External Research: A primary component in American Indian Retention, Graduation, and Matriculation

College Of The Menominee Nation, Keshena WI

Investigators

Abstract

College of Menominee Nation (CMN) seeks to increase the number of CMN STEM students participating in external research-based student internship opportunities. External research is defined as research outside of CMN and outside of the Menominee Reservation and other local communities. The project is expected to increase STEM student retention, graduation, and matriculation rates. The project uses three strategies. 􀁸 Development and coordination of the project: Key activities include hiring a researchbased internship coordinator, reviewing feasibility of requiring research-based internships for STEM degree attainment, coordination of advisory board meetings, and leveraging of outside partners to establish consistent research-based internships. 􀁸 Efforts to institutionalize the project: Key activities under strategy two include researching, and organizing the research opportunities, creating a database of opportunities, developing and coordinating processes, developing and maintaining a research-based internship webpage, and leveraging funding to provide student support for such opportunities. 􀁸 Provision of critical student support activities aimed at increasing STEM student participation in external research-based internship opportunities: Activities include recruiting STEM students to participate in program, matching students to appropriate opportunities, assisting with applications, and preparation for requirements, and interviews, assisting students make connections, encouraging students through the process, advocating for student acceptance into internship programs, providing extensive follow-up and developing and coordinating a series of workshops related to research-based internships. Intellectual Merit: Tribal Colleges are key contributors to the body of knowledge on American Indians. To date many Tribal Colleges have integrated research opportunities into their STEM capacity; however the focus has been on providing these opportunities within the context of the tribal colleges system and community. Although these experiences are indeed valuable to gaining student interest and are providing numerical increases in retention and graduation rates, they exclude critical exposure opportunities for students outside of the institution and outside of the community. To date, CMN has documented increased retention and graduation rates of students participating in external research. However these are only a handful of students. It is critical that further study on the importance and impacts of external research-based internship opportunities within the tribal college system take place. Such data will focus on the impacts of external student research and how it achieves the ultimate outcomes of NSF?s investment in tribal colleges: ensuring students graduate, matriculate into four-year and graduate STEM programs, and enter the workforce system as diverse qualified individuals. Broader Impacts: CMN?s project will build upon the research of the several NSF TCUP grants it has completed, continuing the investigation of essential research in discovering and understanding how Tribal Colleges and the unique strategies they implement promote STEM education in minority students. As an institution that serves predominantly Native American students, CMN?s project further advances the research of American Indian undergraduate education in STEM courses and programs as well as contributes to the global body of knowledge in underrepresented minority STEM education. Short term impacts include increases in retention and graduation rates at CMN. Long-term project impacts include an increase of American Indians in four year and graduate STEM programs as well as an increase in American Indians in STEM employment fields.