About Us
Louis Stokes
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 (FU) 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
(LOC) 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
(MTSU) 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
(NSCC) 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 (SWTCC) 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 (TSU) 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 (TTU) is known as Tennessee’s technological university with a total enrollment of over 9,000 students. All of TTU’s undergraduate programs meet established academic quality standards as rated in external peer reviews and it is only the second public university to receive a Tennessee Quality Award.
University of Memphis (UM) 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
(UTK) 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 (VU) 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.