The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) was established in 1994, initiated by prior funding from the NSF Comprehensive Regional Center for Minorities (CRCM) grant. A blueprint to substantially increase the numbers of underrepresented minorities earning baccalaureate and advanced degrees was created with input from the partner institutions.  This blueprint would establish recruitment and retention strategies at the college level to promote minority talent in STEM disciplines and cultivate interest for continued study at the graduate level.

Philadelphia AMP is a nine-university consortium, which includes:

• Cheyney University
• Community College of Philadelphia
• Delaware State University
• University of Delaware
• Drexel University
  • Drexel University AMP Website
• Lincoln University
• New Jersey Institute of Technology
• University of Pennsylvania
• Temple University

Since its launch in 1994, Philadelphia AMP and its partners have more than doubled its minority science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) B.S. degree production from 201 to 500+ annually, and  has generated 8,400+ minority STEM BS degrees, 1,800+ minority MS STEM degrees and well over 200 minority STEM Ph.D. degrees in the last 16 years.  As of June 2010, three Bridge to the Doctorate program graduates have received their Ph.D. degrees and moved on to professoriate, federal agency, and military appointments, respectively. Nine addition students are on schedule to complete their doctoral degrees by June 2011.