Table of Contents:
Who is Louis Stokes
LSAMP History
About Us
Alliance Goals
Alliance Objectives
Alliance Impact
Who is Louis Stokes?
Louis Stokes played a pivotal role in the quest for civil rights, equality and social and economic justice throughout his tenure in the Unites States Congress.
Mr. Stokes was educated in the Cleveland Public Schools, graduating from Central High School. Following three years of service in the United States Army, he returned to Cleveland and attended Western Reserve University. He earned his Doctor of Laws Degree from Cleveland Marshal Law School in 1953.
Prior to serving in Congress, Mr. Stokes practiced Law for 14 years and was one of the founders of Stokes, Character, Terry, Perry, Whitehead, Young and Davidson law firm. As a practicing lawyer, Mr. Stokes participated in three cases in the United States Supreme Court, including arguing the landmark "stop and frisk" case of Terry v. Ohio. On November 6, 1968, Mr. Stokes was elected to the United States Congress and became the first African American member of Congress from the State of Ohio. He served fifteen consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representative, ranking 11 th overall in House seniority.
During his tenure in Congress, Mr. Stokes shared several important committees, including most notably, the House Select Committee on Assassinations, the Ethics Committee, the House Intelligence Committee, and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, HUD and Independent Agencies. He was the dean of the Ohio Congressional Delegation, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and he served on the house Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran. His work in the area of health led to his appointment as a member of the Pepper Commission on Comprehensive Health Care, and he was the founder and chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust.
When Mr. Stokes retired, he became the first African American in the history of the U.S. Congress to retire having completed 30 years in office. Following his service in Congress, he became senior counsel at Squire, Sanders, and Dempsey L.L. P., a global law firm, and Distinguished Visiting professor at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University. He has served as vice chairman of the PEW Environmental Health Commission at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and was appointed by former Health and Human Services Secretary, Donna E. Shalala as chairman of the Advisory Committee on Minority Health.
Through the years, Mr. Stokes has received numerous awards and honors that recognize his national leadership and strong commitment to public service. A number of landmarks around the city of Cleveland now bear his name such as The Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Administration Hospital. The Louis Stokes Annex of the Cleveland Public Library and The Louis Stokes Health Sciences Center at Case Western Reserve University. Several National institutions, including Howard University in Washington, D.C., and the National Institutes of Health, have recognized Mr. Stokes by naming certain buildings on their campuses after him. He is the recipient of 26 honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities and on July 8, 2003 was honored by Congress with The Congressional Distinguished Service Award.
L.S.A.M.P. History:
Initiated in 1994, with support from the National Science Foundation, the California State University Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (CSU-LSAMP) program is a comprehensive, statewide program dedicated to broadening participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.
At the time the Alliance was established, it included 16 campuses of the California State University, each associated with at least one California Community College (CCC) partner. During the current (Phase III) project period, 19 CSU campuses comprise the Alliance, and this number will grow to 22 in fall 2008 when the fourth project period (Senior Level) will begin. Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, will join the Alliance at this time. The only CSU that will not be included is the California Maritime Academy, a unique and specialized campus of the CSU that offers only a limited number of bachelor's degrees.
In Phase I (1994-1998) and Phase II (1998-2003), San Francisco State University served as the Alliance's lead institution. California State University, Sacramento, is serving as lead institution for the Phase III project period (2003-2008) and will continue in this role through the fourth phase.
The commitment of the CSU to the goals of the project is evidenced not only by the past support and pledges of continued support from participating campuses but also by support from the system wide Chancellor's Office. This office has already made a leveraged investment in the project of $12 million real dollars of general fund support, and it will invest an additional $4 million real dollars to sustain CSU-LSAMP efforts for the five-year (Senior Level) period and beyond.
In the first year of Phase III, CSU-LSAMP engaged 3,395 URM-STEM students in activities that sustained or further improved individual student retention and progression rates achieved during Phase I and Phase II. Since many of the strategies initiated in Phase I and Phase II for lower division students had already been institutionalized, CSU-LSAMP introduced activities in Phase III that are designed to enhance graduate school preparedness of upper division students with the goal of improving aggregate student progression to STEM graduate programs. To broaden the participation of LSAMP students in graduate study, CSU-LSAMP also established Bridge to the Doctorate supplemental activities at San Francisco State University and California State University Los Angeles, two of the Alliance's member institutions.
