Jackson State University is pleased to partner with Indiana University and our sister HBCUs on this important STEM Initiative. We have recognized for a long time at Jackson State the critical importance of developing outstanding scientists, technology experts, engineers and mathematicians. More than 21% of our students are majoring in STEM disciplines, and we are one of the largest producers of African-Americans with baccalaureate degrees in Biology. We are one of the first HBCUs to offer Computer Engineering. Both research and technology are integral parts of the academic experience at Jackson State. We emphasize research and are proud that we are #2 with respect to HBCUs in terms of research and development expenditures.
Jackson State is home to several nationally renown Centers of Excellence, including the National Center for Biodefense Communications, the NSF-funded Center for Molecular Structure and Interactions, and the Mississippi e-Center, a major research and economic development facility.
As the number one Carnegie high research HBCU, the fastest growing producer of African American Ph.D.s, and a member of several STEM partnerships both nationally and internationally, we are especially excited about the opportunities and potential of working with Indiana University. We appreciate the efforts by Indiana University to ensure the participation of all partners in developing the Initiative. We were pleased to host the initial planning meeting of the Initiative.
African-Americans are America's vast untapped resource. Through student and faculty exchanges, internships and shared knowledge, the partnership created here can serve as a model for securing the future STEM workforce that our nation so desperately needs.
