Scholarships with Integrated Academic, Mentoring, Career Development, and Wellness Supports to Increase STEM Degree Attainment of Rural Undergraduate Students

Wilson College, Chambersburg PA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists by supporting the education, retention, and graduation of high-achieving, low-income undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need at Wilson College. Most students at Wilson College are from the rural and highly industrialized region within and surrounding Franklin County Pennsylvania. Over its five-year duration, this project will provide four-year scholarships to 21 rural students who are pursuing Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, and/or Environmental Science. In addition to financial support, this project will provide Scholars with additional, evidence-based supports, including: (1) academic support through the introduction of new weekly STEM recitation classes taught by peer mentors, workshops offered by the Academic Success Center, and focused class periods dedicated to improving test-taking skills and reducing stress and anxiety; (2) peer-to-peer mentoring and interactive cohort building; (3) job/career development, alumni mentoring, and internship opportunities; and (4) an emphasis on wellness and stress reduction. This project will generate knowledge about how incorporating wellness, stress-reduction techniques, and time-management skills affects the educational outcomes of academically-talented, rural STEM undergraduates with unmet financial need. The significance of this project is its potential to recruit and better educate STEM students from rural Pennsylvania to be effective science professionals with healthier life management skills. Effective strategies will also be disseminated throughout the College, thus strengthening the institution and informing other small, private research institutions across the country. The goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need who originate from a rural, highly-industrialized region of Pennsylvania. This project will examine how integration of wellness and stress-reduction activities as a weekly component of the STEM educational experience for rural undergraduates affects: (1) overall and academic-related self-reported stress or anxiety over the short (semester) and long (year) terms; (2) academic performance (overall GPA and STEM major GPA); (3) one-year retention and four-year persistence in the chosen STEM field; and (4) career choice and placement after graduation. The research study will use qualitative and quantitative metrics collected from students, faculty, mentors, and other stakeholders, comparing results of Scholars to results of other STEM and non-STEM students. This project aims to advance understanding of how to better develop STEM undergraduate programs to educate highly-trained STEM graduates with a deep appreciation for a work-life balance and who are adept at managing stress throughout their lifetimes. Lessons learned will be disseminated to other institutions of higher education, particularly those that face similar challenges with recruiting and retaining undergraduate rural STEM students. This project is funded by NSF's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income 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.