Increasing the Competitiveness of 2- and 4-year Minority-serving Institutions (MSIs) in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)

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The Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network will conduct a proposal development workshop for STEM faculty at 2-year and 4-year Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to advance their knowledge of and improve their competitiveness in the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program. MSIs play an essential role in the production of baccalaureate degree recipients of underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines as well as in the disproportionate production of underrepresented undergraduate students who go on to receive advanced degrees in STEM. Increasing S-STEM awards at MSIs will assist MSIs in developing and sustaining student enrolment and matriculation in STEM majors. Furthermore, ensuring the competitiveness of faculty and students will enhance diversity in STEM education and STEM workforce, which in turn, will contribute to America's global competitiveness. The workshop will support two-person faculty teams from 20 MSIs interested in developing competitive S-STEM proposals. Participants will also engage in a series of post-workshop individualized sessions that will provide additional proposal guidance. The workshop content and post-workshop technical assistance will be delivered by a team of consultants with expertise in STEM and STEM education, including NSF grantee PIs and education researchers. To enhance individual and cross-institutional capacity and collaborations, QEM will create and facilitate a community of practice comprised of S-STEM workshop participants and require them to connect with each other and with QEM staff, consultants, and NSF program officers. The online platform will allow the project to offer additional support beyond the workshop including engaging in discussions related to S-STEM program priority-areas and providing relevant feedback. Project-related materials will be made available online to ensure broader dissemination of information that will be beneficial to participating institutions as well as other MSIs in relation to the S-STEM program.