Fort Valley State University (FVSU) has received a nearly $3 million grant from the Department of Education to expand the Cooperative Developmental Energy Program (CDEP) to increase the number of minority STEM graduates.

The grant will be used to address the shortage of women and minority STEM professionals and the need to increase their participation in pursuing STEM disciplines. The project will focus on providing STEM education to students from rural areas and populations of students under-represented in STEM.

The project aims to recruit, mentor, and award scholarships to a minimum of 30 academically talented minority and female students and mentor 120 ninth through twelfth-grade students in STEM through FVSU’s Math, Science, and Engineering Academy (M-SEA).

“This grant is another example of the dedication and focus of our faculty to our mission,” said Olufunke Fontenot, Ed.D., provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “I am excited that CDEP, one of our special programs with a rich history and record of achievements in producing STEM graduates, has garnered this additional funding to advance the institution’s work in producing minority STEM graduates.”

According to the university, FVSU-CDEP has a 30-year track record of successfully recruiting and graduating minorities and women for STEM and has served as a pipeline workforce program that focuses on diversity in the energy and other high-tech industries.

Isaac Crumbly, Ph.D., associate vice president for careers and collaborative programs and director of CDEP, served as the project director for this grant.

“I am thrilled about receiving this grant because there are many academically talented students who don’t have access to financial resources to attend college,” said Isaac Crumbly, Ph.D. “This grant will help high achieving students with limited financial resources to attend college.”

The university says that the project will be beneficial for the state of Georgia. Women and members of minority groups constitute approximately 70% of students enrolled in American colleges and universities. However, when combined, these groups of students only account for about 45% of undergraduate STEM degrees. With this grant, FVSU plans to increase those numbers.