PATCHOGUE, NY – October 27, 2006 – St. Joseph's College has been awarded nearly a half million dollars in a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support a new educational project entitled: “MOSAIC: Meeting Our Scientific and Interdisciplinary Challenges.” The four-year grant, totaling $499,240, will be used to create scholarships for students majoring in the subjects of biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, or computer information systems (STEM majors).

The MOSAIC program, an educational collaboration between St. Joseph’s College and the NSF, is a support program for students who have been accepted or are currently enrolled as full time STEM majors at the College, are in good academic standing and can demonstrate residual financial need. Eligible students can be considered every year for up to $10,000 per academic year. In addition to financial support, the MOSAIC program offers faculty mentoring and assistance with internship and occupational placements.

The goal of the MOSAIC program is to attract more students into areas of national need and to increase retention of students—particularly women and other underrepresented minorities—to degree achievement, through scholarships and mentoring programs. Selected scholars will receive personal attention in a supportive learning environment, thus encouraging them to complete their degrees and to enter the high technology workforce as well-educated and qualified students. Partial support for the program is provided by the National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) Program.

About St. Joseph's College

St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility, and service. With campuses located in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn and in Patchogue, Suffolk, Long Island, the College offers degrees in over 22 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs through its School of Arts and Sciences and its School of Professional and Graduate Studies.