The historically Black Coppin State University and the University of Baltimore have formed a partnership to boost educational opportunities for their students in fields related to science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, the institutions recently announced.
With STEM-related fields accounting for a growing percentage of jobs in the United States, the partnership can create a “STEM-rich” environment in which students can grow into the jobs of the future, the schools’ leaders said.
“STEM education is vital to the careers of the future,” Coppin State President Mortimer H. Neufville said in a statement. “We are jointly committed to make science education accessible to all students in order to gain the skills needed to compete in a global economy.”
Through the partnership, Coppin’s New Science and Technology Center, which opens in the fall, will act as a hub where faculty and students from both institutions can collaborate on STEM-related research, including sharing lab facilities, equipment and inter-institutional software. A shuttle service would be provided to take students and faculty between the two campuses.
“Together, we’ll have a real impact on Baltimore,” said University of Baltimore President Kurt L. Schmoke. “Our faculties recognize that meaningful collaborations among higher education institutions advance the goals of One Baltimore.”
This is the second shared venture between Coppin and UB; the institutions currently offer a shared master’s degree program in human services administration.