This project is blending recruitment, retention and career placement into an integrative, non intrusive program to promote STEM student success. It develops a cohort group that utilizes existing programs developed under a recently awarded STEP grant, including mentoring, a summer pre-engineering transition program, faculty development, and a freshman orientation course. Additional activities include a summer job placement program and a career oriented seminar series. The seminar series is featuring successful graduates of the institution who are serving as role models for the S-STEM students as well as workshops in computer skills resulting in a certificate upon completion.
The target population is financially needy women and under-represented minorities enrolled in the college of engineering. The program is being assessed through evaluation of student self-assessments, evaluating summer professional experiences by both students and employers, and advisory panel reviews.
