Dartmouth College has received a gift to extend support to underrepresented students in STEM fields, Philip J. Hanlon, the school’s president, announced in a release.
The $150,000 donation, made by alumni Merinda and Ben Wilson, will go towards the E.E. Just Program, providing more opportunities to underrepresented students in the form of mentorships, research internships and undergraduate fellowships.
“Humankind has never needed brilliant young minds in the sciences, technology, and math more than today—and each of these disciplines demands broadly educated, creative professionals who reflect the diversity of our global society,” Hanlon said.
Named in honor of Ernest Everett Just, a renowned African American cell biologist, the program provides undergraduates with opportunities for intellectual engagement and professional development within a community of Dartmouth scientists. It also links undergraduates with graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who have similar backgrounds.
More than 85 percent undergraduate students who have participated in the E.E. Just Program’s recent cohorts graduated with a STEM degree, twice the rate for Dartmouth students from underrepresented populations who intend on studying STEM upon arriving at the school, speaking to the program’s overall success.
The school is now seeking an additional $10 million to permanently fund an endowment for the program.
Last month, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County received $6.9 million to expand its UMBC Meyerhoff program, which supports underrepresented students pursuing careers in STEM fields, onto the University of California, San Diego and the University of California, Berkeley campuses.
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