From the making new engineers department...

Helen Escobar, of South Texas College writes: Here's news about a $559,000 grant we were awarded from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Postsecondary Education as part of its Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP). The grant was awarded to the college to support and enhance the offerings of its Dual Enrollment Engineering Academy (DEEA). This is a very important program to recruit students into a field that provides a wide world of opportunities, high-paying jobs and long-term career opportunities. This is a pretty unique program that could provide a great role model for community colleges and colleges across the nation to solve the issues of lack of US talent in this field. South Texas College is leading Texas' Rio Grande Valley in helping high school students find out where their strengths lie and getting a step up on their college education through our dual enrollment opportunities - we have more than 5,000 students enrolled this semester alone through dual enrollment. Getting to students early in high school and making them see that attending and completing college is possible is what is helping to get more students through the door and completing their associate's and pushing them on to a bachelor's. We are leading the charge in helping develop the skilled work force that is driving the expansion of the local economy so swiftly. Sounds like a lot of money? Not. It isn't enough to do everything needed to put engineering degrees in these kids' pockets, folk. "I have always been a devoted student and looked for ways to increase my chances of getting into a good college and a solid career path and now that I am in the DEEA, I know that my opportunities are endless," said Monica Medina, STC DEEA student who is from Nikki Rowe High School. "Already this semester we have taken Programming C+ and Introduction to Engineering courses. They are challenging, but also enjoyable. I look forward to walking across the STC stage at graduation in spring 2008!" If you have some unallocated charitable contribution money (it's the end of the year, friends, you might want to ship some of it to: Helen Escobar Coordinator of Public Relations South Texas College P: 956-872-8359 C: 956-369-3254 www.southtexascollege.edu