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Northern's ASPIRe Program

Northern's ASPIRe Program

Northern’s Program – ASPIRe – is funded by The National Science Foundation’s Undergraduate Division. This prestigious foundation has recently awarded Northern New Mexico College nearly $300K for three years, and a continuing grant of $99K for five years.

ASPIRe PROGRAM - ADVANCING STEM PERFORMANCE, INNOVATION and RETENTION. ASPIRe will provide up to 50 NNMC students and 70 secondary students annually with skills enhancement and retention support. This program evolved from successful – though limited and asystemic – STEM efforts at NNMC.

The program supports both the STEM Summer Camp and the retention of STEM Academy students while adding resources for college freshmen and sophomores who are at-risk in the STEM fields of study. ASPIRe focuses on mentoring and tutoring as key components of retention. ASPIRe students may receive a stipend that will go directly to his student account within the college. This stipend may be used to cover tuition, fees and/or books. ASPIRe students may be chosen for stipends in research and lab maintenance, or tutoring and mentoring.

Eligibility Requirements
To qualify the student must be majoring in a STEM field(*) or Associates in General Studies or in non-degree (undeclared) status participate in all ASPIRe Program components and be judged at-risk of non-completion of her/his STEM degree.

(*) Stem field at NNMC includes: Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, and Environmental Sciences. If you are not sure of eligibility please contact the STEM Program Director.

Guidelines for Application
Applicant must:

  1. Be a current college freshmen or sophomore in non-declared major status, or be at-risk of not completing a STEM degree.

Those students who are accepted into the ASPIRe program will be notified within 10 business days from the date the application is received by the STEM Coordinator.

Post-Acceptance Requirements
After acceptance, each ASPIRe student must:

  1. Participate in mentoring/tutoring and/or research/lab maintenance.

Contact Us

For further question please contact:
STEM Program Coordinator, Charles Knight, or
STEM Program Administrative Assistant, Dolores Salazar, at (505) 747-5425, or
STEM Program Director, Dr. Ivan Lopez, at (505) 747-2264.

Department of Engineering
Northern New Mexico College
Please address any comments concerning this site to:
ilopez@nnmc.edu

Northern offers over 50 bachelor's, associate and certificate programs in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math); Nursing and Health Sciences; Liberal Arts and Humanities; Arts, Film & Media; Business Administration; Teacher Education and Technical Trades.
Northern New Mexico College is the most affordable 4-year college in the Southwestern US. Choose us for our value, our quality degree and continuing education programs in diverse areas of study, and our experienced faculty. We provide students with unique opportunities for academic, personal, and professional growth, small class sizes, personalized attention, and strong hands-on experiences from day one.
The Northern Foundation remains committed to stimulate leadership, promote equity, and grow resources and philanthropy in the Española Valley and surrounding rural areas. Over the past twenty years, we have granted $1.3 million to support over 1,250 NNMC students.