Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel announced a $598,000 grant for Lehman College, from the National Science Foundation, to fund the S-STEM: Lehman College Mentoring and Scholarship Program.

Rep. Engel said, “This program, Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, is designed to retain under-represented minorities and women in mathematics and computer-related fields.”  The four key components of this grant include funding through scholarships and equipment, advising and mentoring, career planning, and building a community of scholars.

Dr. Ricardo R. Fernández, president of Lehman, said, “Lehman College is very proud of this highly successful program, which began in 2001 and to date has enabled over 150 students to earn their degrees and enter the technology-trained workforce in the New York area. As many as 40 additional students a year majoring in the STEM fields will benefit from this new grant, which will provide scholarships to meet the balance of their financial need, enable them to pursue paid internships in local technology companies, fund intense mentoring and advising, and provide the opportunity for collaboration with Lehman faculty on important research projects.”

Scholarship recipients receive support for professional development and career planning which emphasizes collaboration and communication skills for success in the workplace.  The program nurtures an active learning community which includes scholarship recipients who have graduated and entered the workforce.

Rep. Engel said, “This is the kind of grant money that Republicans are slashing with abandon, cutting us off from our future. I was encouraged by the State of the Union speech when President Obama renewed our nation’s focus on education and innovation. Lehman College is at the forefront of this effort.  Programs like this give our children a leg-up on the competition, and prepare them for a global community where our students are competing with the best and brightest from across the globe.”

The 12-term congressman said he is proud to support efforts like these to bring back much needed resources to the district.

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