Over the last 3 decades, Auburn University has developed and implemented evidence-informed programs that aim to improve student academic and social experiences to attract, retain, and graduate more historically underrepresented and underserved populations in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and related areas. These programs are run by the Office of Special Projects and Initiatives, and they are all funded through external grants.
The Institute for Strengthening Pathways and Research Knowledge in STEM (SPARK STEM Institute), run by the Office of Special Projects and Initiatives, has been created to provide a platform for the institutionalization of these programs while sustaining innovation that will attract continued extramural public and private funding for STEM as well as non-STEM areas.
Support from Auburn University alumni and friends, government, industry, and charitable foundations is needed for these programs to continue as their grants end, as well as continuing proven programs in perpetuity through endowments. You have many options for supporting these programs. These options and Areas of Need are described below.
How do I donate?
There are several ways of giving to our programs. These include online giving (see DONATE NOW link below), stock gifts, estate planning, matching gifts, mail-in checks, electronic funds transfer (EFT), real estate gifts, endowments, corporate and foundation giving, and gifts in kind. For instructions on how to give a non-online gift to our programs please visit How do I donate?.
Areas of Need
Click each area below to view more details.
Following up on recommendations from advisory boards and the community, the Office of Special Projects and Initiatives implements pilot programs in areas of critical need to test research-based models before submitting proposals to prospective funders to scale up the programs. Annual giving and endowments for Funds of Excellence enable us to fund such activities. The funds also allow us to cover operations and maintenance costs for SPARK STEM Institute programs as needed.
Summer STEM Academy in Birmingham
College Quest Academy
The Masamu Program, established in 2010 with the support of the US National Science Foundation(NSF), promotes US and Africa research collaboration in mathematical sciences and related areas. A key component of the program is the 10-day Masamu Advanced Study Institute (MASI) and Workshops held in conjunction with the annual 3-day Southern Africa Mathematical Sciences Association (SAMSA) research conference. Annual giving and endowments for Masamu Program enable us to support US students and faculty to work on research with African counterparts and attend MASI and SAMSA conference. Donors may also designate their gifts to sustain research grants for young female mathematicians from sub-Saharan Africa that are currently funded by the Kovalevskaia Fund.
Masamu Program in Arusha, Tanzania
Masamu Mathematical Biology Research Group in Arusha, Tanzania
Annual giving and endowments for the Black Belt Initiative support programs and activities designed to increase academic achievement and college readiness in the Greater Alabama Black Belt Region (GABBR) middle and high schools. These programs include 5-week non-residential Summer STEM Academies (Grades 7-10) held at a High School, residential 1-week Summer STEM Academy (Grade 11) and 4-week Summer Bridge (incoming freshmen) held on campus, academic year mentoring and tutoring, ACT prep, academic hands-on enrichment activities, and field trips.
Summer STEM Academy at NASA SPACE Center
GEAR UP Academy at Auburn University
The A-PLUS or A+ (Academic Perseverance and Leadership for Underserved Students) Scholarships and Internships program, simply known as the A+ Program, aims to graduate more students from underserved populations in STEM disciplines and prepare them for STEM workforce. In particular, the program recruits underserved students and supports them academically and socially through peer-to-peer, faculty, and alumni mentoring to ensure that they succeed in college and in the STEM workforce. Annual giving and endowments for A+ Scholarships and Internships program support participants by providing them renewable scholarships for up to four years and opportunities for research experiences as undergraduates which ensure that they actively participate in year-round retention program activities and serve as role models and ambassadors on campus.
S-STEM MAKERS Scholars
S-STEM MAKERS Scholars
Annual giving and endowments for Graduate Fellowships generate funds for fellowships given to graduate students as a supplement to their graduate teaching and research assistantships or other fellowships they may already have. Graduate Fellowship recipients mentor A+ Scholars and Interns under the guidance of faculty and/or alumni mentors. They also serve as a pool of instructors and mentors for Black Belt Initiative programs.
LSAMP Conference Hosted by Alabama State University
Auburn Graduate Student Summer STEM Academy Instructors
All activities at SPARK STEM Institute are undergirded by research. Indeed, the institute for example aims to study the barriers and issues faced by historically underserved schools and students, and then uses the findings from the studies to develop sustainable programs to prepare students for college and STEM workforce. Furthermore, the Institute evaluates all its interventions and their impact. Annual giving and endowments to Social Sciences Research Network provides funds for students and staff stipends for data collection and analysis, and for materials and supplies.
SPARK STEM Institute Launch Symposium
SPARK STEM Institute Launch Symposium
Naming opportunities allows donors to leave a lasting legacy while making an impact on students and faculty locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
- SPARK STEM Institute
- SPARK STEM Center for Persons with Disabilities
- SPARK STEM Center for Underrepresented Minorities and Underserved Populations
Masamu Graph Theory Research Group in Cape Town, South Africa
Bullock County Summer Academy Students visiting Auburn University
Endowed Professorships support and recognize tenured associate or full professors serving as mentors for underserved students in the A+ program and early career faculty.
Masamu Program in Lilongwe, Malawi
LSAMP MAKERS Conference at Auburn University
Founding Partner, SPARK Society, and A+ Investor Society consist of partners, alumni, and friends committed to supporting the Office of Special Projects and Initiatives and SPARK STEM Institute. Their support provides necessary funds to sustain and institutionalize programs in the Institute. In particular, these funds are used to attract and engage world-class faculty and staff to create, implement, and evaluate research-based models to attract, retain, and graduate more historically underrepresented and underserved populations in STEM disciplines.
- Founding Partner - $50,000+ (by end of 2024)
- Strengthening Pathways and Research Knowledge (SPARK) Society acknowledges cumulative gifts of $15,000 or more.
- Warren Circle - $50,000+
- Fellowship Circle - $40,000+
- Leadership Circle - $25,000+
- A-Plus Circle - $15,000+
- Academic Perseverance and Leadership for Underserved Students (A+) Investor Society recognizes alumni and friends that have made gifts of $1,000 or more annually, and $500 or more annually for young alumni.
- Leadership Investor - $8,000+
- Dream Investor - $4,000+
- Vision Investor - $1,000+
- Eagle Investor - $500 or more for young alumni who have graduated in the past 5 years.
GEAR UP Academy at Auburn University
GEAR UP Academy at Auburn University
Summer STEM Academy in Bullock County
Giving Levels:
- Founding Partner: $50,000+ (by end of 2024)
- Strengthening Pathways and Research Knowledge (SPARK) Society acknowledges cumulative gifts of $15,000 or more.
- Academic Perseverance and Leadership for Underserved Students (A+) Investor Society recognizes alumni and friends that have made gifts of $1,000 or more annually; and $500 or more annually for young alumni who have graduated in the past 5 years.