The project is designed to provide scholarships plus academic support services and career placement support to students in mathematics and computer science at the university who are both academically talented and financially needy.
Intellectual Merit: The University is committed to offering a high-quality, affordable undergraduate education comparable to that of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the nation and currently awards the largest number of undergraduate mathematics degrees in the state. The overarching goal of this project is to improve the recruitment, retention, and career placement of mathematics and computer science students. This is being achieved through academic support services and activities such as personal tutoring, guest speakers, field trips, and discussion panels, and by utilizing strong ties with regional industry partners to provide career placement opportunities. Six faculty members are coordinating and overseeing all activities relating to the program. Of the 51 scholarships per year, 15 are targeted toward incoming freshmen and 22 toward upperclassmen with 14 available as incentive scholarships for potential majors taking mathematics or computer science courses. Emphasis is placed on increasing the number of women who major in computer science and mathematics and on improving retention for first-generation college students.
Broader Impacts: This program is attracting more students to mathematics and computer science by recruiting more first-year students and by encouraging other students to consider mathematics or computer science as a first or second major. It is keeping these same students committed to the discipline, increasing the number of students who graduate with degrees in mathematics or computer science, and easing the transition of these students to graduate programs or to industry. In particular, graduation rates for women in computer science and first-generation college students in both disciplines are being improved. Results are being disseminated through relevant conference presentations and journal article submissions.
