This enhanced renewal S-STEM project is awarding 64 scholarships to academically talented STEM students (in all majors) with financial need. The objectives of the project are: 1) decreasing student reliance on loans and full-time work 2) increasing the graduation rate of the Scholars compared to the graduation rate of other students in STEM disciplines who are not receiving scholarship support; 3) improving the educational support system by providing cohort activities, academic support services, research projects, STEM internships, and mentoring; 4) increasing the number of students entering the STEM workforce or graduate school; 5) widening the pipeline to STEM programs via outreach to local schools and in-reach to CSU freshmen; 6) increasing access to education to underrepresented minorities and first generation students. Recruitment, selection, and career placement are the responsibility of a faculty committee with the support of an industrial/community advisory board.
The intellectual merit of this project is the expected increased understanding of how to best engage underrepresented minorities and first generation college students in obtaining a baccalaureate in a STEM field. The academic programs into which the students go are strong, and there are extensive academic support activities.
The broader impact of this activity is directly related to providing better systems of support and cultivation of untapped natural resources within their communities: human capital unrealized. Many underrepresented minority and first generation students are very talented but face many barriers that impede their success. The project is enabling these students to complete a STEM major and enter the workforce.
