Fresno State gets $1.5M STEM grant, McCaffrey gift

Source: The Business Journal

Some science and math courses will get an overhaul at Fresno State with help from a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant, from the National Science Foundation's "Widening Implementation & Demonstration Evidence-Based Reforms" (WIDER) program, is geared toward students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses. Nearly 900 students will be impacted when a 24-member faculty cohort in Fresno State's College of Science and Mathematics redesigns eight introductory courses in biology, chemistry, math and physics. The four faculty learning communities, known as Faculty Learning for Outcomes and Knowledge (FLOCKs) will work on the redesign over the next three years. In addition, the grant will also allow faculty to develop expertise in teaching methods that help improve student learning and increase the number of STEM majors, particularly underrepresented minority students, and their graduation rates. Fresno State also received a $25,000 gift from local builder McCaffrey Homes to fund scholarships at the university. The McCaffrey-Knowlton Scholarship will fund two $2,500 scholarships per year for the next five years for students in Fresno State's Department of Geography, City and Regional Planning. The scholarship is named for Brent McCaffrey, son of McCaffrey Homes' CEO Robert McCaffrey and Vice President Karen McCaffrey, and their son-in-law Ash Knowlton.

 URL to original article: http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/education/11851-fresno-state-gets-1-5m-stem-grant-mccaffrey-gift

 For further information on Fresno Real Estate check: http://www.londonproperties.com