External Research: A primary component in American Indian Retention, Graduation, and Matriculation

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College of Menominee Nation (CMN) seeks to increase the number of CMNSTEM students participating in external research-based student internship opportunities.External research is defined as research outside of CMN and outside of the MenomineeReservation and other local communities. The project is expected to increase STEM studentretention, graduation, and matriculation rates.The project uses three strategies.􀁸 Development and coordination of the project: Key activities include hiring a researchbasedinternship coordinator, reviewing feasibility of requiring research-based internships forSTEM degree attainment, coordination of advisory board meetings, and leveraging of outsidepartners to establish consistent research-based internships.􀁸 Efforts to institutionalize the project: Key activities under strategy two include researching,and organizing the research opportunities, creating a database of opportunities, developingand coordinating processes, developing and maintaining a research-based internshipwebpage, and leveraging funding to provide student support for such opportunities.􀁸 Provision of critical student support activities aimed at increasing STEM studentparticipation in external research-based internship opportunities: Activities includerecruiting STEM students to participate in program, matching students to appropriateopportunities, assisting with applications, and preparation for requirements, and interviews,assisting students make connections, encouraging students through the process, advocatingfor student acceptance into internship programs, providing extensive follow-up and developingand coordinating a series of workshops related to research-based internships.Intellectual Merit: Tribal Colleges are key contributors to the body of knowledge on AmericanIndians. To date many Tribal Colleges have integrated research opportunities into their STEMcapacity; however the focus has been on providing these opportunities within the context of thetribal colleges system and community. Although these experiences are indeed valuable togaining student interest and are providing numerical increases in retention and graduation rates,they exclude critical exposure opportunities for students outside of the institution and outside ofthe community. To date, CMN has documented increased retention and graduation rates ofstudents participating in external research. However these are only a handful of students. It iscritical that further study on the importance and impacts of external research-based internshipopportunities within the tribal college system take place. Such data will focus on the impacts ofexternal student research and how it achieves the ultimate outcomes of NSF?s investment intribal colleges: ensuring students graduate, matriculate into four-year and graduate STEMprograms, and enter the workforce system as diverse qualified individuals.Broader Impacts: CMN?s project will build upon the research of the several NSF TCUP grantsit has completed, continuing the investigation of essential research in discovering andunderstanding how Tribal Colleges and the unique strategies they implement promote STEMeducation in minority students. As an institution that serves predominantly Native Americanstudents, CMN?s project further advances the research of American Indian undergraduateeducation in STEM courses and programs as well as contributes to the global body ofknowledge in underrepresented minority STEM education. Short term impacts include increasesin retention and graduation rates at CMN. Long-term project impacts include an increase ofAmerican Indians in four year and graduate STEM programs as well as an increase in AmericanIndians in STEM employment fields.