The St. Louis Community College Foundation has received $1 million from Emerson to establish the Emerson STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) Academy at the college’s Florissant Valley campus.
The primary goals of the Emerson STEM Academy are to increase the percentage of students who attain a diploma from targeted north St. Louis County high schools, increase the percentage of students who take a college classes while still in high school, increase the level of college readiness of graduating students, and increase the percentage of students who enroll in college upon graduation.
To achieve these goals, the Emerson STEM Academy will provide underserved students with exposure to and support in college while they are in high school.
North County school districts have been invited to partner in the project. Students have the opportunity to potentially earn an associate degree or up to two years of college credits toward a bachelor’s degree during high school.
“The Emerson STEM Academy will enable more students, particularly low-income and minority students, to experience rigorous high school and college coursework that leads to improved outcomes,” said Jeff L. Pittman, STLCC chancellor. “Nationally, studies have shown that students who participate in an early college-type program outperform their peers.”
The program will allow students to enroll in college-level classes, with an emphasis on STEM pathways, conducted at their high schools and on the STLCC-Florissant Valley campus. Students will enroll in at least one and as many as five college-level courses per semester, with a goal of at least 15 credit hours per student completed upon graduation. By 2020, the academy is projected to have annual enrollment of 175 students.
“The STEM Academy perfectly aligns with Emerson’s goals to enhance local education initiatives, especially when it comes to encouraging and supporting high school students to pursue higher education,” said Patrick Sly, Emerson executive vice president.
According to the Lumnia Foundation, 59 percent of all jobs in Missouri will require some form of postsecondary education by 2018. In the St. Louis region, only 37.8 percent of adults have a postsecondary degree. The emergence of the “knowledge” economy increases the emphasis on postsecondary education.
In the St. Louis region’s economic plan, key industry clusters like finance, information technologies, healthcare, bioscience and advanced manufacturing, require workers to have a range of educational backgrounds with a focus on a STEM-based knowledge. The St. Louis Regional Chamber has noted that almost 60 percent of all occupations in financial and information services require a bachelor’s or higher level degree.
Additionally, the connection between educational attainment and financial prosperity has become closer and more intense. Nationally, the metropolitan areas among the top 10 in degree completion are also the top 10 in median household income. St. Louis’ ranking as 22nd in degree completion mirrors its status as 25th among the 35 largest metros in median household income.
As evidence of the importance of a postsecondary degree to the region, the Regional Chamber noted that if it could change one measure to improve the regional economy, it would be making a substantial increase in the percentage of population with a postsecondary degree.
According to U.S. Census data, those who obtain a bachelor’s degree have a median income of $50,360 compared to a median of $29,423 for people with only a high school diploma. An associate degree leads to a median income of $38,607, more than $9,000 higher than a high school diploma.
