The Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MaPS) Cohort of Scholars Program at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) has created a support system consisting of scholarships, faculty mentoring, and peer support to address financial and academic issues affecting the retention and graduation rates of the typical NEIU student. NEIU is an urban commuter university in northwest Chicago, and is the only four-year federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution in the Midwest, with a highly diverse student population and many first-generation college students. The MaPS program is recruiting a cohort of 14-18 incoming freshmen who are interested in the STEM disciplines and in need of financial assistance, and providing them with scholarships of up to $10,000 per year for four years. As they matriculate at NEIU, each student is assigned a faculty mentor from the disciplines of Mathematics, Physics or Earth Science who closely mentors, advises and monitors the student throughout his/her academic career. To further guide the scholars into the STEM professions, they are encouraged to engage in research experiences and participate in regional and national conferences. NEIU's student support services offer supplementary academic and social activities for the cohort, providing the scholars with shared experiences so that each one graduates with the motivation and intellectual ability to either attend graduate school in his/her chosen major or find employment in a STEM-discipline field. The three-fold support system of faculty, student services, and cohort bonding built into the MaPS program draws on lessons learned from the Chicago Math Scholars program, a previous NSF-funded project at NEIU, and responds to institutional goals to raise retention and graduation rates in the STEM disciplines. The MaPS Program is linked strongly with NEIU's McNair Scholars Program and with bridge programs to the doctoral degree with other Chicago-area institutions.
