The ACCESS (Achieving Community College Excellence for Scholarship Success) program is supporting scholarships for academically talented, financially needy students and enabling them to enter the workforce following completion of an associate degree in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Goals include improving educational opportunities for students, increasing retention of scholarship students to degree achievement, improving student support programs for scholarship participants, and increasing the numbers of well-educated and skilled employees in technical areas of national need.
Intellectual Merit: Scholarships are being awarded to 25 students each semester in STEM disciplines. The goals are (a) 75% of ACCESS Scholars maintain or exceed a 2.6 grade point average (GPA); (b) 70% of ACCESS Scholars persist until associate degree achievement; and (c) 100% of students are provided transfer or job placement assistance.
Broader Impact: As the sole accredited provider of postsecondary education in a large service area, the mission of the college is to provide accessible higher education opportunities to community residents. By offering scholarships to academically talented, financially needy students majoring in STEM disciplines, the college is meeting the needs of both the agricultural industries in the district and students. Over 70% of the students attending the college are first-generation who have had little exposure to scientific career opportunities. About 40% of the students are Hispanic and a great number of these students come from families where the parents are migrant workers or field laborers. Recruitment of these students into scientific careers not only impacts their future, but it also increases the scientific awareness of friends and family members in their communities. The broader impact resulting from improved STEM education and STEM scholarships conveys the message that exciting, lucrative careers exist in the sciences and that agricultural careers are not limited to field work.
