Media Relations
University of South Florida
Polytechnic
3433 Winter Lake Road
Lakeland, FL 33803
(863) 667-7077
Fax (863) 667-7097
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Contact:
Dr. Nathan Thomas
(863)
667-7089
LAKELAND,
FL (January 10, 2007) - This week the University of South Florida Lakeland will host leaders of an innovative national technology alliance comprised of eleven universities stretching from Florida north to Vermont. The consortium, Students and Technology in Academia, Research and Service (STARS), is led by the University of North Carolina Charlotte and includes USF Lakeland and other national colleges and universities.
On Thursday evening, January 11, 2007, USF Lakeland will be the site of a reception and roundtable for STARS Alliance participants and leaders of central Florida’s business, education and government sectors.
The STARS Alliance received two million dollars in start-up funding from the National Science Foundation to enhance the engagement of women and minority students in technology.
According to Dr. E. Nathan Thomas, Director of Diversity at USF Lakeland, and an Alliance member, minority high school students are becoming the majority in several states and remain the fastest growing population in American society. However, according to Thomas, universities are challenged with enrolling and graduating minority students and women in technology at the undergraduate and graduate levels to ensure appropriate representation in the higher paying technology workforce.
“STARS serves as a model of engagement, focusing on recruiting, retaining, graduating and placing underrepresented students,” says Thomas. “It gives those students a vital opportunity to contribute to a dynamic sector of our economy, but it also has a lot to do with national competitiveness. If we don’t engage these students, we are losing out on a huge talent pool.”
The STARS Alliance includes the following institutions of higher education:
- University of North Carolina Charlotte (lead university), North Carolina
- Auburn University (Public Univ), Alabama
- FAMU (Public HBCU), Florida
- Florida State University (Public Univ), Florida
- Georgia Tech (Public Univ), Georgia
- Johnson C. Smith University (Private HBCU), North Carolina
- Landmark College (College for students with learn disabilities), Vermont
- Meredith (Women’s college), North Carolina
- North Carolina State University (Public Univ), North Carolina
- Spelman (Women’s Private HBCU), Georgia
- University of South Florida Lakeland (Public Univ), Florida
Thursday’s event is free and takes place from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the new PCC/USF Lakeland Technology Building. For more information, contact Carmen Solis at (863) 258-3295.
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