The "Emerging STEM Scholars" program at Temple University will address STEM retention and success by providing direct academic support for four years to 48 - 60 academically talented and economically disadvantaged students majoring in biology, biochemistry, or chemistry. Students will be enrolled in the program during their freshman year, when they are most likely to encounter academic difficulties and change majors. The program will utilize existing academic support structures and will connect students with specific program content in Temple's first science learning community. A three tiered mentoring program (undergraduate peers, graduate students, and faculty) will provide support to scholars over their academic career from entry into the institution to graduation. Scholars will be given access to industry scientists and science career information that will complement academic support and research opportunities.
The project will be based on Tinto's theory of student retention emphasizing both structural supports and content-based and pedagogical supports. Data will be collected to determine what "works" the best, with what type of student, and when. Research conducted by this project will be both cross-sectional and longitudinal, and will be designed to test the individual and cumulative contributions of the program elements. The study will also analyze any effect size decay that occurs over time. Four data sources will provide an academic "map" that will be used to identify patterns that are needed to maintain successful progress to an on-time four-year degree. The resulting knowledge will be used as the basis for institutional transformation at Temple and other universities.
