The Biology/Chemistry Scholarship Program (ABC) is increasing the number of underrepresented minorities earning degrees in STEM disciplines by awarding 25 four-year scholarships (15 Biology and 10 Chemistry) to qualified incoming freshmen. Scholarship recipients are selected based on financial need, GPA, SAT/ACT test scores, letters of recommendations, extracurricular activities, demonstrated leadership skills, and U.S. citizenship. A myriad of support programs that include supplemental instruction, summer bridge programs in STEM, career counseling, and service learning, internship and/or research opportunities will ensure success of the students. The program improves pathways and opportunities for underrepresented minorities to pursue STEM degrees. The goal of increasing STEM enrollment and degrees in biology and chemistry is accomplished by placing emphases on student support services, increasing faculty-student interactions, forging articulation agreements with existing partners in the Business/Industry Cluster, and expanding interdisciplinary options. The ABC scholarship program demonstrates that insufficient numbers of underrepresented minority students in the STEM disciplines are effectively addressed with targeted student support services and mentoring. The ABC program creates a pipeline for recruitment of talented and financially disadvantaged students, as well as provides further testing of a collaborative student-support model for success. This program is positively impacting the under-representation of minorities and women seeking careers in the nation's work force.
