Through the collaborative efforts of the Natural Sciences Department, the Office of the Dean of Student Services, Student Support Services, and the Financial Aid Office, the College is implementing a scholarship program: Providing Resources and Opportunities in STEM. Project PRO-STEM provides 20 scholarships of up to $6,000 per year to full-time, academically talented, low-income, lower-division undergraduates with planned careers in biology and related fields. Due to their under-representation in STEM fields, the project will especially recruit low-income minority students, women, and persons with disabilities.
Intellectual Merit: The program has five primary Goals: 1) To increase the success of STEM students through scholarships and the provision of support services that promote full-time enrollment and the attainment of Associate Degrees in Science; 2) To assist students in transferring to four-year institutions to continue their education in a STEM discipline; 3) To increase the participation of low-income, academically talented students in STEM careers, especially under-represented students; 4) To identify the special needs of incoming students and to provide academic support by offering supplemental tutoring, faculty/peer monitoring, student/faculty research opportunities, technical and scientific workshops, and independent study opportunities; and 5) To provide solid counseling for employment, resume building, interviewing skills, and academic advising.
To receive this scholarship, awardees must remain enrolled as a full-time student majoring in a STEM field, maintain a GPA of at least 2.75, and participate in enrichment activities with faculty and peers through mentoring and collaborative learning. Those activities include: a summer bridge program to earn the first 12 hours, mentoring, supplemental instruction, research internship opportunities, and preparation for transfer. Awardees will be required to attend a college success orientation, meet with an assigned faculty advisor once each semester, participate in one career seminar per year, and, if possible, conduct research with a faculty mentor or work in a STEM-related internship.
Broader Impacts: The long-term benefits of PRO-STEM include the encouragement of students from targeted populations to study in STEMS fields, the mentoring and cooperative learning experiences, the expanded knowledge in research processes, the establishment of internships and employment opportunities, and the development of networking with universities and the local community. The scholarships allow students to attend full-time and to engage in voluntary activities in support of their academic success. LCC has dual enrollment, active seamless transition agreements with various universities, including Texas State University, Texas A&M International University, University of Texas Brownsville, and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
