Texas Regional STEM Degree Accelerator
In the spring of 2015, Educate Texas partnered with like-minded foundations and corporations to fund the Texas STEM Degree Accelerator program to combat the state’s projected shortfall of 1 million STEM workers by 2018.
The STEM Accelerator program provided three-year grants to five higher education institutions in Dallas, El Paso, Houston, South Texas and West Texas. Each institution convened cross-sector stakeholders — education (two- and four-year colleges and K-12) and workforce — to collaborate on the implementation of STEM degree programs aligned with high-demand regional workforce needs. The STEM Accelerator project was developed in alignment with priorities for education and workforce outlined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Workforce Commission and the regional plans focus on three key areas:
- Providing professional development for faculty
- Aligning math pathways from K-12 to higher education to workforce
- Develop next-generation sector partnerships between education and workforce
The lead grantee, region and the selected STEM pathways included:
|
Region
|
Lead Grantee
|
STEM Pathway
|
|
North Texas
|
Dallas County Community College District
|
Computer Science
|
|
Houston
|
Lee College, Baytown
|
Petrochemical
|
|
South Texas
|
South Texas College, McAllen
|
Nursing and Computer Science
|
|
El Paso
|
University of Texas El Paso
|
Engineering
|
|
West Texas
|
Western Texas College, Snyder
|
Energy
|
Funders included: the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation, Council for Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development, Greater Texas Foundation, Boeing, Stillwater Foundation, JPMorgan Chase and the Kresge Foundation.
This program concluded in May of 2018, and Educate Texas remains focused on working toward the goal of ensuring that students earn STEM degrees and certificates — both two-year and four-year — that meet the specific workforce needs of leading industries in each region.
Resources
STEM Accelerator Overview One Pager
Research Featuring Regional Teams
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Report on Regional Talent Pipelines
Using Workforce Information for Degree Program Planning in Texas