During the summit, McCartney is to announce that Smith will expand its commitment to educational access for the underserved
According to a release posted on the website of Smith College, Kathleen McCartney, president of the Northampton women's school, is among the 100 college and university presidents, as well as 40 leaders from other related groups, meeting in D.C. on Jan. 16, for a White House summit on education, with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
During the summit, McCartney is to announce that Smith will expand its commitment to educational access for the under served, the theme of the summit, by enrolling 10 low-income students -- a "posse" -- a year, who are interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The program, that exists at other higher education venues, is known as Posse STEM, a reference to the fields of study.
Smith will enroll its first posse in fall 2015, drawn from public high schools in New York City. The program will run in tandem with Smith’s AEMES (Achieving Excellence in Mathematics, Engineering and Science) program, founded by faculty members in biology and chemistry, according to the site.
“As a first-generation college student and a social scientist, I am delighted to join forces with the Posse Foundation’s STEM Initiative and to be part of an innovative program that supports access to higher education for underserved populations,” McCartney said in the release.
“As the home of the country’s first engineering program for women, and through the existing structure of our AEMES programs, Smith is uniquely positioned to support STEM education and success for our Posse scholars. I look forward to greeting our first group and supporting their success.”
Enrolling 2,600 students from every state and 66 other countries, Smith is the largest undergraduate women's college in the country.
According to the Posse Foundation, the STEM Initiative is “one of the largest scholarship announcements in the past decade aimed at assisting undergraduate urban students who are focused on science, technology, engineering and math.”
. Along with the 10 full scholarships per year, Smith will meet any additional financial need, provide a faculty or staff mentor for each Posse class and offer a summer enrichment program for the Posse students.
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The STEM Initiative was launched by the Posse Foundation in 2008 and was highlighted in 2012 by President Obama as being well-aligned to his initiative to train 1 million or more STEM graduates over the next 10 years.
Alongside Smith, Posse’s STEM partner institutions are Brandeis, Bryn Mawr, Davidson, Franklin & Marshall, Georgetown, Middlebury, Pomona, Texas A&M and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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