Washington, DC-U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (NJ-01) today announced a $1,922,980 federal grant from the National Science Foundation to Rowan University to expand engineering opportunities to a more diverse student population.

The award, the largest grant ever awarded by the National Science Foundation to a Rowan University professor, will assist the University in its mission to be even more inclusive in its civil and environmental engineering programs, specifically for women, underrepresented groups and underserved groups.

“Nothing should get in the way of a student’s dream just because opportunity may be out of reach. Rowan University has led the way to attract a diverse student body. This funding will further help the University in its vital mission to recruit and train students from all backgrounds for the jobs of the future,” said Rep. Donald Norcross.

The University’s 5-year program, known as Rethinking Engineering Diversity, Transforming Engineering Diversity (REDTED), will enable Rowan to implement additional K-12 outreach to local students, offer a more diverse admissions & enrollment process, and achieve higher engineering student retention and graduation rates.

The National Science Foundation awarded the grant to Rowan University professor, Dr. Beena Sukumaran, the department head of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering—who will lead a team to implement the student diversity strategy.

“This is important for our nation’s future and global competitiveness. If we do not have students from various backgrounds and cultures, we cannot effectively  compete in a global marketplace,” said Dr. Sukumaran.

“Diversity is a challenge every college of engineering deals with. But we have some forward-thinking engineering professors, and we’ve been working to address this imbalance. Dr. Sukumaran’s grant will enable us to break new ground,” said Dr. Ali Houshmand, president of Rowan University.

“The field of engineering, like all job fields, should be representative of America. Rowan University’s engineering program will not only mirror the population of the United States---but serve as a model for other colleges and universities. They should be proud of this pioneering achievement,” said Rep. Donald Norcross.

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Congressman Donald Norcross is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Budget Committee, and serves as Assistant Whip in the 114^th Congress.