S-STEM: Lehman College Mentoring and Scholarship Program

Research Foundation Of The City University Of New York (Lehman), Bronx NY

Investigators

Abstract

The Lehman College Computer Science and Mathematics Scholarship Program is designed to retain under-represented minorities and women in mathematics and computer-related fields. The program has four key components: funding through scholarships and equipment; advising and mentoring; career planning; and building a community of scholars. Scholarship recipients receive support for professional development and career planning which emphasizes collaboration and communication skills for success in the workplace. The program nurtures an active learning community which includes scholarship recipients who have graduated and entered the workforce. This project is based on research on the recruiting and retention of under-represented minorities in STEM fields. The project encourages women and members of under-represented groups to complete computer science and mathematics majors and to join the STEM workforce. Data collected by the project will add to the body of literature which describes successful approaches to recruiting and retaining women and minorities in STEM degree programs.