STEM Scholars Program

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The "STEM Scholars" program at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) will provide 30 scholarships to students enrolling in the Associate Degree of Science at JCCC who have demonstrated financial need and an aptitude and interest in studying in a STEM field. This project will develop a support network of student services and cohort-building activities necessary for students through an unprecedented program that brings together departments and offices across campus. The project team will lead a coordinated effort encompassing the JCCC offices of Institutional Research, Financial Aid, Admissions and Counseling, Student Services and regional STEM education organizations. The project will focus on the impact that individual faculty have on helping community college students successfully transfer to universities.The project will study the increase on recruitment, retention, graduation, and transfer rates for scholarship students, particularly women and underrepresented minority students in STEM majors. The project will contribute to the literature on STEM education by studying what works in helping STEM students persist to university graduation in a STEM major. The project team will evaluate the effect that STEM-focused counselors, research opportunities for community college STEM students, and collaboration among community college and university STEM faculty can have on retaining students in STEM majors and aiding them in successfully continuing on for a four-year STEM degree. This project will establish a replicable model for other community colleges so that they can achieve similar results.