The Alverno College Futures in Mathematics, Science, and Technology project provides scholarships to thirty students in the college's Biology, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Computing and Information Technology, Environmental Science, or Mathematics majors. The overall goals of this project are (1) to increase the numbers of students graduating from Alverno College with degrees in STEM-related majors, and (2) to help them enter the work force or graduate schools in STEM-related fields. This is accomplished through three efforts:
Assistance to participants, Futures Scholars, through scholarships awarded based on both talent and financial need;
Support of Futures Scholars in order to improve retention by expanding faculty involvement in advising, engaging a full array of academic and counseling support services to help participants succeed, and increasing programs to build a sense of community among students in STEM related majors; and
Connecting Futures Scholars to STEM professions through internships, participation in professional conferences in their fields and annual on-campus conferences, which bring them together with all STEM-related students and with Alverno College alumnae and others working in STEM-related fields.
As a women's college with a high proportion of minorities (32%), the program helps add underrepresented persons to STEM-related fields. Eighty percent of Alverno College students enrolled in STEM related majors receive need-based financial aid, with an average unmet need of $5,105. The project helps by providing thirty talented, financially needy STEM-related majors with scholarships; supporting these students with an array of academic supports including expanded faculty advising, peer mentors, counseling, instructional services and career assistance programs; connecting participants with the profession through internships, workshops and professional conferences related to their majors. New sustainable initiatives, such as the formation of a mathematics and science teacher network, and improved career information, will aid in recruitment to these majors.
To create a diverse cohort of Futures Scholars, approximately ten scholarships are awarded to current sophomores and juniors and the remaining twenty to new, incoming students.
