Dr. Keith Miller, Virginia

Virginia State University's Algebra Project Receives NSF Funding

IntroductionDr. Keith Miller has more than 25 years of experience in higher

education, having served in leadership roles at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania and Virginia State University. During his time as president of Virginia State University, Dr. Keith Miller was instrumental in telling the university’s story in an effort to boost fundraising, with his work leading to inclusion in a grant worth $400 million. 

Continuing its successful grant endeavors, the university recently received notification of a $3 million award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to improve STEM programming. Virginia State University’s newly funded project, titled the Algebra Project Mathematics Content and Pedagogy Initiative, centers on a K-16 model based on a pedagogical approach developed by Bob Moses, a civil rights leader and recipient of the MacArthur “genius award” for his work in this area.

Virginia State UniversityDesigned to improve the math skills of students in

distressed school districts and thereby increase their enrollment in STEM degree programs, the Algebra Project seeks to teach the principles of algebra in the context of students’ everyday experiences. Through this program, university students will learn the methods of the Algebra Project in order to serve as peer mentors to students from groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields. 

Other components of the Algebra Project include dual-enrollment courses, summer bridge programs, and programs that lead students to return to their hometown communities to serve as math teachers.