By james art Irvine, California, October 25, 2024 — Since 1991, the California Alliance for Minority Participation has worked across UC’s nine campuses to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who earn degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. UC data collected in the years since CAMP began shows that STEM enrollment for these UC students has increased nearly sixfold and that the number of STEM degrees awarded to them has increased nearly 10 times.
CAMP’s ultimate goal is to diversify the STEM workforce, including expanding pathways for students entering graduate school and professorship. The National Science Foundation, the funding partner in this long-standing initiative, recently awarded UC $2.5 million to extend CAMP’s summer research fellowships, graduate school application preparation courses, faculty mentoring and other program elements. The project also includes a research component that explores and disseminates promising practices for student success in STEM. Two lead researchers on the system-wide grant are from UC Irvine: Feder R. Harris, program director of the CAMP campus, and Derek Dunn-Rankin, professor emeritus of mechanical and aerospace engineering and faculty director of the CAMP campus.
“CAMP has had decades of impressive success in diversifying STEM fields. Its new phase will further accelerate inclusive excellence in STEM at UC Irvine and across the state alliance,” said Don Bergeron, UC Irvine vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion.
With the support of the UC Irvine Center for Educational Partnerships and in collaboration with the UC Irvine Office of the President and the UC Irvine Office of Inclusive Excellence, Harris and Dunn-Rankin will coordinate the statewide initiative through its system-wide core, creating connections between partner campuses. Highlights include CAMP’s annual research symposium; a portal that can be accessed by multiple program partners and stakeholders; social media presence to strengthen CAMP’s visibility; and the dissemination of student support resources that include graduate school and career preparation, research opportunities, conference travel assistance, study skills mentoring and guidance, and inclusive spaces for peer interaction.
The next phase of CAMP will activate pathways for diverse students from the community to transfer to UC campuses and earn bachelor’s degrees in STEM disciplines. This work will be in partnership with the California Central Coast Community College Collaborative and the California Community Colleges Extended Opportunity Programs and Services Association, which already exist at each member community college campus.
The UC President’s Office is committed to the success of the CAMP project across the alliance, committing an additional $3 million over the next three years. UC President Michael W. Drake is the principal investigator of the new NSF grant. Yvette Gulat, UCOP Vice President of Student and Student Affairs; Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; and chief diversity officer, is co-principal investigator. UCOP’s Division of Graduate Studies, led by Gullatt and Associate Vice Provost Pamela D. Jennings, will partner with the UC Irvine team to advance the project’s mission and vision.
“The collaboration between UCOP and UC Irvine is critical to institutionalizing the initiative statewide, strengthening collective efforts across the UC and local college landscape, creating a data infrastructure that will inform ongoing endeavors, and expanding a research center that to serve CAMP students and faculty partners for many years to come,” said Harris.
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by US News and World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic excellence, world-class research, innovation and mascot anteater. Led by Chancellor Howard Gilman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. Located in one of the safest and most economically vibrant communities in the world, it is the second largest employer in Orange County, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion to the statewide economy. For more information about UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.
Media Access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus studio with Comrex IP audio codec to interview UC Irvine faculty and experts, subject to availability and University approval. For more UC Irvine news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists can be found at