIUC’s collaborative efforts to develop a post-secondary pathway that encourages City Colleges students to explore masters- and doctoral-level degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, called Enduring Transfer Pathways to Graduate Education in STEM. Over two to three years, the partnership will provide Wright College’s Black, Indigenous, and Latinx students with early exposure to STEM programs beyond a bachelor’s degree at UIUC.
The new grant project adds to an already strong partnership between Wright College’s Engineering Pathways program and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Currently, participating students are offered guaranteed admissions to UIUC upon the completion of an associate degree. The pathway allows them to transfer seamlessly to UIUC’s prestigious Grainger College of Engineering as a junior.
“This grant will go very far in supporting our diverse graduates as they pursue higher degrees in STEM education, and we are deeply grateful to the Sloan Foundation for investing in our incredible students,” said Wright College President, David Potash. “By offering this generous pathway, we will be more inclusive and better positioned to promote higher scientific success, economic mobility for minorities and greater competitiveness for our country.”
The New York-based Sloan Foundation selected this year’s 21 grantees based on their commitment to creating systemic, equitable, and change-focused partnerships between Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and other educational institutions with a strong STEM focus.
To view the full list of grantees, visit https://sloan.org/programs/higher-education/diversity-equity-inclusion/2022-equitable-pathways-grantees.
