Santiago Canyon College STEM Scholars Academy

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Santiago Canyon College (SCC) is a community college in Southern California, with 8,978 students, of whom 44% are Hispanic, 56% are low-income, 68% place below college-level math, and 75% are first-generation college students. The Santiago Canyon College STEM Scholars Academy will enable low-income STEM majors with the greatest need and greatest potential (based on grade point average and faculty recommendation) to enter or maintain full-time enrollment, increase use of academic and support services, participate in educational and internship opportunities. Recognizing its role to address the workforce needs of STEM industries in the region and to provide access to higher education and high-wage employment for disadvantaged and underrepresented students, SCC has instituted a STEM initiative to increase the college's capacity to strengthen STEM pathways through improved outreach and college preparation, advisement, enhanced instructional programs, support services, and transfer partnerships. Through this S-STEM project, SCC will award 17-28 scholarships each year to low-income STEM majors and connect recipients to the STEM support services and programs on campus to achieve the following objectives: (1) increase the number of low-income STEM majors enrolled full-time; (2) increase the number of underrepresented minority STEM majors enrolled full-time; (3) reduce work hours and/or increase participation in STEM services and resources; (4) increase the number of students who graduate or transfer with a minimum 3.0 grade point average; and (5) increase the participation of underrepresented STEM majors in internships. Because many low-income and minority college students start their higher education pathways at a community college, the results of this project are pertinent to a wide audience of community colleges serving as pathways to STEM degrees and employment. Project findings regarding the impact of financial support integrated with extensive support services to increase completion of STEM degrees, a model to help decision makers identify students with the greatest potential to benefit from scholarship and support services, and transfer and entrance into employment (especially among low-income and underrepresented students) will be used to inform community college strategic planning and guide program development. Targeted dissemination will be used to engage STEM faculty and deans, and financial aid and foundation officers to share best practices with those most likely to adopt or adapt effective practices of the project.