Grant Promotes Minorities In Engineering
IRVING, TX --ExxonMobil Foundation has announced a $520,000 grant to the National Action Council for Minority Engineers, Inc. (NACME), a premier non-profit focused on increasing the number of underrepresented students pursuing careers in engineering. Of the total grant, $270,000 is part of an annual grant for organization support and scholarships, and $250,000 will go toward NACME’s Pre-Engineering Program and Academies of Engineering (AOE) strategy.
“The continued and generous partnership with ExxonMobil is vital to the success of our Academies of Engineering efforts and will help enhance learning and ensure college readiness for thousands of talented underrepresented minority students”
ExxonMobil Foundation has been the largest corporate sponsor of NACME since the council’s founding in 1974 and has provided the organization with more than $10 million in support.
According to research done by NACME, less than 12% of baccalaureate engineering graduates in the United States are underrepresented minorities, and only 4% of minority students leave high school with the skills necessary to pursue engineering degrees.
As the demand for highly trained engineers continues to rise, NACME’s development programs help prepare growing numbers of talented, young underrepresented minority students with the skills and exposure they need to graduate from high school and pursue a college degree in engineering. NACME anticipates impacting more than 18,000 middle and high school students nationwide by 2012 through its efforts.
“The ExxonMobil Foundation is focused on improving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, but we need quality partners such as NACME in order to have a greater impact,” said Suzanne McCarron, president, ExxonMobil Foundation. “When you consider how few minorities there are among engineering ranks in America, it’s imperative that we work together to find solutions to increase the opportunities and exposure for students with diverse backgrounds.”
“The continued and generous partnership with ExxonMobil is vital to the success of our Academies of Engineering efforts and will help enhance learning and ensure college readiness for thousands of talented underrepresented minority students,” said Dr. Irving Pressley McPhail, NACME president and CEO. “ExxonMobil’s dedication to strengthening the STEM pipeline serves as a model for what other companies can do to cultivate tomorrow’s domestic STEM workforce.”
NACME has provided leadership and support for the national effort to increase the number of successful African American, American Indian and Latino women and men in STEM education and careers. With funding from corporate and individual donors, NACME has supported over 22,000 students with more than $114 million in scholarships and other support. Currently, NACME provides scholarship support for approximately 1,250 college engineering students through a national network of 50 Partner Universities.
About NACME:
Since its inception over 35 years ago, NACME has stayed true to its mission: To insure American resilience in a “flat” world by leading and supporting the national effort to expand U.S. capability by increasing the number of successful African American, American Indian, and Latino women and men in STEM education and careers. NACME Alumni hold leadership positions in industry, medicine, law, education and government. With funding from corporate and individual donors, NACME has supported more than 22,000 students with more than $114 million in scholarships and other support, and currently has more than 1,300 scholars at 50 Partner Institutions across the country. Through a partnership with the National Academy Foundation (NAF) and Project Lead The Way (PLTW) NACME has helped launch a national network of urban-centered, open enrollment, high-school level engineering academies that will provide all students with a strong science and math education so that they will be college-ready for engineering study.
