The S-STEM Scholarship Program at EDP College of Puerto Rico supports 27 eligible, under-represented, low-income, and talented students at the undergraduate level on its two campuses and 7 graduate students on its main campus. Scholarships for Information System students amount to $5,000 per year.
The main objectives are: 1) Increase the number of recipients who complete their academic degree providing STEM scholarships and support services by at least 5% per year; 2) Increase retention rate to degree achievement throughout the project duration by at least 5% annually 3) Increase job placement rate of recipients by at least 10% every year.
The project is modeled after the successful institutional retention approach known as VIDA, which has focused on first year students since 2009. The VIDA student support services component is continued and strengthened throughout the S-STEM Project. It also provides an opportunity for talented students to enroll in programmatic bridges that allow moving from baccalaureate to the masters level through a fixed curriculum for this purpose.
The Project enhances student support services at EDP College by broadening the participation of Hispanics in STEM fields. These student support services and retention strategies can serve as a model to other Hispanic Serving Institutions. Disseminating the project outcomes advances the understanding of successful recruiting and retaining strategies, ensuring academic success for under-represented groups in technology careers, thus contributing to the economy and the professional resources within our society.
