Program Overview

The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) is an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF grant #1712619) which is intended to double the number of African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Alaska Native and Pacific Islander students receiving baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in a five-year period.

Additionally, LS-NSSA is supported by 3M to support students from South-East Asian backgrounds as well as students who transferred.

LS-NSSA Goals:

1. Increase the number of underrepresented students receiving bachelor's degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math among partner institutions in a five-year period.

2. Develop an alliance of collegiate institutions and community organizations working toward increasing the likelihood of success of underrepresented students working toward the bachelor's degree.

3. Foster institutional change toward greater diversity and inclusion on partner campuses.

LS-NSSA Objectives:

To increase the number of African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Alaska Native and Pacific Islander students receiving STEM baccalaureates, the North Star STEM Alliance has identified the following objectives:

Support student achievement via study groups, tutoring, and supplemental instruction.
Engage students more deeply in their fields through faculty mentorship and research opportunities.
Explore career directions at 4-year colleges, in industry, and graduate school.
Build community through social networking, peer mentorship, and student organizations.
To achieve these objectives, the North Star STEM Alliance will provide comprehensive, long-term initiatives that include alliance-wide community building conferences, peer-to-peer learning, undergraduate research opportunities, programs to help students successfully bridge to college and university-level STEM programs, industry internships, professional development, and publicity of current research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

LS-NSSA Partners:

The North Star STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Alliance, is comprised of fourteen higher education institutions and three community partners - the Science Museum of Minnesota, the Minnesota Education Equity Partnership, and the Minnesota Technology Association. The academic institutions are representative of the breadth of higher education institutions in Minnesota and include both public and private colleges and universities, community colleges, and tribal colleges.

Augsburg University
Bemidji State University
Carleton College
Century College
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
Leech Lake Tribal College
Metropolitan State University
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Minnesota Technology Association (MnTech)
Science Museum of Minnesota
St. Cloud State University
St. Olaf College
University of Minnesota, Duluth
University of Minnesota, Morris
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities