About the program

About Cortland LSAMP

The Central New York Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program assists universities and colleges in their efforts to significantly increase the numbers of students matriculating into and successfully completing high quality degree programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines in order to diversify the STEM workforce.

The alliance, led by Ithaca College, also includes SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Elmira College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Herkimer College and Tompkins Cortland Community College.

Potential academic majors

SUNY Cortland students can pursue many different academic programs, including the pre-major option designed for students who are undecided on an area of study.

The university’s majors include:

• Biology
• Biomedical Sciences
• Biochemistry
• Chemistry
• Conservation Biology
• Engineering (3+2 program)
• Environmental Geoscience
• Geology
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Pre-major (for undecided students)

Important dates

June 16, 2023: Recommended date for both new students starting in Fall 2023 and current students to express interest in the program.

History of LSAMP

Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation were created by the NSF in 1991 to diversify the nation’s STEM workforce by increasing the number of STEM degrees awarded to historically underrepresented people, including those who identify as African American, Hispanic American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Native Pacific Islander.

The initiative was named after Stokes, the first African-American member of Congress from Ohio, who also served as vice chair 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 chair of the Advisory Committee on Minority Health.