Since November 2001, the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) has been proud to partner with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in managing two innovative graduate scholarship programs focusing on increasing the number of underrepresented American minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduate programs. The Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership (SIGP), initiated in 2003 through a partnership between the University of Arizona and the Sloan Foundation, was expanded in the fall of 2005 to include the participation of select faculties and departments at The University of Montana (Missoula, MT) and Montana Tech of The University of Montana (Butte, MT).
Indigenous (Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian—U.S. Citizenship) graduate students pursuing degrees in STEM at The University of Montana are eligible to apply for the scholarship program established by the A.P. Sloan Foundation. The UM SIGP Program is intended to increase the number of Indigenous Americans earning master’s and doctoral degrees in STEM disciplines. Dr. J.B. Alexander “Sandy” Ross, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, is the principal investigator of the UM SIGP program.
The UM SIGP program provides supplemental funding to selected graduate students on a competitive basis. The amount for master’s level students is $32,100 over a two-year period. Doctoral students are awarded $38,500 over a three-year period. In addition to the supplemental funding, students may be offered tuition waivers, faculty mentoring, and academic support services through The University of Montana Graduate School.
