This is a scholarship program designed to attract, retain, graduate, and place academically talented, financially needy students in the technological workforce or in a graduate program in computer science or mathematics. The department faculty are identifying and recruiting students from on-campus programs and meetings. Other recruitment tools include high school visits, publicity on the Web, and the annual University Interscholastic League competition in Abilene. The program provides a total of 60 scholarships, with six new awards per year for four years. Each awardee has the option of renewing the scholarship for the duration of the grant. Eligibility is determined by a committee of mathematics and computer science faculty, a representative from the financial aid office, and CSEMS guidelines.
The project uses the Student Support Team (SST) concept. A SST will include a faculty mentor serving as the director, a career counselor, a financial advisor, a representative from industry, peers in the student's major, and others suggested by the mentor. A major facet of the SST is the use of the existing course, University Seminar for Mathematics and Computer Science Majors, in which all scholarship recipients enroll. Faculty mentors help the students design an Individual Academic Plan (IAP) that includes suggested coursework, opportunities for internships, possibilities for undergraduate research, leadership roles, and graduate school goals.
The intellectual merit in the project comes from the culture of excellence at ACU and the multiple opportunities afforded to the scholarship recipients.
The broader impact of the project comes from increasing the number of students who utilize their computer science and mathematics degrees in the technological workforce or in graduate school in computer science or mathematics.
