The Computer Science/Mathematics Scholarship Project (CoSMoS) is designed to address the major challenge of increasing the quantity and quality of skilled workers in the nation through the provision of academic, financial and counseling assistance to 42 low income students each year for four years. The assistance is being provided by a team of senior faculty and administrators with the expertise and financial resources in collaboration with personnel from industry and with the Offices of Learning Services (OLS), Career Services, and Financial Aid. The goal is to increase participants' graduation rates and enhance their academic success by building upon current successful support structures. A research-based assessment plan to measure success as well as to provide feedback for program improvement and a realistic dissemination plan are also key components of the project. The project is providing: A challenging program with high expectations where designated faculty members from the CoSMoS academic departments are working as faculty mentors monitoring students' academic progress and supervising students' research projects or internships. An enriched course experience in which students have an opportunity to deal with problems they encounter with the content using "hands on" projects in a nurturing environment in which they can assist one another in discovering their own academic potential. Assigned peer mentors for each student in his/her own field. The mentors are recruited from students who have exhibited success in their academic program. Each CoSMoS participant, in turn, does one or two hours of tutoring per week for students who are in their first two years of study. A one-credit seminar course required of all participants, with emphasis on student success and career awareness. Guest speakers from industry are being brought in. The broader impacts of the project are evident in the following: The project is timely, much needed, and fits extremely well with the mission of the institution. The integration of academic and support services to facilitate the graduation of low-income students, particularly students from underrepresented groups and students with disabilities, in the disciplines of computer science and mathematics brings together ways to increase student motivation, persistence, time on task and academic success. Students with grade point averages (GPA) of at least 3.0 in the major and an overall GPA of 2.75 will be recruited from both students presently enrolled in the designated majors and students from community and two year colleges. SUNY Oswego is committed to providing scholarships of up to $1250 per year for twelve freshmen and sophomore participants; grant funds are being used to provide scholarships of up to $3000 per year to thirty juniors and seniors. The $3000 scholarships reduce the need for the students to work and thus enable them to put more time toward their academic performance.
