The Odyssey III Scholarship Program is designed to strengthen the infrastructure of the computer science and mathematics programs at Mississippi Valley State University. Program activities are designed to capitalize on the academic gains made by computer science and mathematics majors during the last decade and to transform these gains into increased academic aspirations, particularly graduate school attendance. The program assists the University in creating an environment which equips and prepares students with skills that contribute to their success in graduate school and increases the pipeline of underrepresented minority students entering the workforce with graduate STEM degrees.
To achieve the program goal of providing stronger support for student aspirations to pursue graduate studies, program activities include a) active recruitment of students to participate in research internships; b) engagement in student development activities which facilitate graduate school admission such as GRE preparation and preparation of graduate school applications and statements of interest; c) early engagement in professional development activities such as freshman conference attendance, d) active engagement in conference research presentations by sophomores, juniors and seniors; and e) faculty-led initiatives that increase the awareness of graduate school requirements. The desired outcome of program activities is an increase in the pursuit and completion of graduate degrees by the programs' primarily African American student population, who are underrepresented in STEM
