Supporting Student Mental Health, Well-being, and Resilience to Advance Undergraduate Degree Completion in Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Mathematics

Randolph College, Lynchburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Randolph College. Specifically, the project will provide 32 students with four-year scholarships and specialized support services with the goal of recruiting, retaining, and graduating students with four-year degrees in a physical science, engineering, or mathematics. Scholars will be admitted and progress through college in two cohorts, with a cohort of 16 students entering in fall of the first and second award year. This project will build on existing student services, adding programming that focuses on inclusion, mental health, and resilience, which are identified as issues that can be addressed to increase retention in STEM. The emphasis of the project on integrating student mental health and well-being is innovative. It will use novel Wellness Wednesday programming to support Scholars’ academic success, social wellness, and emotional wellness throughout each year. By attending to student wellness, the project has the potential to enhance students’ academic success and advancement to graduate programs and professional endeavors, while also providing a model that other institutions may replicate. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need. The project will implement a comprehensive set of activities and supports including: an intensive summer transition program, a seminar series through all four college years, enhanced tutoring services in a Living-Learning Community, peer, faculty, and industry mentoring, and enhanced access to internships and research opportunities. The project’s research efforts will focus on the impact of a proactive approach to student health and wellness and intends to identify what works, especially with underrepresented groups in STEM, including women and LGBTQ individuals. The results will be relevant to any college, particularly small liberal arts colleges, and may be useful to guide efforts to increase the numbers of STEM majors and support them as they adjust to the demands of a four-year program. 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.