Funding through the Noyce Scholars Program is enabling the College of William and Mary to strengthen its program in several significant ways: (a) deepening collaborative engagement among STEM departments and the School of Education; (b) supporting more aggressive recruiting to attract strong and diverse students, including students from community colleges, (c) providing generous student stipends to cover tuition and fees; (d) expanding the current 4-year or 5-year programs by articulating a third pathway, a new 5-year sequence for undergraduates to earn a masters degree; (e) enhancing the program with special course offerings in science and mathematics and with summer internship opportunities for research, curriculum and professional development in concert with William and Mary student/faculty research and other funded projects; (f) providing innovative and extensive follow-up mentoring and support for graduates, and (g) implementing a comprehensive evaluation to provide a rigorous evidence base for the program.
The Noyce Scholars Program is increasing the numbers of students from STEM disciplines entering the teaching profession and the diversity of candidates, including more students from under-represented racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, and socioeconomic groups, and those with disabilities. The 33 Noyce Scholars supported by the project are licensed in biology, chemistry, computer science, earth science, mathematics or physics and are impacting the achievement of more than 6,000 middle and high school students. After the end of the funding period, the College of William and Mary is committed to sustaining the program elements and expanding collaboration, recruitment and follow-up activities to other critical shortage areas.
