Clay N. Hixson Student Success Center

The goal of the Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (TLSAMP) program is to increase the enrollment and graduation rate of underrepresented ethnic minority students (Hispanic, African-American, American-Indian, Alaskan Native, and Pacific Islander) in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by at least 100% at the end of the five-year period.

The objectives to support the goal of the alliance are to:

1. recruit underrepresented students to pursue science or engineering as a career;
2. improve the quality of the learning environment for underrepresented science and engineering students at all schools; and
3. ensure that a larger number of undergraduate students are prepared to enter graduate programs.

In order to participate in the TLSAMP, applicants must be admitted in full standing to the Tennessee Tech Undergraduate program (especially the College of Engineering), a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, demonstrate appreciation for and commitment to diversity, and meet at least two of the following criteria:

• Belong to an underrepresented US racial/ethnic minority group (African-Americans, U.S. Hispanics/Latino Americans, American Indians/Alaskan Native, and Pacific Islanders from U.S. territories and outlying areas).
• Be a resident of one of the educationally underserved/underrepresented areas (see list).
• Belong to a U.S. underrepresented/under-served gender in technology and engineering.
• Demonstrate character, motivation and ability to succeed in undergraduate studies based on academic record and a written essay.

List of educationally underserved/underrepresented counties are: Bledsoe, Campbell, Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Grundy, Hamilton, Jackson, Macon, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Rhea, Scott, Sequatchie, Smith, Trousdale, VanBuren, Warren, and White.

Each year the TLSAMP Alliance hosts the TLSAMP Undergraduate Research Conference. The purpose of this conference is to bring together students, faculty, staff, administrators, and professionals in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The conference provides academic stimulation and disseminate information to TLSAMP at large. The conference will feature an undergraduate/graduate networking reception, motivational speakers, oral/poster presentations, breakout sessions, and much more. The conference also provides an excellent atmosphere to encourage students’ pursuit of undergraduate research and graduate school opportunities in STEM.

Read more about the conference here. 

The Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (TLSAMP), supported by the National Science Foundation, is a partnership of ten major institutions of higher learning in the state of Tennessee.  Each partner institution is responsible for the development and implementation of strategies geared toward increasing undergraduate retention and graduation rates of its science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors.

In Phase I (2003-2008), TLSAMP started with six public and private institutions – LeMoyne Owen College, Middle Tennessee State University, Tennessee State University, the University of Memphis, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and Vanderbilt University – and this partnership continued into Phase II (2009-2013).  In Phase III (2014-2018), TLSAMP expanded its outreach by adding four additional colleges and universities, that is, Fisk University, Tennessee Technological University, Nashville State Community College, and Southwest Tennessee Community College. The addition of the community colleges helps the Alliance to strengthen its relationship with this sector and increase its recruitment efforts by helping community college STEM students to transition into the four-year institutions.

Below is a brief description of the TLSAMP partner institutions.

• » Fisk University

  Fisk University is a private HBCU located in Nashville with a total enrollment of over 800 students.  FU is recognized nationally for its quality research and ability to produce young scholars and leaders.  FU also has a long-standing history of collaboration with Vanderbilt University to confer PhD degrees in Physics to students from underrepresented groups.

• » LeMoyne-Owen College

  LeMoyne-Owen College is the only HBCU located in the city of Memphis and Shelby County, TN.  Shelby County is the most populated county in Tennessee, with the largest minority population and largest African American population in the state.  LOC is the only four-year, private HBCU in the country that houses an early middle college high school on its campus.  LOC, with a total enrollment of over 900 students, provides a transformative experience educating students for urban-focused leadership, scholarship, service and professional careers through its Transformative Plan Approach. 

• » Middle Tennessee State University

  Middle Tennessee State University is a comprehensive regional public institution of higher education located in Murfreesboro, TN.  With over 22,000 students, MTSU is the number one producer of graduates for the Greater Nashville economy.

• » Nashville State Community College

  Nashville State Community College is a comprehensive community college with a total enrollment of over 9,000 students.  As a community college, NSCC has over 80 programs to prepare students for work or transfer to the four-year institution.

• » Southwest Tennessee Community College

  Southwest Tennessee Community College is a comprehensive, open-access, culturally diverse, public, two-year college, with a total enrollment of over 16,000 students in Memphis, TN.  Minority enrollment (primary African American/Black) is 63% of the student body.  STCC is committed to meeting the educational needs of individual students, communities, and employers through credit and non-credit instruction.

