This project will contribute to the national need for highly capable scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC). SLCC is Utah's largest, most diverse college serving more than 60,000 students at multiple campuses and in online classes. This project focuses on supporting academically talented, economically challenged students seeking STEM degrees, transfer to university programs, or entry into the STEM workforce. Over its five-year duration, this project will provide one- or two-year scholarships to 91 students in Life Science, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Geoscience, Math, and Physics degree programs. It will also provide one-year scholarships to enable students to complete their STEM degrees. The project will have immediate positive benefits on Scholars by providing financial and other support and services. It will also have longer-term benefits, by enabling graduates to earn higher wages associated with STEM degree completion. In addition, companies that hire these graduates will be able to grow their businesses and increase their local economic impact. The project builds on known best practices for student degree completion by providing social, academic, and financial services. By increasing the number of STEM graduates who are ready for both employment and transfer opportunities, the project is directly aligned with Utah’s economic growth and transformation goals.
The goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates in Salt Lake County. SLCC will draw on its extensive network of relationships with high schools and college partners to recruit students into STEM programs. A multi-disciplinary selection team will review applications and select participants. The scholarship program will work closely with the existing TRIO STEM Student Support Services program to provide Scholars with services, including faculty mentoring, focused advising, opportunities for undergraduate research and other scholarly work, transfer assistance to baccalaureate programs, career placement services, and a supportive social network. Over five years, SLCC will provide 56 incoming students with two-year scholarships to enroll in a STEM degree program. In addition, the project will provide one-year scholarships to approximately 35 “Near Completers†who are close to completion but need support to finish a STEM degree. The expected outcome of the project is to retain over 90% of participants though graduation, transfer to university programs, or entry into the STEM workforce. This project emphasizes involving SLCC students in high-quality undergraduate research projects that are typically absent from the experience of community college students. Such research experience is clearly demonstrated to be a high impact practice for motivating students to continue and complete STEM degrees. The project will use a novel intensive writing experience to investigate conditions under which improved participation in research projects occurs. The results of this approach will advance understanding about what works for promoting successful STEM completion. Project activities and outcomes will be of significant interest to all colleges offering STEM degree programs. As a result, the project will disseminate its work in peer-reviewed journals specializing in undergraduate STEM education. This project is funded by NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
