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The New Mexico AMP: Preparing Minorities for Careers in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology

Ricardo B. Jacquez, Rudi Schoenmackers, Carol Lopez Fischer, Anthony Parra and Kathleen Kelsey New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation New Mexico State University Box 30001, Dept. 3AMP Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001

Abstract The New Mexico Alliance for Minority Participation (New Mexico AMP) is a partnership of 26 of New Mexico’s post secondary institutions including the state’s 20 public two-year community colleges. New Mexico AMP is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a period of five years, November 1993 through October 1998, at a level of five million dollars. The goal of the Alliance is to increase the state’s graduation rate of ethnic minorities - African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Pacific Islanders - in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology from 253 per year (1992) to over 700 per year by 1998.

Overview To ensure that the United States remains the most productive and efficient country in the scientific and technological world requires our workforce to be representative of society. With a graduation rate of 4.8 percent among underrepresented minorities nationwide, there is a need for the science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) disciplines to diversify their make-up. This effort must include outreach to and opportunities for Hispanics, American Indians, African Americans, Alaskan Natives and Pacific Islanders who have historically not made up a representative portion of university SMET graduates.

New Mexico has one of the highest populations of underrepresented minorities in the nation. Through the New Mexico AMP this large pool of talent is poised to provide major contributions to diversify the ethnic base of students receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees.

The AMP program is NSF’s national flagship initiative for increasing the participation of individuals from minority groups underrepresented in the SMET work force. For over two years, the New Mexico AMP has successfully engaged the resources of the scientific community in a statewide initiative aimed at increasing the numbers of minority individuals receiving baccalaureate degrees in SMET fields. Specific project activities include:

• Developing articulation agreements • Providing recruiting and retention programs • Providing courses by distance learning • Establishing internships • Providing scholarships and student stipends • Maintaining a comprehensive tracking system

The goal of the New Mexico AMP is to increase the number of baccalaureate degrees awarded to underrepresented minorities in SMET fields in New Mexico from 253 in the baseline year of 1992/93 to

1996 ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings

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Schoenmackers, R., & Jacquez, R. B. (1996, June), The New Mexico Amp: Preparing Minorities For Careers In Science, Mathematics, Engineering And Technology Paper presented at 1996 Annual Conference, Washington, District of Columbia. 10.18260/1-2--6208