Reduction of Financial Barriers By Providing Academic Scholarships in the Sciences

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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.