The STEM Scholars Program at James A. Rhodes State College aims to increase the number of well-educated and skilled employees in technical areas of national and local need by recruiting, selecting, and enrolling 102 full-time, academically talented, financially needy students for scholarships over five years. The main focus of the Program is the enrollment and financial support of underrepresented groups (e.g. women, minorities, and persons with disabilities) in Engineering Technology and Information Technology fields, and the improvement of educational opportunities and support programs for these students in order to maximize probability of their retention, graduation, employment or transition to four-year institutions. Integral to success of the Program is the strengthening of ongoing partnerships between the sponsoring college and K-12 school systems, the West Central Ohio Tech Prep consortium, four-year institutions, regional education initiatives, and local high tech industries in order to improve collaborative efforts in providing academic and social support services, and internship and mentoring relationships for scholars. The STEM Scholars Program is building upon the current academic and social support structures available to all students at Rhodes State College, such as services offered by 1) the Learning Center and the Math/Science Skills Center for enhancing STEM Scholars' academic skills and providing techniques for college success; 2) the Student Advising and Development Office for tracking scholars' academic success and providing social support; and 3) the Career Placement Office for assisting the scholars with job placement or transfer to four-year institutions. Specific programs initiated for STEM Scholars to ensure success in the program include 1) creation of cohort groups to provide a network of support for the scholars as they work collaboratively and collectively on improving their own and others' learning experiences, growth and development; 2) a tutoring program that offers targeted tutoring sessions for cohort members whose needs have been identified by an educational planning form and advisement process; and 3) innovative multidisciplinary sessions that assist scholars with integrating coursework and workforce readiness and professional development. The STEM Scholars Program is broadening participation by increasing recruitment, admission, retention and graduation of targeted groups who are underrepresented in STEM fields. The program is advancing the understanding of the unique needs of these groups by tracking their individual academic and student support requests, incorporating the needs expressed in the requests into each STEM Scholar's educational planning process, and coordinating services through community partnerships. This method is expected to be of benefit to other institutions of higher learning as they attempt to bring about more comprehensive support systems for underrepresented students.
