Contact Us

MSC05 3040
1 University of New Mexico
AlbuquerqueNM 87131

Physical Location:
Education Classrooms
Building 67, Room #211

Phone: (505) 277-0878
stem@unm.edu

Program Overview

Student working in a lab

What is the STEM Collaborative?

The STEM Collaborative Center promotes collaboration between UNM departments, and develops STEM engagement opportunities for first and second year UNM students.  STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.  The STEM Collaborative is funded through a five-year developmental grant from the US Department of Education for approximately $2.6M.

Mission Statement

Collaborate & Strengthen. Engage & Connect.

  • Collaborate & Strengthen. Collaborate with UNM STEM programs to strengthen UNM STEM education efforts.
  • Engage & Connect. Engage students in STEM exploration and enrichment activities. Connect students to STEM departments and support programs.

STEM Summer. STEM Summer provides first-year and second-year students with opportunities to explore STEM disciplines, plan for STEM degree completion, and accelerate their acquisition of key skillsets. STEM Summer is offered in a modular format, so that students can pick the activities that most resonate with them. STEM Summer events are offered in these formats:

  • STEM Discovery Series. One-day workshops or trips that introduce students to innovative research projects, emerging technologies or future employment/internship opportunities.
  • Innovation Projects. Classes or comprehensive workshops designed to engage students in scientific research, innovation or product design. These projects are taught by UNM faculty researchers or graduate students, and include significant collaboration among participants.
  • STEM Special Topics Studios. Month-long classes designed to introduce students to special interest STEM topics.
  • STEM Outreach & Internships. Volunteer opportunities that provide students with important STEM workplace skills, or that allow STEM students to contribute to others.
  • STEM Career Exploration & Pathways Resources: Workshops or online resources designed to assist students in exploring STEM careers or charting their paths to specific STEM degrees and professions.
  • STEM Leadership Series: Workshops designed to provide students with the skills to assume leadership roles within their STEM majors and professions.
  • Summer Academic Support Opportunities: Structured learning support opportunities for students enrolled in STEM summer courses.

Discover STEM Conference Strands. The STEM Collaborative partners with other UNM departments to sponsor STEM-based sessions at student conferences. These sessions focus on: (1) Introducing students to STEM careers and disciplines; (2) Helping students chart their pathways to degree completion, graduate school and future employment; and (3) Introducing students to emerging technologies in STEM, especially those connected to UNM faculty research and development.

STEM Leadership Academy. The STEM Leadership Academy provides UNM students with the opportunities to develop and utilize leadership skills to transform the STEM workforce and to positively impact their communities.

STEM Graduate. Working with the Office of Student Academic Success, the STEM Collaborative assists STEM students who have stopped attending UNM prior to completing their degrees, and STEM students who are taking longer than expected to complete their degrees.

UNM STEM Committee. This committee or coalition includes cross-institutional participation among faculty, staff, administrators, students and community representatives. It focuses on STEM support programming anchored at UNM. The STEM committee collaborates on multiple projects, including:

  • Researching, proposing and monitoring UNM STEM goals
  • Developing an online STEM directory of UNM programs, and creating a concept map that illustrates how these programs are connected
  • Studying high impact practices utilized by UNM student support programs
  • Building a communications network and service that promotes STEM activities and opportunities to UNM students

DataMart Tools. Working closely with the STEM committee, the STEM Collaborative and the Office of Institutional Analytics are building DataMart tools to help University administrators and STEM program faculty & staff improve STEM education at UNM.

Annual "State of STEM" Report. A team of faculty, staff, students and community members will research and publish an annual "State of STEM" Report. This report will be presented to the Provost and to the President, but will also be available publicly on the STCC website. The report will include (1) a description of current STEM student support programming, (2) an assessment of UNM's progress towards improving STEM student achievement outcomes, and (3) recommendations for improving STEM achievement.

(Excerpted from the US Department of Education Title V Website)

The Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program provides grants to assist HSIs to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the attainment of, Hispanic students. These grants also enable HSIs to expand and enhance their academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability.

Applicant Information: Institutions must be designated as an eligible institution of higher education in order to apply for the Title V program and must meet the program-specific requirements to be defined as an HSI.

To be designated as an eligible institution of higher education, an institution must apply for and receive designation through an application process. Please refer to the most recent Application for Designation as an Eligible Institution. You may contact the program office if you have questions regarding eligibility.

HSI Designation: The U.S. Department of Education and the HSI Division do not officially grant an institution an HSI designation. Institutions are considered HSIs based on their grant award status for the duration of their grant award, which is five years. The Department defines an HSI as an institution of higher education that has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application.

Types of Projects: Funds may be used for activities such as: scientific or laboratory equipment for teaching; construction or renovation of instructional facilities; faculty development; purchase of educational materials; academic tutoring or counseling programs; funds and administrative management; joint use of facilities; endowment funds; distance learning academic instruction; teacher education; and student support services. The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) amended Section 503(b) of the Higher Education Act to include among the authorized activities under the HSI Program: activities to improve student services, including innovative and customized instruction courses designed to retain students and move the students into core courses; articulation agreements and student support programs designed to facilitate the transfer of students from two-year to four-year institutions; and providing education, counseling services, and financial information designed to improve the financial and economic literacy of students and their families. The HEOA also amended the authorized activities to use the term "distance education technologies" in place of "distance learning academic instruction capabilities."

Additional Information: Five-year individual development grants, five-year cooperative arrangement development grants, and one-year planning grants may be awarded.

Mission: The Division of Student Affairs provides access, support, and encouragement to all students in pursuit of academic excellence in the University of New Mexico's diverse community. As a Division, we establish inclusive partnerships, programs, facilities and services, build leadership, enrich academic and career goals, and enhance the quality of life for students.

Vision: The Division of Student Affairs at UNM encourages students to achieve their individual potential to become life-long learners and engaged members of a global community through the development of learning environments that inspire learning and academic success.

Core Values:

  • Academic Success: recruitment, retention, graduation, career development
  • Leadership: accountability, opportunity, sustainability
  • Community: civility, health and safety, respect
  • Excellence: diversity, equity, integrity