CARBONDALE, Ill. — An agreement between Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois will provide mentoring and educational opportunities, summer camps and potential scholarships for junior high and high school students and encourage them to pursue STEM careers.

On Monday, Oct. 25, Austin Lane, chancellor of SIU Carbondale, and Loretta Graham, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA), which will help diversify STEM fields. Nationwide, women made up 29% of those employed in science and engineering occupations in 2017.

The MOA fits well with SIU Carbondale’s Imagine 2030 strategic plan, which include pillars to foster student success, support diversity, equity and inclusion, and build partnerships, Lane said.

(PHOTO: Austin Lane, chancellor of SIU Carbondale, and Loretta Graham, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois, sign a memorandum of agreement that will provide opportunities for girls)