Exploring Pathways to Access, Collaboration, and Equity for Central Appalachian Students

University Of Virginia Main Campus, Charlottesville VA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will contribute to the national need for trained experts and professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), by facilitating planning for a future S-STEM Track 3 proposal aiming to support and graduate talented students with financial need. The planning effort is a collaboration between the University of Virginia (UVA) and two institutions in rural Central Appalachia: The University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA Wise) and Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College (SKCTC). The project will recruit and engage three additional community college partners as part of the planning activities. UVA is a public, R1, and flagship institution while UVA Wise is its small liberal arts division in rural southwest Virginia. SKCTC is a public, community and technical college serving southeastern Kentucky that is part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). This project builds on a Track 1 S-STEM project at UVA Wise, that recruited its first cohort in 2019 and has graduated the first twelve of 26 anticipated scholars. Major planning activities include planning workshops, a learning series, organizational and needs assessment at each partner, an analysis of regional job prospects, and the development of a theory of change and logic model. Through the planning process and the development of a future Track 3 S-STEM proposal, this project will contribute to the important work of transforming the Central Appalachian region and broadening participation in the STEM workforce. This project will strive to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, talented undergraduates primarily from Central Appalachia. To accomplish this, the project will: (1) build on partnerships between UVA, UVA Wise, SKCTC, the Virginia Community College System, KCTCS, and the Appalachian Regional Commission; (2) identify and expand partnerships with regional two-year institutions and industry partners; (3) solidify transfer and articulation agreements between partners; and (4) disseminate lessons learned about developing equitable S-STEM partnerships. The planning effort will be guided by equity-minded best practices for collaborations and will prepare the description of its equitable and collaborative process to communicate widely to academic communities that support low-income students. A Community Advisory Board with members from industry, supporting agencies, and community colleges will assess progress towards project objectives. 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.