Lance Brings News of $1.5 Million STEM Award to UCC

WESTFIELD, N.J. --- Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ-07) today visited the Cranford campus of Union County College to congratulate the school on receiving a $1.5 million award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

“New Jersey community colleges are the best in the Nation.  We must keep up the investment in our strong community colleges so we can offer our residents a terrific public option for personal and professional growth.  Many young people and those starting new careers have counted on the programming at UCC to offer them greater experiences and challenges.  I commend UCC for earning this award from the National Science Foundation,” said Lance, who has supported funding in Congress for the National Science Foundation and has been an advocate for New Jersey’s community colleges.  

The NSF Award will specifically boost STEM Education (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and programming for Hispanic-Serving Institutions.  UCC will use the grant to provide students with research opportunities to increase student engagement, critical thinking skills, retention and graduation rates and transfer into a STEM major at a four-year institution.  The National Science Foundation supports research, innovation and discovery projects across the country, especially providing assistance to educators on the frontiers of science and engineering.

“STEM majors at UCC helped by this grant will turn their degrees into small businesses and new opportunities,” concluded Lance.