Sec. 50303. Fellowship program

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The Secretary of Defense shall establish a fellowship program, which shall be known as the Ronald V. Dellums Memorial Fellowship for Women of Color in STEAM , to provide scholarships and internships for eligible students with high potential talent in STEAM. In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall— consult with institutions of higher education and relevant professional associations, nonprofit organizations, and relevant defense industry representatives on the design of the program; and design the program in a manner such that the program— increases awareness of and interest in employment at a Defense Agency among underrepresented students in the STEAM fields, particularly women of color, who are pursuing a degree in a STEAM field; supports the academic careers of underrepresented students, especially women of color, in STEAM fields; and builds a pipeline of women of color with exemplary academic achievements in a STEAM field who can pursue careers in national security and in areas of national need.

The fellowship program shall consist of— a scholarship program under subsection (d); and an internship program under subsection (e). Each fiscal year, subject to the availability of funds, the Secretary shall select at least 30 eligible students to participate in the fellowship program for a period of 2 years. The Secretary may not award fewer than 50 percent of the fellowships under this section to eligible students who attend historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions, including Hispanic-serving institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, American Indian Tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Tribal colleges and universities, Predominantly Black Institutions, and Native American-serving, Non-Tribal institutions.

Each fellow shall receive a scholarship of up to $50,000 each academic year of the fellowship program. A fellow who receives a scholarship may only use the scholarship funds to pay for the cost of attendance at an institution of higher education. In awarding a fellowship under this section, the Secretary shall consider— the number and distribution of minority and female students nationally in science and engineering majors; the projected need for highly trained individuals in all fields of science and engineering; the present and projected need for highly trained individuals in science and engineering career fields in which minorities and women are underrepresented; and the lack of minorities and women in national security, especially in science and engineering fields in which such individuals are traditionally underrepresented.

As a condition of the receipt of a scholarship under this section, a fellow shall agree— to maintain satisfactory academic standing in accordance with standards determined by the institution of higher education at which the student is enrolled; to complete an internship described in subsection

(e)in a manner that the Secretary determines is satisfactory; upon completion of the degree that the student pursues while in the fellowship program, to work for the Federal Government or in the field of education in the area of study for which the scholarship or fellowship was awarded, for a period specified by the Secretary, which shall not be longer than the period for which scholarship assistance was provided to such student; and to return the amount of the assistance provided the recipient under the program with interest at a rate no higher than the high yield of the 10-year Treasury note auctioned at the final auction held prior to such June 1 if the student fails to comply with any of subsections

(A)through (E). The Secretary may enforce the agreement under paragraph

(5)as the Secretary determines appropriate. The Secretary shall establish an internship program that provides each student who is awarded a fellowship under this section with an internship at a Defense Agency. Each internship shall— to the extent practicable, last for a period of at least 10 weeks; include a stipend for transportation and living expenses incurred by the fellow during the fellowship; and be completed during the initial 2-year period of the fellowship. To the extent practicable, each fellow shall be paired with a mid-level or a senior-level official of the Defense Agency who shall serve as a mentor during the internship. Subject to this section, a fellow may apply for, and the Secretary may grant, a 1-year extension of the fellowship. There shall be no limit on the number of extensions under paragraph

(1)that the Secretary may grant an eligible student. A fellow may use an extension of a fellowship under this section for the pursuit of not more than the following number of graduate degrees: Two master’s degrees. One doctorate of philosophy. An extension granted under this subsection does not count for the purposes of— the number of fellowships granted under subsection (d)(1); or the percentage of fellowships granted to eligible students. A fellow may receive an extension under this subsection only if— the fellow is in good academic standing with the institution of higher education where the fellow is enrolled; the fellow has satisfactorily completed an internship under subsection (e); and the fellow is currently enrolled full-time at an institution of higher education and pursuing, in a STEAM field— a bachelor’s degree; a master’s degree; or a doctorate of philosophy. For each academic year, the Secretary may use not more than 5 percent of the funds made available to carry out this section for administrative purposes, including for purposes of— outreach to institutions of higher education to encourage participation in the program; and promotion of the program to eligible students. The Secretary may appoint a lead program officer to administer the program and to market the program among students and institution of higher education. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of the next 5 fiscal years. Not later than 2 years after the date on which the first fellowship is awarded under this section, and each academic year thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Congress a report containing— a description and analysis of the demographic information of students who receive fellowships under this section, including information with respect to such students regarding— race, in the aggregate and disaggregated by the same major race groups as the decennial census of the population; ethnicity; gender identity; eligibility to receive a Federal Pell Grant under the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.); and eligibility of the household in which the student resides to receive benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program under section 5 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 ( 7 U.S.C. 2014 ), in the case of graduate students; an analysis of the effects of the program; a description of— the total number of students who obtain a degree with fellowship funds each year; and the type and total number of degrees obtained by fellows; and recommendations for changes to the program and to this subtitle to ensure that women of color are being effectively served by such program. In this subtitle: The term cost of attendance has the meaning given the term in section 132 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1015a ). The term Defense Agency has the meaning given the term in section 101(a) of title 10, United States Code. The term eligible student means an individual who— submits an application for a fellowship under this section; is enrolled, or will be enrolled for the first year for which the student applies for a fellowship, in either the third or fourth year of a four-year academic program; and is enrolled, or will be enrolled for the first year for which the student applies for a fellowship, in a university on at least a half-time basis. The term fellow means a student that was selected for the fellowship program under subsection (d). The term historically Black college or university has the meaning given the term part B institution in section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1061 ). The term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001 ). The term minority-serving institution means an institution listed in section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1067q(a) ). The term STEAM means science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. The term underrepresented student in a STEAM field means a student who is a member of a minority group for which the number of individuals in such group who receive bachelor’s degrees in STEAM fields per 10,000 individuals in such group is substantially fewer than the number of White, non-Hispanic individuals of bachelor’s degrees in STEAM fields per 10,000 such individuals.

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Sec. 50303

Fellowship program

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