Supporting Talent for Academic Recruitment in STEM (STARS)

Delaware County Community College, Media PA

Investigators

Abstract

With funding from the National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, the Supporting Talent for Academic Recruitment in STEM (STARS) is providing support to low-income students with demonstrated financial need and academic promise to succeed in STEM disciplines at Delaware County Community College (DCCC). Southeastern Pennsylvania is experiencing an increased demand for highly qualified employees trained in STEM fields due to the regional concentration of companies that focus on information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, financial services, advanced manufacturing, engineering and research. To help address this need, DCCC will build on its investments in STEM education to recruit, retain, and graduate/transfer 40 low-income, academically promising students in STEM majors through its new STARS initiative. The well-established experience of the college with serving students who are low income, first generation, nontraditional, and challenged by disabilities will provide the foundation for supporting students to be successful in STEM majors. Using recruitment activities that target students who are currently underrepresented in STEM majors at the college, the project will provide a positive and transformative impact on the diversity of STEM programs. This will enrich and expand the academic experience for all students and increase access to educational and professional pathways for diverse students, including women, students of color and economically disadvantaged students, thereby diversifying the STEM workforce. A qualified research team will determine if a STEM Topics course and faculty mentoring combined with early exposure to research at a community college influence student academic and careers goals and retention in STEM majors. Dissemination of lessons learned from this project will inform other community colleges of effective strategies for broadening the participation of underserved and underprivileged students in STEM disciplines. In addition to providing scholarship support, this S-STEM project will create learning cohorts of students who receive mentoring, tutoring support, access to specialized services, and individualized assistance to transfer to four-year institutions to continue their academic preparation. The STARS scholars will also engage in activities to explore STEM careers through a new seminar-style course, guest speakers, participation in internships and co-ops, and an introduction to a research experience in their second year. Faculty members involved in the project represent diverse ethnicities and have experience in various academic, corporate and research settings, and they will collaborate with other college personnel to improve retention through mentoring and other activities. The project will strengthen the connection between the STEM students with regional employers while exposing them to career options and opportunities. In addition, the project will incorporate existing college resources with newly developed activities to enhance dual enrollment programs by providing students with well-explained career options. The commitment of the college to student success is demonstrated by its recognition as a Leader College in the national Achieving the Dream initiative. By pro-actively focusing on ways to increase student success at every level, the college has achieved important gains in retention and completion, particularly among populations that often exhibit the greatest deficits in academic accomplishment, income levels, and societal supports. The project will provide a replicable, holistic, and supportive network of activities and services to strengthen academic achievement, retention, completion, transfer and employment of students who traditionally face significant barriers to academic success. It is expected that the college will replicate proven strategies with other students not included in the STARS program to improve opportunities in STEM fields for many additional students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.