Pathways to STEM Leadership Careers

Southern Illinois University At Carbondale, Carbondale IL

Investigators

Abstract

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) project at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois will provide scholarships for talented, low-income students with demonstrated financial need who are pursuing STEM degrees. The program, called Pathways to STEM Leadership (PSL), will improve the recruitment, retention, graduation rates, and job placement of community college students transferring to Southern Illinois University Carbondale STEM colleges. The program is designed help STEM students become future leaders in industry by providing them with leadership training, mentoring, a cohort experience, and community service opportunities. The development of technical leaders has become a critical need for the United States in helping to maintain a competitive position in a technology-based global economy. Scholarships and support for low-income and academically talented students, who may not otherwise be able to obtain STEM degrees, will help to produce a well-trained workforce that will contribute to the economic well-being of the nation. The project will conduct research to determine the influence of formal and experiential leadership training opportunities on student persistence and completion of STEM degrees. This work is based on the results of a prior NSF S-STEM project that emphasized the development of leadership skills. That project resulted in high rates of degree completion and successful entry into the workforce by low-income students in the college of engineering. This project will utilize a matched control group to help identify the impact of cohort-based leadership training on factors such as persistence, grades, graduation rate, and placement upon graduation. The project responds to a need expressed by technology-driven companies for improved technical leadership skills in graduates entering the workforce. The findings from the program will be disseminated widely to the STEM education community.