MIE - Model Institutions for Excellence

NSF > EHR > HRD > Programs > Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE)

Model Institutions for Excellence - Phase III (MIE - III)

Overview

The Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE) program is a long-term (11-year), groundbreaking initiative designed to empower universities to serve as models to improve the quantity and quality of our nation’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), MIE seeks to strengthen the infrastructure of higher education institutions in STEM education and undergraduate research and to increase the number of students who pursue advanced STEM degrees.

Included among the MIE program goals are:

To provide opportunities to define methods for improving selected higher education institutions in STEM education and undergraduate research
To target a small number of institutions poised to make a substantial contribution to the goal of increasing the number of underrepresented minority students who earn STEM baccalaureate degrees and go on to enter graduate-level STEM degree programs or careers
To strengthen institutions that will serve as models for the successful recruitment, education and production of quality-trained STEM baccalaureate degree recipients

For nine years, MIEs have concentrated on the recruitment and retention of STEM students, counseling, academic enrichment, infrastructures development and improvement, encouragement of students to attend graduate school, and enhancing the education of their students. NSF expects these institutions to become successful models of high-quality STEM education that can be replicated at other colleges and universities nationwide.

In brief,

MIE provides opportunities for institutions to improve the quality of their STEM education and undergraduate research
MIE promotes overall institutional progress while emphasizing the development of STEM department and programs
MIE institutions are student centered, accountable and performance driven, and have high expectations and retention rates
MIE institutions have significantly increased the number of STEM baccalaureate degrees they award, and the percentage of their STEM graduates enrolling in graduate school.

For 2004-2005, MIE now seeks to disseminate information about successful STEM programs and envisions replicating these models in institutions throughout the United States.

Program Due Dates

No MIE competition dates are currently available.

Program Solicitation

Model Institutions for Excellence - Phase III [NSF 03-572 archived]

Current MIE Projects

In 1995, inspired by former NSF Director Walter Massey, NSF and NASA selected six MIE institutions with track records of educating students who have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields. They include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). The selected MIE institutions are:

NSF sites

The Oyate Consortium MIE - Kyle, SD
Universidad Metropolitana MIE - San Juan, PR
The University of Texas at El Paso MIE - El Paso, TX
Xavier University MIE - New Orleans, LA
NASA sites
Bowie State University MIE - Bowie, MD
Spelman College MIE - Atlanta, GA

Program Contact

For more information about MIE, contact:

Program Director

dtemple@nsf.gov

Program Specialist
Ms. Jamie Scipio
(703) 292-4675 (Phone)
(703) 292-9018 (Fax)
jscipio@nsf.gov

Program Assistant
Ms. Cynthia Douglas
(703) 292-5175 (Phone)
(703) 292-9018 (Fax)
cdouglas@nsf.gov

Science Assistant
Mr. Andrew Watkins
(703) 292-4679 (Phone)
(703) 292-9018 (Fax)
awatkins@nsf.gov

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Program phone numbers