CU Denver to Participate in Department of Defense Agreement: Address National Shortage of STEM Professionals
The Department of Defense (DoD) awarded a cooperative agreement to the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU) to enhance the academic and professional success of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields relevant to the DoD.
CU Denver is one of the 22 Hispanic-Serving Institutions within the Alliance that will participate in the new program. “We are excited to be part of this agreement because it will increase the pipeline of engineers, cyber sleuths, and other STEM professionals that our nation needs,” said Vice Chancellor Antonio Farias, who represents CU Denver on HRSU. “Part of our mission as an urban research institution is to support the workforce development needs of our local, regional, and national communities. This program will help all our students see the opportunities they have.”
According to the DoD, under the cooperative agreement, the consortium will receive up to $9.3 million over the course of five years to execute the Hispanic-Serving Research Institutions Research and STEM Education project. This will introduce a multi-institutional framework with the following components:
- Application submission and fellowship advising for graduate students in a cohort-based format
- Graduate student fellowships
- Programming to promote DoD-focused faculty leadership
- Competitive DoD-funded research opportunities
- Research-informed inclusive science practices and interventions.
A DoD press release stated: “The initiative is foundational to the department’s strategy to build a 21st-century workforce with the skills and talent needed to meet evolving defense challenges, said Dr. Farrukh Alvi, director for institutional research capacity and strategic growth in the Basic Research Office within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “This project will help meet a national security need for a highly trained and agile workforce in areas relevant to national defense. It implements a holistic approach to increasing participation from underrepresented groups, allowing the HSRU team and DoD to track performance and refine their approach over the life of the project.”
The University of Texas El Paso and the University of Central Florida led the efforts that resulted in the agreement. The universities in the HSRU enroll a combined 32 percent undergraduate Hispanic student population. CU Denver is the most diverse urban research university in Colorado with a goal of making education work for all.