A Public - Private Partnership to Increase Enrollment, Retention, and Diversity in Chemistry, Biology and Biochemistry

斯通希尔学院是马萨诸塞州布罗克顿（Brockton）附近唯一的一所私立四年制大学，布罗克顿是波士顿以南一个经济落后的城市地区。斯通希尔学院正在努力吸引更多、更多样化的学生参加其科学项目。其中一项努力是与马萨索伊特社区学院的合作。同样位于布罗克顿，马萨索伊社区学院服务于一个高度多样化的学生群体，并有越来越多的科学转移轨道。马萨索伊特社区学院正在努力增加生物、化学和生物化学的入学人数，并通过毕业和/或转学到四年制理科学士学位课程来留住这些学生，特别是斯通希尔学院。斯通希尔学院-马萨索伊特社区学院的合作伙伴关系正在通过六项协调的举措来实现其目标，即提高化学、生物和生物化学领域的STEM入学率和毕业率。这些举措包括：(1)开发以主题为基础的普通化学课程，(2)为教师和学生提供增强的研究经验，(3)启动指导计划，(4)为即将入学的一年级学生引入科学暑期桥计划，(5)促进早期接触科学职业道路，以及(6)为AP化学和生物学课程提供进入大学实验室的机会。智力优势：该项目以促进学生更多地参与科学的有效实践为基础，例如，将影响所有科学专业的课程改革，以及针对代表性不足的学生和社区大学转学的重点举措。斯通希尔学院一直致力于以发现为基础的科学学习方法，以及师生合作的暑期研究，这两者都是这个STEP项目的核心。马萨索伊特社区学院（Massasoit Community College）通过承诺聘用积极从事研究的博士科学家，并努力改善科学建议，成功地为代表性不足和低收入家庭的学生提供服务。通过与当地高中分享他们的实验室资源和专业知识，其中许多高中无法遵守严格的AP实验室标准，斯通希尔和马萨索特学院正在促进增加和改善AP科学课程，并将高中生暴露在大学科学环境中，这是有前途的高中生通往科学的两个重要途径。Stonehill - Massasoit STEP伙伴关系也参与能力建设。斯通希尔学院正在与马萨索伊特社区学院分享其课程、研究和职业探索资源，并正在协助马萨索伊特社区学院加强其自身的指导、研究和推广能力，这些能力超出了社区学院通常可能达到的水平。这种增加的能力预计将对马萨索伊特大学的科学转学学生的招募和保留产生强烈影响，远远超过拨款期限，预计它将帮助他们的教师和学生从更广泛的来源获得拨款资金，包括国家科学基金会。更广泛的影响：斯通希尔-马萨索伊特科学伙伴关系可以作为一种模式，促进私立四年制大学和社区大学之间的更大合作，以培养更大、更多样化的科学人才。

Stonehill College is the only private four-year institution in the immediate vicinity of Brockton Massachusetts, an economically disadvantaged urban area south of Boston. Stonehill College is engaged in efforts to attract a larger and more diverse student population to its science programs. One of these efforts is a partnership with Massasoit Community College. Also located in Brockton, Massasoit Community College serves a highly diverse student population and has a growing science transfer track. Massasoit Community College is working to increase enrollments in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry, and to retain these students through graduation and/or transfer to 4-year baccalaureate programs in science, particularly Stonehill College. The Stonehill College - Massasoit Community College partnership is pursuing its goals of increased STEM enrollments and graduation rates in chemistry, biology, and biochemistry through six coordinated initiatives. These initiatives are (1) developing a theme-based General Chemistry curriculum, (2) providing enhanced research experiences for faculty and students, (3) launching mentoring programs, (4) introducing a Science Summer Bridge Program for incoming first-year students, (5) fostering early exposure to science career paths, and (6) providing access to college laboratories for AP Chemistry and Biology courses. Intellectual Merit: This project is grounded in effective practices in promoting increased student participation in the sciences, for example, curricular reforms that will impact all science majors, and focused initiatives targeting underrepresented students and community college transfers. Stonehill College has an established commitment to a discovery-based approach to learning science, and to collaborative student-faculty summer research, both of which are central to this STEP project. Massasoit Community College has had success in serving underrepresented and low-income students through a commitment to hiring research-active Ph.D. scientists and its related efforts to improve science advising. By sharing their laboratory resources and expertise with local high schools, many of whom cannot comply with rigorous AP lab standards, Stonehill and Massasoit Colleges are facilitating increased and improved AP science offerings, and exposing high school students to the collegiate science environment, two important gateways to science for promising high school students. The Stonehill - Massasoit STEP Partnership is also engaged in capacity building. Stonehill College is sharing its curriculum, research, and career exploration resources with Massasoit Community College, and is assisting Massasoit Community College in strengthening its own mentoring, research, and outreach capacities beyond what is typically possible for community colleges. This increased capacity is expected to have a strong impact on recruiting and retaining science transfer-track students at Massasoit well beyond the grant period, and it is expected to assist their faculty and students to secure grant funding from a wider range of sources, including NSF.Broader Impact: The Stonehill - Massasoit Science Partnership can serve as a model to stimulate greater cooperation between private four-year institutions and community colleges toward preparing a larger and more diverse science workforce.