STRONG-CT: Science and Technology Reaching Out to New Generations in Connecticut

STRONG-CT：科学技术惠及康涅狄格州的新一代

• 批准号: 0525379
• 负责人: Hedley Freake
• 金额: $ 199.99万
• 依托单位: University of Connecticut
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-10-01 至 2012-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0525379&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STRONG; CT; Science; Technology; Reaching

This STEP project is a collaboration between Manchester Community College, Quinebaug Valley Community College, Three Rivers Community College and the University of Connecticut, known as "The Science and Technology Reaching Out to A New Generation in Connecticut" Alliance (STRONG-CT). The project targets first generation college students and historically underrepresented student populations to increase their enrollment, retention and graduation in Life Sciences. We chose this set of disciplines because (1) there is a dearth of first-generation and historically underrepresented students studying in these areas, (2) the strength of the University of Connecticut programs in these fields, (3) existing good articulation agreements between the University of Connecticut and these three community colleges, (4) the geographic position of the participating institutions in the "biotechnology corridor," and (5) the relevance of these programs for regional 21st Century employment opportunities. This project targets first generation students, many of whom are African American and Latino/a, who may choose to go to community college as the primary way of accessing higher education. Historically, these students have limited access to higher education opportunities. Rising costs of post-secondary education, combined with increased competition for admissions to competitive institutions like the University of Connecticut, and deficient college preparatory curricula in many Connecticut high schools, dramatically constrict the educational opportunities for many of these students. This project addresses these challenges by pooling resources across institutions to offer an academic development and leadership program focusing on: (1) rigorous individual and group academic support for the core science and math courses, (2) mentoring relationships in the sciences through undergraduate research opportunity initiatives, (3) leadership and identity enhancement activities to overcome psychological challenges in the form of stereotyping and low self-esteem, and (4) overall development of students' professional identities of becoming scientists (through mentoring, research, and internship experiences). The project is being guided by a leadership team of faculty, key stakeholders, and an executive oversight committee of senior officers drawn from all four schools and around the state. Diversifying the student bodies is a strategic priority for all member institutions within the STRONG-CT Alliance. By focusing efforts on enhancing the number of first generation and historically underrepresented students taking science courses at these community colleges, and then encouraging their transfer to the University of Connecticut, degree output will be increased because -- lacking this program -- they would not be studying in any of the STEM fields. Long-term, it is clear that working with community college partners is a critical next step to increasing the numbers of historically underserved students who complete bachelor degrees in these areas. The intellectual merit of this proposal is that it pulls together a wide diversity of individuals from a major land grant university and its neighboring community colleges to address significant recruitment and retention problems in an integrated and powerful manner. Practices that have been developed locally through the LSAMP program are being extended to the community college setting to maximize student success in the life sciences. The broader impacts of this initiative go beyond the recruitment and graduation of additional first-generation and minority students to the selected STEM disciplines. It is changing the cultures and practices of the participating institutions to better educate all of their constituent students. The model developed here for increasing and integrating the collaboration and articulation between two-year colleges and four-year institutions in STEM is attractive for budgetary reasons and also because it builds on the strengths of the participating institutions.

这一STEP项目是曼彻斯特社区学院、奎因鲍格山谷社区学院、三河社区学院和康涅狄格大学合作的项目，该联盟被称为“向康涅狄格州新一代伸出科技之手”(Strong-CT)。该项目的目标是第一代大学生和历史上代表性不足的学生群体，以增加他们在生命科学专业的招生、留校和毕业人数。我们之所以选择这套学科，是因为(1)在这些领域学习的第一代学生和历史上代表性不足的学生很少，(2)康涅狄格大学项目在这些领域的优势，(3)康涅狄格大学与这三所社区学院之间现有的良好衔接协议，(4)参与机构在“生物技术走廊”中的地理位置，以及(5)这些项目与21世纪地区就业机会的相关性。该项目的目标是第一代学生，其中许多是非洲裔美国人和拉美裔/a，他们可能会选择社区大学作为接受高等教育的主要途径。从历史上看，这些学生接受高等教育的机会有限。不断上涨的高等教育成本，再加上康涅狄格大学等竞争激烈的院校的录取竞争加剧，以及康涅狄格州许多高中大学预科课程的不足，极大地限制了其中许多学生的教育机会。该项目通过汇集不同机构的资源来提供学术发展和领导力计划，重点放在：(1)对核心科学和数学课程提供严格的个人和团体学术支持，(2)通过本科生研究机会计划指导科学关系，(3)领导力和认同感增强活动，以克服刻板印象和低自尊的心理挑战，以及(4)全面发展学生成为科学家的职业身份(通过指导、研究和实习经验)。该项目由一个由教师、关键利益相关者组成的领导团队和一个由来自所有四所学校和全州各地的高级官员组成的执行监督委员会指导。使学生群体多样化是STRONG-CT联盟内所有成员机构的战略优先事项。通过集中努力增加在这些社区学院学习科学课程的第一代和历史上代表性不足的学生的数量，然后鼓励他们转到康涅狄格大学，学位产出将会增加，因为--如果没有这个计划--他们将不会在任何STEM领域学习。从长远来看，很明显，与社区大学合作伙伴合作是增加在这些领域完成学士学位的历史上服务不足的学生数量的关键下一步。这项建议的学术价值在于，它将一所主要的赠地大学及其邻近的社区学院的各种个人聚集在一起，以综合和强大的方式解决重大的招聘和留住问题。通过LSAMP计划在当地开发的实践正在扩展到社区大学环境中，以最大限度地提高学生在生命科学领域的成功。这一倡议的更广泛影响不仅仅是招募和毕业更多的第一代学生和少数族裔学生进入选定的STEM学科。它正在改变参与机构的文化和做法，以更好地教育所有组成它们的学生。为加强和整合STEM中两年制学院和四年制院校之间的合作和衔接，这里开发的模式因预算原因而具有吸引力，也因为它建立在参与机构的优势之上。