Through its "Mathematics, Science and Engineering Transfer Scholarships (M-SETS)" program, Cañada College, a member of the California Community College System and one of three colleges in the San Mateo Community College District, is providing scholarship awards to academically talented, financially needy students working to transfer to a 4-year university to complete an undergraduate degree in an engineering, mathematics or science major. M-SETS awards are offered for up to three years of full-time academic study at Cañada College and in the first semester that a student transfers to a 4-year university.
M-SETS is an exceptional opportunity for low-income students to focus full-time on their studies. Mathematics, science and engineering faculty are mentors to students with the goal of increasing student self-efficacy in mathematics and science, furthering their success at Cañada College, and preparing them for work in mathematics, science and engineering professions. In addition, M-SETS recipients benefit from a support system provided through Cañada College's Math, Engineering & Science Achievement (MESA) program which offers academic and extracurricular support in numerous ways, such as: a) Academic Excellence Workshops and study groups to support students who are clustered in core mathematics, science and engineering courses so that they can excel academically, learn to study in a group and develop relationships based on common academic goals. b) A MESA Study Center which provides a place for students to study as well as being a focus area for MESA workshops, on-campus seminars and STEM-related student clubs. c) A MESA Student Lounge which serves as a center of social activities and student-faculty interaction outside the classroom. d) A MESA tutoring program which provides tutors for core mathematics, engineering and science courses and the College's Tutorial Center which offers tutors for other subject areas. e) A MESA Counselor, with specific expertise focused on STEM majors, who provides academic advising and develops an individual education plan for each student given their major and the 4-year universities where they intend to transfer. f) Transfer Agreement Guarantees with nearly every university in California which enables MESA students to gain early guaranteed admission to a 4-year university during the fall of their final year at Cañada College. g) Field trips to industry and MESA panels featuring scientists, doctors and engineers to help students clarify their academic and career goals. h) Visits to 4-year universities which provide students the opportunities to evaluate campuses and to make connections to people and programs. i) Student leadership retreats, professional conferences and participation as student members in professional societies which build students' leadership skills and motivation while developing relationships with other students and industry professionals.
Cañada College’s Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Transfers Scholarships (M-SETS) Program was designed to provide a total of 140 scholarship awards of $3,000-$4,000 over five years from fall 2009 to spring 2014. The program has been closely integrated with other programs and funding on campus including Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) Program, as well as other federally funded programs. The program has achieved its goal of providing an opportunity for low-income students to focus on their studies and fully benefit from a student support infrastructure that promotes academic excellence, leadership skills, and professional and personal growth among students. Scholarship support has allowed students to reduce/eliminate the need to work off-campus and instead take STEM-related or other jobs on campus, pursue internships, spend time attending conferences, take on leadership roles in students clubs and become important role models and leaders for other STEM students. The number of scholarships awarded (145 awards), the number of students completing the program (54 students), and the number of students transferring to four-year schools as STEM majors (54 students) all exceed the goals set forth in the original proposal. Except for the first semester of the program, the retention rate of students in the program has been above 93%. Students who were not retained left for a variety of reasons in addition to poor academic performance including health problems, change of major, transfer to another community college, and relocation. Among students who have completed the program, 100% have transferred as STEM majors to some of the best four-year universities in California including Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, UCLA, California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo, University of California Davis, University of California San Diego, University of California Irvine, University of California Santa Cruz, San Jose State University, and San Francisco State University. Of the 54 students who have transferred, at least 23 have received their baccalaureate degrees, at least five are pursuing graduate degrees, and at least ten are working as professionals in a STEM field. Cañada College’s M-SETS program was one of only six programs in the nation recommended by NSF to be included in the first national evaluation of the S-STEM programs, with a particular focus on recruitment, outreach and retention strategies that may be of interest to other S-STEM recipients. The program has contributed to the increasing the participation and success of underrepresented minorities in STEM. Fifty-three percent of the students in the program are from underrepresented minority groups (American Indian, Alaska Native, Black, Hispanic, or Pacific Islander). To help other institutions in developing similar programs, a "Toolkit for Developing an Effective Scholarship Program for STEM Majors" has been developed. This toolkit includes documents such as samples of application form, evaluation procedures and forms, interview questions and evaluation rubric, sample award letter, student contract, sample electronic surveys, database for tracking, sample marketing materials, award disbursement procedures, frequently asked questions, mentoring program checklists, detailed descriptions of program activities, and other materials that can be easily modified for use by any college, as well as evaluation results of the outcomes and effectiveness of the program activities and components. Also available are related publications and conference presentations. These materials are currently available through the program website (www.canadacollege.edu/nsfscholar/resources).
