Cooperative Scholarship Program; Supporting Undergraduate Preparation in Target Areas of Scientific Need

Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond VA

Investigators

Abstract

Virginia Commonwealth University and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College are cooperating to provide scholarships at both institutions for undergraduate students majoring in biomathematics, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and pre-engineering. The program is enabling students from low income families and first generation college attendees to have access to higher education. The result of the cooperation is a seamless transition for the community college students transferring to join the junior level cohort. Contributing to the 95% degree completion rate among the scholarship holders are the individualized contracts that each of the scholars develop in conjunction with the individual's advisor. Another feature of the program is the problem solving workshop being designed exclusively for the S-STEM cohorts that accompany the three course calculus sequence.