Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today announced that Northern New Mexico College will receive $1.18 million to increase enrollment and graduation rates in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Education – Hispanic Serving Institution's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program.  It will be shared by NNMC, Santa Fe Community College, and the University of New Mexico two-year branches at Los Alamos and Taos.

Funds will be used to reach out to middle and high school students in the region to encourage them to study math and science, to add key faculty and a system for sharing courses across the institutions, and to build new distance education capacity.

"A strong math and science foundation will help ensure that New Mexicans are prepared for the workforce of the future.  This funding will help build that foundation in north-central New Mexico," Bingaman said.