This National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) project is a collaborative effort between Arizona State University, Central Arizona College, Cochise College, Eastern Arizona College, Estrella Mountain Community College, Glendale Community College, Mesa Community College, Mohave Community College, Phoenix College, and Yavapai College. The program will provide scholarships for talented, low-income students with demonstrated financial need who are pursuing degrees in engineering or computer science. In addition to scholarships, the program will provide academic and other support to increase the persistence of these academically talented, low-income students. The project design includes an academic success and professional development course along with project-based activities. Faculty and industrial mentors help students to envision the potential career opportunities and benefits available in engineering and computer science. Nine of the ten collaborating schools are classified as Hispanic Serving Institutions. Scholarships and support for low-income and academically talented students, who may not otherwise be able to obtain engineering or computer science degrees will help to produce a well-trained workforce that will contribute to the economic well being of the nation.
The project seeks to address the need to expand the engineering and computer science workforce by increasing the success of Arizona State University students including students that transfer from community colleges. The program combines a network of engineering mentors with a successful student-centered and mentor-driven academic success and professional development course to significantly increase the number of community college students that consider, choose, continue and graduate with a bachelor of science in engineering or computer science. At the center of the proposed initiative is a commitment to involving students in career-shaping projects that will permit them to discover, nurture, and fully develop their technical interests. Guided by grounded theory and social cognitive career theory, the project will also study the factors most central to maintaining effectiveness while scaling up a successful student-centered and mentor-intensive transfer student support system to encompass a larger group of collaborating institutions. Community colleges will play an increasingly important role in educating the nation's engineers. This statewide project will serve as a collaborative model for four-year and two-year schools across the nation. This research will provide knowledge helpful in establishing a transfer student support program in Arizona and will inform other university and community college networks in other parts of the United States. The findings from the program will be disseminated widely to the engineering and computer science education community.
