Chemistry First Scholars: Supporting At-Risk First-Generation Students in Chemistry

化学第一学者计划将为20名学生提供奖学金，这些学生有经济需要和学术价值，他们正在寻求成为成功的化学家。 该项目将吸引和支持通过毕业风险，第一代学生在化学，从而增加质量的专业化学家的数量，和项目团队将继续达到整个校园，并提供领导其他STEM部门在促进最佳实践为STEM学生的支持系统。这些做法包括确定教师导师，以帮助学生确定个人的化学职业道路，机会和专业课程。该计划将在化学专业使用三层，包容性的学术支持计划，通过从以前的S-STEM项目的努力制度化发展。 三层学生支持结构将首先依赖于建立一个自然的学生群体。 化学学习社区（CLC）将在第一年开始，并持续到毕业。 在项目期间，将总共有四个社区联络中心。 三层模式遵循支持第一代学生通过他们的大学生涯的各个阶段的最佳实践。 化学第一学者计划将与现有的阿什维尔学者计划合作，以加强化学专业之间的社区，并参与和支持风险，低收入，第一代学生。北卡罗来纳大学阿什维尔分校学术评估主任是一名独立评估员，将协调对该项目的评估。 成功将通过学生的学业成绩，项目活动和项目成果的评估和评价来衡量。 项目成果包括获得资助的学者人数、颁发的奖学金总数、学者的毕业率和毕业后的职业安排。 为了调查该计划对学生保留，进步和化学成功的影响，相对于过去几年，从以前的S-STEM项目收集的信息和结果将作为项目前的基线。在这样做的过程中，该项目将有助于不断增长的知识体系的属性和实践的成功方案的学生谁证明财政需要。

The Chemistry First Scholars program will offer scholarships to 20 students, with financial need and academic merit, who are seeking to become successful chemists. The project will attract and support through to graduation at-risk, first-generation students in chemistry, thereby increasing the number of quality professional chemists, and the project team will continue to reach across campus and provide leadership to other STEM departments in promoting best practices for support systems for STEM students. Such practices include identification of Faculty Mentors to help students dentify individual chemistry career paths, opportunities, and professional programs.The program will use a three-tiered, inclusive academic support program in the chemistry major, developed through institutionalization of efforts from a prior S-STEM project. The three-tiered student support structure will rely first on building a natural student cohort. A Chemistry Learning Community (CLC) will begin in the first year and last through to graduation. There will be a total of four CLCs over the project period. The three-tiered model follows best practices in supporting first generation students through all phases of their college career. The Chemistry First Scholars program will partner with the existing UNC Asheville Scholars Program to strengthen community among chemistry majors and to engage and support at risk, low income, first generation students. The Director of the Academic Assessment act UNC-Asheville, an independent evaluator, will coordinate the assessment the project. Success will be measured through the assessment and evaluation of student academic performance, project activities, and project deliverables. Project deliverables include the number of scholars funded, the total number of scholarships awarded, the graduation rate of scholars and career placement following graduation. To investigate the impact of the program on student retention, progress, and success in chemistry, relative to past years, the information and results gathered from the prior S-STEM project will serve as a pre-project baseline. In so doing, the project will contribute to a growing body of knowledge regarding attributes and practices of successful programs for students who demonstrate financial need.