Mohave Community College chosen for Arizona State STEM program

KINGMAN – Mohave Community College has been selected to participate in the Arizona State University STEM program to better serve Hispanic students.

According to an MCC news release, the college will participate in the STEM Kickstarter 2.0 program and will be part of a cohort program with the National Science Foundation that helps to better serve Hispanic students in STEM at two-year Hispanic Serving Institutions.

The program is 18 months long and the MCC team spans throughout multiple campuses and departments including faculty from life sciences, math, campus deans, students and more.

Dr. Tonya Jackson, associate dean of instruction for STEM, said she is looking forward to the opportunity to make sure underserved students’ needs are being met.

“We have a wonderfully eclectic team so we're all excited about different aspects of the program. I’m excited to have a student on our team. Martha Aguilar is a chemistry major with a work study in the library and is active in various student groups,” Jackson said. “I'm excited to give her a glimpse into the turning wheels of working in higher education outside of the traditional classroom and lab space.”

The MCC team consists of Dr. Cesar Fuentes (lead faculty, life sciences); Kelene Keating (faculty, life sciences); Dr. Lucinda Leugers (dean of general education and transfer); Dr. Maria Ayon (dean of student and community engagement); Martha Aguilar (student); Angel Soto (STEM technician); Abigail Jaimes-Gomez (educational development); Matt Wienke (math faculty) and Mike Rozinski (math faculty).

According to the news release, the program will help MCC look at institutional changes and changes that can be made in the classroom to better support Hispanic students. Jackson said almost all reforms geared toward helping the underserved end up helping all students in the long run; some students just make even larger gains ... .

ASU will be providing support, guidance and professional development as MCC faculty go through the four stages of the Kickstarter 2.0 program. ASU has helped 31 institutions obtain over $15.1 million dollars in grant funding for STEM education. To be successful in the program, the team needs to assess current practices and work toward building stronger programs.