Computing and Engineering Scholarship Program (CSEP)

St. Cloud State University, Saint Cloud MN

Investigators

Abstract

The Computing and Engineering Scholarship Program (CESP) at Saint Cloud State University (SCSU) will offer 45 biennial scholarships of $6,000 per year for four years to students that demonstrate financial-need and academic talent, and elect to pursue degrees in Information Assurance, Information Systems, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Manufacturing Engineering. Recruitment plans will target transfer students from Minnesota and neighboring states. This project will build on the successes of a previous S-STEM project at SCSU and will improve SCSU STEM programs, will continue the development and enhancement of student support structures, and will increase SCSU's contributions to the national need for STEM graduates. Student support structures, such as faculty and peer mentoring, advising, mentoring and tutoring, will be enhanced to ensure student success. Students will be assigned a faculty mentor, a graduate assistant and senior student support. Students may optionally engage in a research project, take a 1-credit seminar course or complete an internship in industry or in a national lab that will provide them with practical skills to will help them to be successful in the workplace. Assessment plans will evaluate the efficacy of the enhancements to the SCSU student support infrastructure and will track student success after leaving the program.