In an effort to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in science, engineering and mathematics, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) is partnering with UC Berkeley and UC San Diego to expand a successful program that has operated for 30 years at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
Alexis Waller, a Meyerhoff Scholars Program affiliate at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, working with postdoc Pengfei Ding. (Photo Courtesy of Meyerhoff Scholars Program, UMBC)
At a press conference today at UCSD, CZI co-founder and co-CEO Priscilla Chan announced a gift of $6.9 million over five years to bring the mentoring program, called the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, from UMBC, where it originated in 1988, to two UC campuses that graduate high numbers of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students each year.
The Meyerhoff program is recognized as one of the most effective models in the country to help inspire, recruit and retain underrepresented students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in STEM fields. Program participants have earned 300 Ph.D. degrees, 130 M.D. degrees, 54 M.D./Ph.D. degrees and 253 master’s degrees. Two graduates of the Meyerhoff program, Robyn Jasper and Rockford “Rocky” Sison, are currently pursuing graduate studies at Berkeley.
The UMBC graduates more African-American students who go on to earn dual M.D.-Ph.D. degrees than any other college in the United States — a credit to the Meyerhoff program model. The current U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Jerome Adams, is a former Meyerhoff scholar.