• » Tennessee State University

  Tennessee State University is located in Nashville, TN and has an enrollment of over 8,000 students.  TSU offers 77 majors in eight undergraduate and graduate colleges and schools. TSU is the largest of six Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the state and is Nashville’s only public university.  TSU is a Carnegie-classified Doctoral/Research Extensive University and serves as the lead institution for TLSAMP.

• » Tennessee Technological University

  Tennessee Tech University produces practical, ready-to-work graduates from a broad range of academic disciplines prepared to compete in a technologically driven world. Here, students have the freedom to discover and pursue their passions, knowing there is a supportive community behind them. Developing their passions into hundreds of student clubs and organizations, Tech students make an impact on campus, in the community and around the world.

• » University of Memphis

  University of Memphis is a comprehensive urban university committed to scholarly accomplishments of the students and faculty.  It has approximately 20,000 students and been designated by the Carnegie Foundation as a Doctoral/Research-Extensive University.

• » University of Tennessee - Knoxville

  University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a premier, research-extensive institution that possesses the Carnegie Classification of "Research University.”  UTK is the state’s flagship institution, with a total enrollment of over 28,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, research, and public service throughout the state. UTK ranks among the nation’s top public universities.

• » Vanderbilt University

  Vanderbilt University is a private, internationally recognized research university in Nashville, TN, with strong partnerships among its 10 schools, neighboring institutions and the community.  VU enrolls about 7,000 undergraduates and 6,000 graduate and professional students. VU is the largest private employer in Middle Tennessee and the second largest private employer based in the state.   

Louis Stokes (February 23, 1925 to August 18, 2015) was an attorney and politician from Cleveland, Ohio. He served 15 terms in the United States House of Representatives – representing the east side of Cleveland – and was the first black congressman elected in the state of Ohio. He was one of the Cold War-era chairmen of the House Intelligence Committee, headed the Congressional Black Caucus, and was the first black on the House Appropriations Committee.

Former U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes played a pivotal role in the quest for civil rights, equality, and social and economic justice throughout his tenure in the Unites States Congress.

Stokes was educated in the Cleveland Public Schools, graduating from Central High School. Following three years of service in the United States Army, he returned to Cleveland and attended Western Reserve University. He earned his Doctor of Laws degree from Cleveland Marshal Law School in 1953.

Prior to serving in Congress, he practiced law for 14 years and was one of the founders of the Stokes, Character, Terry, Perry, Whitehead, Young and Davidson law firm. As a practicing lawyer, he participated in three cases in the United States Supreme Court and argued the landmark “stop and frisk” case of Terry v. Ohio. On November 6, 1968, he was elected to the United States Congress and became the first African American member of Congress from the State of Ohio. He served 15 consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, ranking eleventh overall in House seniority.

During his tenure in Congress, he shared several important committees, including most notably, the House Select Committee on Assassinations, the Ethics Committee, the House Intelligence Committee, the Appropriations Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, HUD and independent agencies. He was the dean of the Ohio Congressional Delegation, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and he served on the House Select Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran. His work in the area of health led to his appointment as a member of the Pepper Commission on Comprehensive Health Care, and he was the founder and chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust.

When Stokes retired, he became the first African American in the history of the U.S. Congress to retire having completed 30 years in office. Following his service in Congress, he became senior counsel at Squire, Sanders, and Dempsey LLP, a global law firm, and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. He has served as vice chairman of the PEW Environmental Health Commission at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and was appointed by former Health and Human Services Secretary, Donna E. Shalala, as chairman of the Advisory Committee on Minority Health.

Through the years, he has received numerous awards and honors that recognize his national leadership and strong commitment to public service. A number of landmarks around the city of Cleveland now bear his name, including The Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Administration Hospital, The Louis Stokes Annex of the Cleveland Public Library and The Louis Stokes Health Sciences Center at Case Western Reserve University. Several national institutions, including Howard University in Washington, D.C., and the National Institutes of Health, have recognized Stokes by naming certain buildings on their campuses after him. He is the recipient of 26 honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities and on July 8, 2003 was honored by Congress with The Congressional Distinguished Service Award.

Stokes and his wife Jay are the parents of Shelley, Angela, Louis and Lori. They also are grandparents to Brett, Eric and Grant Hammond; Kelley and Kimberly Stokes; and Alexandra and Nicolette Thompson.

Louis Stokes bio taken from Case Western Reserve University Louis Stokes Bio