EXCLUSIVE: US Navy’s STEM ‘Equity’ Program Prioritized Candidates, Internships Based On Race, Docs Show
MICAELA BURROW
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, DEFENSE
February 16, 2024
The U.S. Navy approved more than $750,000 for a project that, while purporting to “equitably” increase the number of students interested in serving in the Navy’s STEM fields, prioritized recruiting underrepresented minority students, documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation show.
The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) proposed a way to encourage students to pursue degrees in fields of science, technology, economics and math (STEM) amid pressures for the U.S. military to out-compete adversaries in technological development, according to the since-approved application obtained by the Functional Government Initiative through a records request and provided to the DCNF. Although the project was framed as providing an opportunity for all students to break into the STEM fields based on the students’ qualifications, the Navy granted a budget extension to include 75 scholarships for underrepresented minority students and gave them first selection for the few on-campus paid research internships created through the program.
The proposal estimated between 44% and 75% participation by the minority students.
“Implementation of this innovative program will increase the number of STEM students from diverse backgrounds who gain competitive skills and real-world experience in Naval priority areas, who graduate with STEM degrees, and who join the STEM workforce,” the proposal reads.
https://dailycaller.com/2024/02/16/exclusive-us-navys-stem-equity-program-prioritized-candidates-internships-based-on-race-docs-show/
