The College of New Jersey, a public, primarily undergraduate, residential, comprehensive institution of higher education, is improving access to, and is increasing success of, financially-needy students who seeking a bachelor's degree in Biology or Chemistry with plans go to graduate school or enter the STEM workforce. Building on experiences and outcomes from a prior award, the PERSIST program includes a well-defined application process (with a required interview), peer and faculty mentoring, tutoring, mini-bridge component, and career development programming. Over the 5-year project, 34 unique individuals are receiving scholarship support including two cohorts of freshmen, one cohort each of five sophomores or five juniors, as well as 6 seniors (for just the first project year). The project is increasing the retention and graduation rates of students from underrepresented groups by thoughtfully addressing academic disadvantages that otherwise talented and motivated students from low-performing high schools bring with them. In addition, PERSIST is designed to allow carefully chosen students, the time and academic support necessary to improve basic skills, leading to a reduction in an artificially acquired achievement gap. The project is documenting and disseminating effective peer and faculty mentor strategies for students, is increasing student-faculty interactions, is improving the effective use of math and science tutoring, and is sharing, through presentations and publications, the findings. By deliberate design, PERSIST practices are having a halo effect and are benefitting far more students than just those who receive scholarships.
