The proposed funding will support the continuation of a comprehensive program connecting students with the research base at three USM institutions that began an Alliance in 1995 to extend and increase the impact of initiatives to increase substantially the quantity and quality of underrepresented minority (URM) students receiving baccalaureate degrees in STEM fields. With Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) continuing as Principal Investigator, UMBC, the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) will implement the proposed USM LSAMP, Phase III which is designed to serve undergraduate students, particularly those who are members of underrepresented racial and ethnic minority groups.
Building on lessons learned from the successes in Phase I and II and best practices from other LSAMP Programs and other initiatives with similar goals, the following measurable objectives have been established for the proposed LSAMP, Phase III.
To increase the enrollment of URM students in STEM fields annualy; To increase the retention to second year rate of URM students in STEM fields annualy; To improve the academic performance of URM students in STEM courses and majors annually; To increase the percentage of URM STEM students earning cumulative GPAs at or above 3.0 annually; To increase the six-year graduation rates of URM students in STEM majors; To increase the number of URM students who go on to graduate programs in STEM fields.
NSF and other funds will provide support for the five major Alliance components:
The Summer Component: Includes a Summer Bridge Program to facilitate new students' transition to the university through academic support and summer research opportunities for continuing students
The Academic Year Component: Includes undergraduate research fellowships, graduate school preparation, intrusive academic advising, mentoring tutoring, monitoring, and other academic support;
The Collaboration Component: Is designed to enhance and provide a formal structure for colaborations among and between programs and initiatives on and off the USM LSAMP campuses with goals similar to those of LSAMP.
The Curriculum Review and Revision Component: The ongoing review and, as needed, revisions of the curricula for .filter" STEM courses will facilitate the success and retention in STEM majors of URM and other students.
The Tracking and Follow-up Component: The academic and career accomplishments of Program alumni will be tracked, and folow-up contacts will be made with them to encourage their persistence in STEM graduate programs and consideration of STEM careers, particularly in the professoriate.
Throughout their undergraduate years, students will be actively involved in research projects with faculty and other mentors, at the partnering institutions and off campus (including national laboratories), and will be encouraged to present their research findings in appropriate settings. Also, in Phase III, the USM Alliance will collaborate with established programs operating on the campuses, including the NSF-funded Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), and the McNair Scholars and Upward Bound programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education, among others that provide a pipeline with targeted services to support URM students from grade nine through the Ph.D.
As a Senior Alliance, the USM LSAMP is a comprehensive program designed to increase both the quantity and the quality of URM and other students who earn STEM B.S. degrees and are well prepared for graduate school. Moreover, we have succeeded in identifying and implementing best practices that help to broaden participation in STEM significantly not only at the undergraduate level but also through the Ph.D. Notable outcomes are provided below. Undergraduate Degrees Growth in STEM bachelor’s degrees has been evident among all URM groups, but successful outreach and retention activities have resulted in the greatest growth occurring among Native American and Hispanic students. STEM bachelor’s degrees awarded to URM students rose from 2,011 during Phase I (1995-2000) to 3,011 during Phase III (2006-2010). This represents a 49% increase. STEM bachelor’s degrees awarded to Black or African American students rose from 1,543 during Phase I to 2,214 during Phase III. This represents a 43% increase. STEM bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanic students rose from 325 during Phase I to 734 during Phase III. This represents a 126% increase. STEM bachelor’s degrees awarded to Native American students rose from 27 during Phase I to 63 during Phase III. This represents a 137% increase. Undergraduate Enrollment and Progress We have developed an increasingly healthy pipeline of students who are well prepared to complete STEM degrees and advance into the STEM workforce. URM students enrolled in STEM bachelor’s degree programs rose from 3,197 in year 5 of Phase I (1999-2000) to 4,259 in year 5 of Phase III (2009-2010). This represents a 33% increase. Over time, there has been an increase in the number of URM students who achieve junior and senior classification and are well positioned to complete STEM bachelor’s degrees. URM STEM juniors and seniors rose from 1,572 in year 5 of Phase I to 2,032 in year 5 of Phase III. This represents a 29% increase. While the number of URM students earning B.S. degrees in STEM has increased over time, there also has been broader participation in the traditionally least diverse fields. For example, the percentage of B.S. degrees awarded to URM students in Geosciences, Physics/Astronomy, and Chemistry increased by 300%, 260%, and 208%, respectively, from year 5 of Phase I to year 5 of Phase III. Direct student participants, in particular, perform well academically each year, and both the number and percentage of these students who earn grades that ultimately will be competitive for graduate school continues to increase. In year 5 of Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III, 132 (55%), 252 (76%), and 273 (72%), respectively, direct participants completed the academic year with cumulative grade point averages at or above 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Graduate Degrees Since the USM LSAMP began in 1995, there has been improvement in campus climates supportive of STEM education for URM students at all levels resulting in increases graduate degrees. STEM master’s degrees to URM students rose from 306 during Phase I to 445 during Phase III. This represents a 45% increase. STEM doctorate degrees to URM students rose from 86 during Phase I to 122 during Phase III. This represents a 42% increase. The USM LSAMP has received awards to conduct Bridge to the Doctorate (BD) Programs for five cohorts of 12 BD Fellows. These awards helped us to strengthen both our undergraduate and graduate education pipelines and create an expanded community of STEM scholars. As LSAMP alumni, the BD Fellows have had a strong and positive influence on the LSAMP undergraduates. Significantly, the USM BD program produced five Ph.D.s in academic year 2010-2011. Alumni Accomplishments USM LSAMP alumni are making important contributions across the STEM disciplines. Many have gone on to graduate programs; others have gone directly into the workforce in a broad range of STEM careers from the professoriate to rocket science. Successful strategies to prepare students for graduate education and to track LSAMP alumni are evident by the 93 alumni who have been identified as having earned either Ph.D. or M.D. / Ph.D. degrees. Catalyst for Additional External Funding The LSAMP has been a catalyst for significant increases in external funding to support STEM initiatives. Supplemental funding was provided through LSAMP annually by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and BioEngineering that allowed us increase the number of students in our Summer Bridge Program. It also supported partial scholarships for tuition, fees, room, and board to undergraduates. We have found that scholarship support is critical to the success of STEM students because it relieves the stress and time commitment required to hold jobs while navigating the rigorous curricula. Numerous other federal and state agencies, foundations, and private sources also provided external funding.
