Gov. Fallin joins AEP Foundation during announcement of $3 million STEM grant to TCC
By Nour Habib, World Staff Writer
Tulsa Public Schools students will soon benefit from a new initiative that will help them obtain college credits for coursework in science, technology, engineering and math — or STEM — fields.
The initiative, called Credits Count, will be funded by a $3 million grant over five years from the American Electric Power Foundation. Tulsa Community College, the recipient of the grant, will administer the program.
Stuart Solomon, president and chief operating officer of Public Service Company of Oklahoma, a utility subsidiary of AEP, announced the grant at a news conference at Will Rogers College High School on Monday afternoon.
“The Credits Count program is the largest gift that the AEP Foundation has ever made in the state of Oklahoma,” he said. “This gift will help our students pursue STEM-related careers and college studies, and become the next generation of critical thinkers who will find solutions to complex challenges for businesses and communities.”
Solomon said statistics show that STEM-related occupations already make up 1 of every 10 jobs in the country, and that they are growing faster than non-STEM jobs.
“For us, as a business, Credits Count will help educate the workforce of the future,” he said.
Gov. Mary Fallin was at the news conference Monday, and said the initiative is a “model program” of a public-private partnership that she hopes will be replicated throughout the state.
She said the program will help students realize the relevance of STEM in today’s workforce.
“More than that, (this program) helps Oklahoma’s employers,” she said.
Credits Count will begin at Will Rogers College High School in 2016 and expand to a total of four TPS high schools and the middle schools that feed into them. The program includes four elements, which officials identify as middle school STEM exploration, college course readiness assessments and tutoring, a summer bridge program to polish English and math skills, and dual enrollment in high school and at TCC.
Specifics of how the program will work will be developed this year, headed by a program director at TCC.
Leigh Goodson, TCC president, said the grant will help the college continue its STEM offerings.
“As a community college, we have the responsibility to the community to produce graduates that are work ready and have the skills and knowledge necessary to fulfill the needs of the business community,” Goodson said.
Xan Black, director of the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance, and Taylor Hill-Taylor, director of college and career readiness at TPS, wrote the Credits Count grant.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to really shore up students that are considering STEM, or not quite sure if they’re ready for STEM,” Black said.
She said Credits Count doesn’t just provide the opportunity for students to take STEM classes, but also offers the necessary support to make them successful, through tutoring and summer programs.
Black also said being able to earn college credit while in high school dramatically increases the chances that a students will go to college after graduation.
Hill-Taylor said the program is about creating a pipeline for students to secure STEM jobs.
“We’re hoping that we will have more students prepared to go to college in a STEM-related field,” she said.
At the end of the five years, the program is expected to have impacted nearly 4,000 students. The grant will also provide professional development for 200 teachers.