CDEP: A SUCCESSFUL MULTIFACETED PRE-COLLEGIATE/COLLEGIATE STEM PIPELINE PROGRAM ADDRESSING THE UNDERREPRESENTATION OF MINORITIES IN STEM (Invited Presentation)

The United States ranks 27^th among developed nations in the proportion of college students receiving baccalaureate degrees in science or engineering. This is problematic for America’s global competitiveness and domestic STEM workforce. It has been projected that America will need to produce 1 million additional college graduates majoring in STEM over the next decade in order to meet the demands of the STEM workforce. Attaining the goal will necessitate broadening participation to inspire a more diverse STEM talent pool. Therefore, a concerted effort focused on aggressive measures to recruit and inspire minorities and women to consider STEM fields is critical for increasing the number of underrepresented minorities pursuing STEM majors and professions.

Women and minority populations (African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans) constitute 70% of the students enrolled in colleges and universities while earning only about 45% of undergraduate STEM degrees. With the projected change in demographics within the next 10 to 20 years, the number of STEM degree graduates for these underrepresented populations will need to increase significantly if America is to maintain a competitive STEM workforce.

The Fort Valley State University (FVSU) Cooperative Developmental Energy Program (CDEP) program addresses this challenge by focusing on increasing STEM education to minority and female students. FVSU-CDEP is a 30-year-old pre-collegiate/collegiate STEM pipeline program that begins in the 9^th grade and continues through FVSU and 7 partnering universities. Currently, FVSU-CDEP has awarded 269 STEM baccalaureate degrees in Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics. CDEP’s partnering universities have awarded 188 baccalaureate degrees in Engineering, Geosciences, and Health Physics for a combined total of 457 baccalaureate STEM degrees and still counting. Females have received over 45% of the STEM degrees awarded. Over 900 hundred students have participated in CDEP’s pre-collegiate component with a high percentage entering college and pursuing STEM education.

FVSU-CDEP STEM pipeline program success comes from its multifaceted components consisting of early intervention, mentoring, scholarship support, HBCU-PWI/HSI partnerships, and partnerships with corporations, and governmental agencies.