VSU receives $1 million initiative for STEM program (FILE) (Source: VSU) By Adrianna Hargrove | April 16, 2021 at 11:14 AM EDT - Updated April 16 at 11:44 AM RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Governor Ralph Northam has selected Virginia State University for a new initiative for the STEM teacher shortage in the commonwealth. The STEM program has received $1 million. HBCUTeach is a national initiative to recruit undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at Historically Black Colleges and Universities to prepare students to become teachers. VSU is among the first HBCUs to implement the HBCUTeach program. VSU students will be able to receive their secondary teaching certifications while also completing a STEM major without additional cost or increasing the number of semesters they spend in college.