All five Alamo Colleges part of DoD consortium that will strengthen diverse STEM ecosystem in San Antonio region

$11 million, six-year investment from Department of Defense aims to serve 1,200 STEM students in underserved communities and give preference to veterans

All five Alamo Colleges have been announced  among organizations that will partner on a cooperative grant from the Department of Defense (DoD) that will aim to strengthen a diverse STEM ecosystem in the San Antonio region. 

Recently, the DoD made the announcement of the National Defense Education Program Cooperative Agreements of up to $55 million to five community college consortiums across the country. 

The Military City USA consortium (MCUSA) includes all five Alamo Colleges - St. Philip’s College, San Antonio College, Northeast Lakeview College, Palo Alto College and Northwest Vista College - as well as both San Antonio public four-year universities, the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and Texas A&M University-San Antonio, and Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM, a national nonprofit. 

Palo Alto College will serve as the lead organization for the MCUSA consortium. 

The MCUSA consortium will receive an initial award of $5 million over a three-year base period, with the possibility of three one-year option periods at $2 million per year, totaling an award ceiling of up to $11 million over six years. 

Awardees will aim to produce more certified graduates of training programs and prepare students for careers in the defense sector while building transition pathways to four-year universities. 

Goals of the MCUSA will be to increase STEM enrollment by 86%, increase STEM completion by 88%, increase STEM transfers to four-year universities by 100%, and serve 1,200 STEM students with preference to veterans, their spouses and underserved and underrepresented populations. 

During the six year period, students will take part in experiential learning opportunities at the DoD’s laboratories and military installations across the country. 

“We thank the Department of Defense for recognizing how critical it is to create a STEM workforce pipeline for our country’s future,” said Dr. Mike Flores, Alamo Colleges District Chancellor. “We are proud to have this important partnership with UTSA and Texas A&M University-San Antonio to continue to reach our underserved communities and make it possible for students to receive a quality STEM education.”

A full listing of the winning consortia are:

• Denver Metro Engineering Consortium
• Ohio TechNet Defense Industrial Base STEM Consortium
• Pennsylvania-wide Community College Consortium for Enhancing STEM and Cybersecurity Education
• The Military City USA Consortium
• Inclusive Engineering Consortium 2to4