AACC Gets $300,000 Grant for STEM Program

Anne Arundel Community College is benefiting from a $2.6 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The total will be distributed among AACC, three other community colleges, and the University of Maryland in Baltimore County (UMBC).

AACC requested $302,500 of that sum for an initiative geared at successfully transferring students into programs for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The STEM Transfer Student Success Initiative at AACC will be led by Richard Cerkovnik, Ph.D., director of the AACC Regional STEM Center. 

AACC President Dr. Dawn Lindsay said this collaboration between UMBC, AACC and the other Maryland community colleges “will have a significant impact on the success of transfer students who pursue four-year degrees and careers in STEM disciplines.”

One of AACC’s transfer successes is Roy N. Clark, 28, now a senior at UMBC. Clark transferred two years ago after graduating summa cum laude from AACC in 2011 as a computer science transfer student. He said his experience at AACC with a more personable environment and smaller class sizes helped make him more successful.

“Many of my professors were critical in getting me more involved in this field (STEM),” Clark said. “They got me more interested and motivated for the work and were critical in getting me involved in this field. They showed me what careers are available in this field."