Computer Science and Engineering Students Ahead Scholarship Initiatvie

Central New Mexico Community College, Albuquerque NM

Investigators

Abstract

The Computer Science and Engineering Students Ahead Initiative, a partnership between the Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute (TVI), New Mexico's largest community college, and New Mexico Tech, a state-supported research institution in Socorro, New Mexico, will increase the number of New Mexicans entering engineering and computer science-related careers with associate and bachelor degrees. The Initiative will award scholarships to twenty low-income TVI students to complete two-year degrees and ten transfer scholarships to NM Tech. The Initiative provides financial support, enrichment activities, and peer tutors -- all proven retention and success strategies, particularly for minority students. Last year, 100% of TVI's graduates in computing and engineering technology were placed in employment or a four-year university. TVI, a Hispanic-Serving Institution, ranks nationally as a community college leader in graduating Hispanics; and, with 950 Native American students, it is larger than many Indian colleges. NM Tech, a state-supported research institution in science and engineering, has 1,400 students and is located 75 miles from Albuquerque. The CSE Students Ahead project will stimulate students to transfer to NM Tech for the high-quality research experience while retaining the intimacy of a small college and proximity to home and will place others in jobs. The project's two paths- associate and bachelor degree/employment and transfer-will move New Mexico's low-income students ahead.