Physics & Astronomy Scholarships for Success (PASS)

德州农工大学商业（TAMUC）将实施物理学和天文学奖学金成功（PASS）项目，提供至少45个奖学金超过5年的学术人才物理专业与证明的财务需求。TAMUC的重点是从23所区域社区学院转学的学生，这些学院为比例很高的代表性不足的少数民族服务。社区学院的学生是高等教育中增长最快的部分，目前在TAMUC注册的学生中有66%以上是从这些两年制机构转来的。PASS项目将实施新的战略，以增加物理专业的招聘，保留和毕业，并为他们提供创新支持，以进入物理科学的顶级研究生院或在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）领域找到有价值的工作。从执行PASS项目中收集的关于如何解决与向目标人群提供学生支持有关的复杂问题的新知识，对其他试图通过财政和其他创新支持战略增加物理专业学生保留和毕业的农村机构具有巨大的影响。PASS项目的目标包括：1）增加低收入、有学术天赋的物理学学士学位学生的招收、保留和毕业，特别是那些来自农村地区代表性不足的群体; 2）提供创新的支持服务模式，解决认知和非认知因素，导致大学的成功和过渡到高级研究生学习或STEM领域的劳动力;以及，3）实现85%的学生将保留到学位完成的目标。与TAMUC的学生访问和成功的部门的联系将支持学生招聘，支持，职业安置和有效的项目管理。一个强大的评估设计将有助于调查学术以及非认知因素，有助于保留和学位完成。因此，PASS项目通过提供大量奖学金，在大学生涯早期参与研究项目，以及通过提供支持服务，在经济上提高了招聘，保留和研究生物理专业所需的知识。

Texas A&M University-Commerce (TAMUC) will implement the Physics and Astronomy Scholarships for Success (PASS) project to provide at least 45 scholarships over 5 years to academically talented physics majors with demonstrated financial needs. TAMUC focuses on students transferring from 23 regional community colleges serving high percentages of underrepresented minorities. Community college students are the fastest growing segment in higher education and over 66% of students currently enrolled at TAMUC transferred from these 2-year institutions. The PASS project will implement new strategies for increasing recruitment, retention and graduation of physics majors and providing innovative support for them to enter top graduate schools in physical sciences or find rewarding jobs in a field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The new knowledge gathered from carrying out the PASS project on how to address complex issues related to the provision of student support for the targeted populations has tremendous implications for other rural institutions attempting to increase the retention and graduation of physics majors through both financial and other innovative support strategies. The PASS project will also help meet the broadly recognized national need for more high-quality physics majors.The objectives of the PASS project include: 1) to increase the recruitment, retention, and graduation of low-income, academically talented students pursuing bachelor's degrees in physics, especially those from underrepresented groups in rural areas; 2) to provide an innovative support services model addressing both cognitive and non-cognitive factors leading to college success and transition into advanced graduate studies or the workforce in STEM fields; and, 3) to achieve the goal that 85% of students will be retained to degree completion. Linkage with TAMUC's Division of Student Access and Success will support student recruitment, support, career placement and effective project management. A powerful evaluation design will help investigate academic as well as non-cognitive factors that contribute to retention and degree completion. The PASS project thus advances the knowledge needed to recruit, retain and graduate students majoring in physics both financially through offering substantial scholarships, engagement in research projects early in their college careers, and through provision of support services.