Major Federal STEM Grant is Renewed at Albertus Magnus College
MSEIP Program Supports College’s Diverse Student Body
Dr. Rosemary Whelan
New Haven, Conn., August 8, 2023 – Great news for Fearless Falcons who are or wish to be STEM majors. Albertus Magnus College is pleased to announce that a major federal grant has been renewed to ensure student educational success. Last year, the US Department of Education Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) awarded the College a grant totaling $717,000 to support minority-majority institutions in achieving long-range improvement in science and engineering education programs and increasing the flow of underrepresented ethnic minorities into science and engineering careers. This grant is distributed over three academic years: $242,922 in 2022-2023; $236,766 in 2023-2024; and $237,370 in 2024-2025. Once again, Albertus continues to meet the rigorous standards of this grant, and has been issued a renewal.
“As the most diverse Catholic College in New England, Albertus faculty, students, and staff will benefit greatly from the funding to reinforce the College’s ongoing commitment to its diverse student body pursuing STEM degrees. Receiving this grant will strengthen the College’s ability to meet the needs of the diverse, academically qualified and ambitious students seeking to earn an Albertus degree,” said Albertus’ Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Rosa Rivera-Hainaj, Ph.D.
“We’re honored to have this prestigious grant renewed. It will enable more women and minority students to pursue their college degree goals in the sciences. In today’s economy, it is essential that those entering the workforce have the training and the knowledge necessary to make them competitive in the job market. The awarding and renewal of this grant is a testament to Albertus’ almost 100-year-old legacy,” said Rosemary Whelan, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Chemistry and the director of the grant.
Albertus’ MSEIP program, entitled SAGE: STEM Academy for Growth and Equity, is deeply rooted in the College’s strategic plan. The grant is being used to establish a STEM Academy which provides eligible students with a comprehensive and rigorous academic and co-curricular program designed to introduce them to opportunities in STEM fields and to promote the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will enable them to excel at achieving their academic and professional goals. The program is focused on minority students, particularly minority women, who are majoring in one of four science degrees offered at the College: B.A., Mathematics; B.S., Biology; B.S., Chemistry; and B.S., Cybersecurity.
About Albertus Magnus College
Founded in 1925, Albertus is a coeducational Catholic College in the Dominican tradition. Albertus' values- and liberal arts-based education is recognized by external rankings such as US News & World Report, Money, and The New York Times, and has been named a Top 10 Military Friendly School. For ten consecutive years, at least 95% of Albertus graduates have attained employment or gone on to graduate studies within six months of completing their degrees. The College has an enrollment of approximately 1,300 students across its traditional undergraduate, accelerated adult undergraduate, and graduate program levels. Proud to enroll a student body where nearly half of its undergraduate students receive Federal Pell Grants and are first-generation college goers, Albertus is known for its innovative curricular offerings, recently launching new Bachelor's degree programs in Nursing, including BSN and Connecticut's first LPN-to-BSN; General Health Sciences; Interdisciplinary Studies; and Public Health.
Among its graduate offerings is the State of Connecticut's only Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling program, and it is just one of three schools to offer a Master of Science in Human Services. In 2025-26, Albertus is celebrating its historic 100th Anniversary and completing implementation of the Albertus 2025: Lighting the Way to a Second Century strategic plan, with a bold vision to "be a destination liberal arts-based college, distinguished in its interdisciplinary and experiential approach to education, rooted in Dominican values, that prepares students for lifelong civic engagement and success." To learn more, please visit albertus.edu.