Karen Marrongelle, Chief Operating Officer, National Science Foundation

Reaching the Missing Millions in STEM: Community Colleges’ Central Role

The science and engineering enterprise faces the same diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges that are present in society. These issues prevent the U.S. from achieving a STEM ecosystem that is representative of the incredible diversity we see in our country, a diversity that is essential to maintaining U.S. global leadership in science and engineering. Strengthening our STEM workforce requires that we address the Missing Millions, the gap between the demographics of the research community and the demographics of the whole nation. Community colleges are essential in preparing underrepresented students of color, low-income students, and first-generation students, many of whom enroll at community colleges somewhere along their pathway to a STEM degree. Further, community colleges can play an essential role in identifying the STEM potential in students on their campuses.