Planning grant for Philander Smith College Little Rock Arkansas

Philander Smith College, Little Rock AR

Investigators

Abstract

This planning grant proposal under the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program will enable Philander Smith College (PSC) to engage in planning efforts to enrich the institutional plan and to produce a comprehensive proposal for strengthening its STM program. Several areas will be investigated: increasing the number of students entering PSC STM programs; improving retention; enhancing the pre-freshman program and redesigning the freshman level courses to change instructional strategies and increase infusion of technology; developing new courses to include interdisciplinary approaches and new technological techniques; increasing the research experiences of students; engaging faculty in professional development opportunities to enhance their instructional and research capability; and providing necessary supporting infrastructure enhancements. The Internal Steering Committee will implement the planning process through working sessions, individual member task assignments, the Community Forum, Faculty/Staff/Students seminars, Site Visits/Model University Programs, and other strategies and assessment tools. An External Advisory Committee will oversee the planning process and development of a comprehensive proposal. The college will host a forum to gain input from representatives from the three local school districts and other identified districts to address recruiting and retaining students. A STM Opportunity Forum will be held to introduce students to the campus, community leaders, teachers, counselors, students, professors, scientists, and many others. This forum will serve as a platform to focus on enhancing the number of minorities participating in higher education and to succeed in careers in STM. Activities will also include site visits to a university planning grant site and NSF/HBCU-UP model sites; to hold focus discussions and seminars with faculty and staff on program redesign to support research as well as faculty development; to analyze data and questionnaires; and to look closely at gaps in curricula that presently exist between students leaving high school and entering undergraduate courses of study at PSC. The intellectual merit of this project is that the planning process is being designed to provide a logical approach to assessing the issues at the institution needed to strengthen its STM program and to develop a comprehensive proposal to address these needs and provide a plan that can significantly contribute to increasing the STM academic capability at PSC. The broader impacts of this planning grant is the strengthening of the STM academic capability at PSC which will result in the increase of the number and preparedness of African American students that can contribute in this essential area of society.