Reaching Out to Academically-Talented, Financially-Disadvantaged Students for Careers in Engineering and Mathematics

Southern Illinois University At Carbondale, Carbondale IL

Investigators

Abstract

This project provides scholarship support for academically talented and economically disadvantaged students seeking to earn undergraduate degrees in Engineering or Mathematics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The primary goal of this project is to improve the recruitment and retention of these students, thereby increasing both the number and quality of students in these disciplines who are well prepared to enter the high-technology workforce. The program provides scholarship support to seventy-two students during the crucial first two years of their university training. By the end of this period, the students have achieved a sound foundation in the fundamentals of science and mathematics on which to build their specialized training in their chosen disciplines during the final two years of their university training. Following the period of scholarship support, the students in the program are provided with the opportunity to participate in: 1) a cooperative educational experience or an internship designed to prepare them for the transition into their professional careers, 2) a departmental research project as an undergraduate researcher, or 3) the College of Engineering supplemental instruction program as a mentor or the Department of Mathematics tutoring program as a tutor. These experiences help develop a sense of responsibility and instill leadership skills in these students as well as provide them with financial support to partially offset their school expenses. To complement the job offerings, an industrial scholarship coalition provides additional financial support to the students during their junior and senior years. There are two target groups of students being recruited for this program: 1) economically disadvantaged high school students from the southern Illinois region, which constitutes the northernmost part of the Delta Regional Authority of 236 counties and parishes in the eight-state Mississippi delta region, and 2) African-American and Hispanic-American high school students from Illinois, mainly from urban centers such as Chicago and East St. Louis. There is a special emphasis on attracting female students from these groups. Recruitment and support activities for the scholarship recipients is being carried out within the context of established mechanisms that exist in the College of Engineering and the Department of Mathematics and builds upon established collaborations between all of the involved departments.