Dr. Orlando-Marquez C. Kittrell selected to present at the 30th Annual National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE 2017).

02/15/17

Dr. Orlando-Marquez C. Kittrell, founding director of the Office of State Grants (OSG), will present “Make STEM Education Great Again: The Challenges of Creating an Intentional and Transformational Pipeline for Historically Underrepresented College Students” at the NCORE 2017 conference which will be held May 30th through June 3rd in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Kittrell’s presentation will examine the reasons why now more than ever, historically underrepresented high school students (i.e., those who identify as African-American, Latino/Hispanic American, Native American and Alaskan Native) in the United States are seeking to explore professions in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

While there has gradually been a national increase in STEM-based curricula at the high school level and partnering afterschool programs, the utmost challenge is to ensure that this population of students are meaningfully guided towards entering colleges and universities that will understand some of the critical access challenges faced when advancing in class-level status. While this may readily appear to be a nationwide issue, and it is; however, the burden falls on state educational systems to best prepare underrepresented high school students so that they will have a solid academic foundation for competing in college with majority students once admitted. State educational agencies are often uncoordinated, underfunded, and unevaluated, leading to a collective uncommitment. The Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) at Ithaca College serves as a successful model for engaging historically underrepresented students, while many colleges and universities continue in their struggles to retain historically underrepresented STEM students. Women are also considered underrepresented in STEM.

OSG provides intrusive academic support services to eligible Ithaca College students participating in the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), the Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (C-STEM) program and the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). The Ithaca College CSTEP and HEOP programs are funded in part through the Office of Postsecondary Access, Support and Success (OPASS) at the New York State Department of Education.

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