About Us
Government and private industries are experiencing a shortage of employees trained in STEM-related fields (science, technology, engineering and math) to meet the demands of the labor market. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)*, University of Houston-Clear Lake aims to address this shortage and increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students earning degrees in STEM fields. To help UHCL achieve this goal, the U.S. Department of Education awarded UHCL an HSI-STEM grant in the fall of 2016 through the HSI STEM Grant and Articulation Program.
*The U.S. Department of Education defines HSI as a higher education institution that has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25% Hispanic.
About the Grant Programs
Pathways to STEM Careers is a grant program that enables UH-Clear Lake to develop and enhance support services and strategies to increase student success among Hispanic, Latino and low-income students in the College of Science and Engineering. It allows the university to develop model programs for students’ successful transfer from two-year HSI to four-year HSIs in STEM fields of study. UHCL received more than $3.7 million for the program that was distributed from 2016 – 2022. In 2021, UHCL was awarded more than $4 million to be distributed from 2021 – 2026 through its new grant program called Supporting Diversity in STEM Careers.
The goal of the HSI STEM program is to:
- Increase program retention rate and number of graduates in STEM fields.
- Develop and model transfer and articulation agreements in STEM fields with area HSI colleges.
- Provide paid opportunities for students to conduct scientific research supervised by UHCL faculty and gain practical on-the-job experience via internships.
- Increase sense of belonging in STEM.
- Establish an endowment to provide scholarships for students in the College of Science and Engineering.