In the fourth phase, CSU-LSAMP will focus on persistence and progression to graduate study, institutionalization and dissemination of best practices, interventions for community college transfer students, and expanding opportunities for student engagement in international activities. In addition, as a Senior Level LSAMP, CSU-LSAMP will take full advantage of eligibility to submit proposals for LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate activities and other projects (e.g., a Bridge to Teaching project) as these opportunities arise.
About Us:
Initiated in 1994 with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the California State University Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (CSU-LSAMP) is a statewide, comprehensive academic support program dedicated to increasing the number of graduating individuals who has faced or face social, educational, or economic barriers to careers in the STEM disciplines from CSU campuses with a baccalaureate degree in the STEM disciplines. The program focuses on strengthening the mathematical skills of these students and continues to support them as they prepare to apply to graduate programs.
The CSU-LSAMP consists of 23 CSU campuses (all of the campuses offering majors in the STEM disciplines), each of which is partnered with at least one community college.
Alliance Goals:
The goal of CSU-LSAMP is to broaden participation in science, mathematics, engineering and technology (STEM) disciplines and contribute to the national agenda to increase the number of CSU graduating individuals who have faced or face social, educational, or economic barriers to careers in the STEM disciplines. For 2023-2024 CSU-LSAMP goals include the following:
- Continue to enhance student performance, success, and retention in STEM disciplines, as well as maintain or increase baccalaureate degree production;
- Facilitate the transition of community college students in their first year of transfer to a CSU campus through activities that improve the retention rates of transfer students;
- Continue to enhance student interest in research and careers in STEM, as well enhance the global awareness of CSU-LSAMP students;
- Increase the number of students who are admitted to graduate programs and obtain and obtain doctoral degrees in STEM; and
- Document, disseminate, and replicate undergraduate intervention models that increase access to, and in, STEM baccalaureate degree programs and facilitate undergraduate admission programs.
Alliance Objectives:
As a senior-level LSAMP, CSU LSAMP's specific objectives for 2008-2013 include the following:
- CSU-LSAMP will engage a total of at least 2,000 "level 1" students annually, including 900 upper division students who would be engaged in graduate school preparation activities and 300 first time transfer student;
- CSU-LSAMP proposes that URM-STEM baccalaureate degree production would substantially increase from the current base-line of 1,654/ year for the 22 campuses to 2000/ year (an increase of 346/ year over the current base-line);
- CSU-LSAMP proposes to increase the number of LSAMP students who graduate each year from 300 to 400 and to exceed the national average of 38% for LSAMP graduates progressing to STEM graduate programs by achieving a rate of 50% progression to STEM graduate programs.
- CSU-LSAMP proposes to achieve a rate of 83% placement of its "Bridge to the Doctorate" students in STEM Doctoral programs and an 80% doctoral-level degree completion rate for those who are admitted to doctoral programs.
The types of activities that are offered to support each objective have consistently been shown to facilitate retention and progression of individuals who have faced or face social, educational, or economic barriers to careers in the STEM disciplines, and represent a set of well-established “best practices”. Notably, the project continues to include the top five LSAMP (i.e., research experiences, mentoring, internships, scholarships/stipends and academic support /tutoring).
In addition, in light of the Urban Institute’s finding that LSAMP participants who participate in research were more likely to pursue and complete graduate degrees, this project includes substantial emphasis on engaging student in research activities. The project also includes a variety of activities designed to provide opportunities to enhance student qualifications for graduate programs (e.g., GRE preparation, teaching experiences; research presentations, and internships), and collaborates with other students support programs in participating campuses (e.g., McNair and NIH-NIGMS Bridges to the Future programs) and with programs at Ph.D. granting institutions (e.g., AGEP) that share the goal broadening participation in STEM.
Alliance Impact:
- CSU-LSAMP has had a substantial impact on increasing the number of baccalaureate degrees awarded to individuals who have faced or face social, educational, or economic barriers to careers in the STEM disciplines.
- CSU-LSAMP has served as a substantial source of academic support for large numbers of individuals who have faced or face social, educational, or economic barriers to careers in the STEM disciplines.
- CSU-LSAMP has contributed to improve retention and graduation of individuals who have faced or face social, educational, or economic barriers to careers in the STEM disciplines.
- The recent (Phase lll) CSU-LSAMP emphasis on activities designed to enhance student interest in and preparation for graduate school with the goal of improving aggregate student progression to STEM graduate has been effective in advancing this goal.
- CSU-LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate (BD) supplemental Activities have been highly effective in recruiting, retaining and graduating participants in BD Master's level programs at the Alliance's graduate institutional site and serving as a "bridge" to doctoral level study.