NACME and AT&T Provide Support for
Next Generation of Engineering Talent

Ten Academies of Engineering Receive $50,000

White Plains, N.Y. — The National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME) announced today that 10 Academies of Engineering (AOEs) across the country will receive a combined $50,000 in support. The funding for these AOEs is made possible by an AT&T contribution of $150,000 to NACME. 

The 10 AOE schools were selected based on their commitment to enhance learning for minority students on the pathway to higher education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers. The funding for each school will provide equipment and other classroom materials for high school students and their teachers that will enable them to conduct hands on learning in the classroom. Students will also be eligible for a range of resources available through NACME, including scholarships and supplementary engineering awareness and career preparatory materials.

The AOEs, a National Academy Foundation (NAF) network of career academies, aim to educate high school students in the principles of engineering, and provide content in the fields of electronics, biotech, aerospace, civil engineering, and architecture. The AOEs were founded as a three-way partnership between NACME, NAF, and Project Lead The Way (PLTW). The list of current partners includes, The STEM Academy, Paxton/Patterson, ConnectEdu, and SME Education Foundation. In the 2011-2012 academic year, there were 73 AOEs, including 11 that recently completed their year of planning, serving more than 11,000 students nationwide.

“The students in these AOEs are going to be tomorrow’s engineers, so we need to provide them with every possible opportunity to succeed,” said NACME President and CEO, Dr. Irving Pressley McPhail.  “AT&T has been a national leader in demonstrating a commitment to enhancing high school success and workforce readiness. AT&T’s support for the 10 high schools in the Academy of Engineering model is an excellent example of the strength of this commitment and makes a compelling case for the efficacy of private-public partnerships in advancing STEM education,” added Dr. McPhail.

Fifty thousand dollars of the funds provided by AT&T will be used to support NACME’s mission to provide access and opportunity for underrepresented minority students who require financial assistance to pursue engineering coursework at the undergraduate level. In addition to the support for specific AOEs, AT&T support will provide engineering awareness materials for middle school students and pre-engineering scholarships for graduating seniors continuing on to a university engineering program.  

This support is part of AT&T Aspire, AT&T’s $350 million commitment to education.  Launched in 2008, AT&T Aspire is one of the largest-ever corporate commitments to address high school success and workforce readiness.

Academies of Engineering that are receiving support ($5,000 per school)

·         AJ Moore High School (University High School), Waco, TX

·         Bay View High School, Milwaukee, WI

·         Construction Trades Engineering and Architecture High School, Ozone Park, NY

·         Galt High School, Galt, CA

·         Hialeah High School, Hialeah Gardens, FL

·         Maynard H. Jackson Small Learning Communities High School, Atlanta, GA

·         Northeast Academy High School, Oklahoma City, OK

·         Ruskin Senior High School, Kansas City, MO

·         Scotlandville High School, Baton Rouge, LA

·         Zebulon B. Vance High School, Charlotte, NC

About NACME

Since 1974, NACME has provided leadership and support for the national effort to increase the number of successful African American, American Indian and Latino women and men in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers. With funding from corporate and individual donors, NACME has supported over 24,000 students with more than $124 million in scholarships and other support. Currently, NACME provides scholarship support for approximately 1,250 college engineering students through a national network of 50 NACME Partner Universities. For more information go to: www.nacme.org

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