CLC awarded $2 million grant to empower STEM students
Published October 22, 2025
College of Lake County (CLC) is transforming and enhancing access for engineering and computer science students through a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) Program.
The S-STEM: Building Transitions into the Engineering and Computer Science Community project is designed to support CLC students with a focus on those who are historically underserved in higher education and first-generation students with financial insecurity.
Starting in Fall 2026, CLC will award nearly two dozen scholarships each semester, providing up to $11,000 annually in financial aid. Beyond financial support, scholarship recipients will receive academic advising, mentoring and opportunities to connect with the campus STEM community. This approach will help students dedicate more time to their studies and increase the time spent on campus to interact with the STEM community and develop an engineering identity.
“This funding will allow us to enhance our academic infrastructure to be student-ready with stronger engineering course support and career mentoring as well as removing financial barriers,” said Engineering Instructor Dr. Jan Edwards. “Our goal is to ensure every promising student has the resources to thrive and succeed in engineering, and this program allows us to directly empower them to become successful leaders in their professional fields.”
The project aims to support students navigating two critical milestones in their academic journeys: initially engaging with the engineering curriculum and transferring to four-year institutions to complete their bachelor’s degrees.
The grant includes a summer bridge program launching in summer 2027. Designed to broaden participation, the program will welcome students not yet ready for calculus, addressing a common obstacle for incoming engineering students. This bridge program will emphasize problem-solving and hands-on learning rather than traditional prerequisites, creating a more accessible pathway into the engineering curriculum.
Over the six-year span of this grant, CLC will contribute to the national demand for skilled engineers and computer scientists by supporting retention and transfer of high-potential, low-income students with financial need.
CLC’s collaboration with transfer partners continues to be a cornerstone of the engineering program’s success. Each fall, the college hosts an Engineering Night event that brings together high school and college students with transfer institutions and practicing engineers.
Join us this year from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 30. Students will have the chance to engage with industry professionals and representatives from at least ten universities, including the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Illinois Chicago, Northern Illinois University, Milwaukee School of Engineering and Iowa State University.
Click here for more information and register for the free event.