February 21, 2025

The School of Education is proud to announce that Aroutis Foster, PhD, Interim Dean and Professor of Learning Technologies for the School of Education was appointed as the Project Director for the Greater Philadelphia Region Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (Philadelphia AMP). The Philadelphia AMP is a collaboration among nine local higher-education institutions that share resources and work towards the common goal to increase the number of students whose identities are underrepresented in STEM fields. Since its inception in 1994, the Philadelphia AMP has produced more than 20,000 BS degree recipients, 6,000 MS degree recipients, and 800 PhDs.

Dr. Foster previously served as the co-principal investigator for the Philadelphia AMP. He succeeds Steve Cox, ’74, ’76, Philadelphia AMP founder and longtime project director who retired on January 31st, 2025, but will serve in a part-time capacity to ensure a seamless transition of leadership.

The Philadelphia AMP is part of the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP), an initiative supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation which supports partnerships between institutions of higher education and other organizations with the aim of increasing STEM degrees to underrepresented populations.

Dr. Foster became the interim dean of the School of Education in 2023. In his short time in the role, Dr. Foster has streamlined programs and established new strategic focus areas to align the school with the mission and goals of the university. Focus areas include Undergraduate, Teacher, STEM, and Behavioral Health Education, and Educational Innovation. Dr. Foster previously served as the associate dean of academic affairs and graduate studies for the School of Education. He also directs the Games and Learning in Interactive Digital Environments (GLIDE) Lab.