Reduction of Financial Barriers By Providing Academic Scholarships in the Sciences

通过这一奖学金计划，圣奥古斯丁大学(SAU)吸引、支持和保留了相关专业，重点是科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)，以提高STEM毕业生的数量和质量。SAU服务于北卡罗来纳州的一个地理位置，其特点是农村地区的少数族裔居民比例较高，经常受到持续贫困的困扰。该计划的目标是：1)实现完全留住有才华但经济困难的理科本科生，同时显著减少他们毕业的时间；2)增加代表不足的少数族裔的数量，他们选择并准备攻读科学方面的高级学位，并在STEM领域担任教育、领导和管理职务。该项目支持STEM倡议，以增加和加强该HBCU与主流大学、州立和地区性法医和健康科学实验室、美国农业部和其他STEM研究相关企业之间的伙伴关系、网络和合作。该项目面向30名南加州大学全日制学生，他们主修以下STEM学科之一：生物学、化学、法医学、工程数学、数学和计算机科学。每个奖学金获得者将有一名指定的学院导师来指导学术和研究发展。每个获奖者都被分配了一名学院导师，参与学术发展活动，并作为同行导师在队列小组中促进经验和进步。奖学金获得者有丰富的机会，包括科学研讨会系列、辅导课程、校内外实验室的暑期实习机会、服务性学习活动、实地考察、师生合作研究、出席会议、校友指导和全面的职业咨询。纲领性评估将侧重于多个因素，包括提高学生的学习、解决问题的能力、考试表现、团队合作、陈述技能、毕业率、在学习领域的就业机会以及对高等教育的追求。

Through this scholarship program, Saint Augustine's University (SAU) attracts, supports and retains in interrelated majors with an emphasis in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) to increase the the quantity and quality of STEM graduates. SAU serves a geographic niche in North Carolina which is characterized by higher proportion of minority residents in a rural setting that are often afflicted by persistent poverty. The program goals are: 1) to achieve full retention of talented but financially disadvantaged undergraduates majoring in the sciences, while significantly reducing their time to graduation; and 2) increase the number of underrepresented minorities, who elect and are well-prepared to pursue advanced degrees in the sciences and pursue educational, leadership and managerial roles in STEM fields. This project supports a STEM initiative that increases and strengthens partnerships, networks and collaborations between this HBCU and mainstream universities, state and regional forensic and health sciences laboratories, USDA and other STEM research-related enterprises. The project targets 30 full-time SAU students majoring in one of the following STEM disciplines; Biology, Chemistry, Forensic Science, Engineering Mathematics, Mathematics, and Computer Science. Each scholarship recipient will have a designated Faculty Mentor to guide academic and research development. The recipients each are assigned a Faculty Mentor and participate in academic development activities and work as peer tutors to promote experiences and progress in cohort groups. A rich array of opportunities are available to the scholarship recipients including the Science Seminar Series, tutoring sessions, summer internship opportunities at on-campus and off-campus laboratories, service learning activities, field trips, faculty-student collaborative research, attendance at conferences, alumni mentoring, and comprehensive career counseling. Programmatic evaluation will focus on multiple factors, including improved student learning, problem solving abilities, performance on exams, teamwork, presentation skills, graduation rates, job placement in field of study, and pursuit of higher education.