Leadership Update - Greater Philadelphia Region Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation

This message was shared with all faculty and staff on February 12th, 2025.

Dear Colleagues,

I’m pleased to share that effective Feb. 1, 2025, Aroutis Foster, PhD, Interim Dean and Professor of Learning Technologies in the School of Education, was appointed to the additional role of Project Director for the Greater Philadelphia Region Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (Philadelphia AMP). This position was previously held by Steve Cox, who retired Jan. 31, 2025, but has graciously agreed to serve in a part-time, temporary capacity to ensure the program’s seamless leadership transition. 

Steve’s dedication and tireless effort were instrumental in establishing Philadelphia AMP and spearheading it into the robust program it is today. After receiving his BS in physics and atmospheric science in 1974 and his MS in biophysics and biomedical engineering - both from Drexel - in 1976, Steve embarked on a career at General Electric as a physicist in reentry ballistics and later at Boeing where he worked in flight dynamics. During his academic and professional experiences, he was struck by the scarcity of minority representation in engineering and scientific fields.

Beginning in the early 1990s, Steve began taking steps to reverse this trend. At the same time, the National Science Foundation (NSF) sought to establish multi-year, multi-million-dollar grants to support institutions and programming proven to increase the number of underrepresented students in STEM-related fields of study and, ultimately, careers.

Backed by NSF funding, Steve helped launch in 1994 Philadelphia AMP, which is part of the national, NSF-founded Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program. Philadelphia AMP united nine local higher-education institutions to collaborate and share resources toward a common goal to increase the number of students whose identities are underrepresented in STEM disciplines.

It is through this work that Steve leaves a tremendous legacy. Since its inception, Philadelphia AMP has produced more than 20,000 BS degree recipients, 6,000 MS degrees and over 800 PhDs as of 2023, the latest year in which data were available. This is compared to 200 graduating with STEM degrees before the alliance was established.

Steve is also a recipient of numerous awards and honors that recognized his many accomplishments at Drexel including an honorary doctorate in Science and Engineering Education, Provost Award for Outstanding Scholarly Productivity, and the creation of the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award established by the Office of Student Affairs in his name.

"Steve was a visionary in recognizing that STEM fields were failing to recruit, develop, and retain top talent from the fastest growing demographics in the country," said Leslie Ashburn-Nardo, vice provost of faculty advancement and inclusion, who worked directly with Steve. "Many programs have the goal of ‘filling the pipeline’ with students whose identities have historically been underrepresented in STEM. Steve actually was that pipeline, always availing himself not only to current students in LSAMP, but also to alumni who continue to seek his wise counsel years after graduation. He is a beloved mentor to many.”

I am grateful Aroutis, who has previously served as co-principal investigator of Philadelphia AMP, is so willing to lead this important initiative and build on the important work Steve has established. Please join me in congratulating Steve on his retirement and welcoming Aroutis to his new role.

Sincerely,
  
Paul E. Jensen, PhD 
Executive Vice President 
Nina Henderson Provost