Supporting College and Career Education through Student Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (SuCCESS in STEM)

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The "Supporting College and Career Education through Student Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (SuCCESS in STEM)" project at Pellissippi State Community College will support 24 nontraditional students with scholarships up to $8,500 per year over 2.5 years. The project will increase the participation of financially-disadvantaged, nontraditional students in post-secondary opportunities in high-demand STEM areas in East Tennessee. Support services will be designed and implemented to ensure that scholars successfully complete an associate degree and are prepared to either enter the workforce or transfer to a four-year institution upon graduation. Real-world experiences through targeted strategies such as internships, mentoring, and shadowing with assistance of established partnerships with local industry will support the successful transition of scholars into either employment or continuing post-secondary education.Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected for both a formative and summative evaluation that will measure the overall impact of the program. A comparison of student success and graduation rates will be performed between scholars who are required to use these support services versus students who voluntarily use these services. Research will focus on the efficacy of support services and interventions that support the retention of scholars, specifically focusing on improving the success of under-resourced, nontraditional students in STEM disciplines. The results of this study will be disseminated to the higher education academic community and will provide guidance on intervention strategies such as scholarship programs, cohorts, supplemental instruction, and experiential learning for recruiting and retaining under-resourced students in STEM disciplines in a two-year college environment.