The goal of this scholarship program is to increase the recruitment and retention of students into courses of study in engineering and science, leading to an increase in the number of graduates prepared to enter the STEM workforce. The project is focusing particularly on incoming freshmen who demonstrate academic talent and financial need. The merit of the project lies in its leverage of a proven Integrated Engineering and Science Curriculum that includes team building, collaborative learning, and hands-on activities, as well as an emerging Living and Learning Community effort. A special Freshman Enrichment Program is providing further student support during the critical first year of college. The project expects eighty percent of its S-STEM scholars to graduate with a STEM degree. The broader impacts of the project are seen in the expected increase of over one hundred STEM professionals who would not have successfully completed a STEM degree without support. The project is demonstrating that providing financial and academic support to a focused cohort of students increases their success in obtaining STEM degrees and entering the workforce. Furthermore, the project expects its successful elements to serve as models for adaptation and implementation at other institutions.
