Louis Stokes STEM Pathways Implementation-Only Alliance: Kansas Pathways to STEM

Louis Stokes少数族裔参与联盟(LSAMP)计划帮助大学和学院努力大幅增加科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)学科的高质量学位课程录取并成功完成的学生数量，以使STEM劳动力多样化。特别强调通过创新的、基于证据的招聘和保留战略以及相关的教育经验来转变本科STEM教育，以支持在STEM学科中历来代表性不足的种族和民族：非洲裔美国人、西班牙裔美国人、美国印第安人、阿拉斯加原住民、夏威夷原住民和太平洋原住民。这些战略有助于培养准备充分的学生，这些学生非常合格，有动力在STEM继续研究生教育或职业生涯。为了保持全球竞争力，至关重要的是要挖掘所有公民的才华，并在支撑知识经济的STEM领域提供出色的教育准备。堪萨斯STEM之路LSAMP计划成立于2013年，旨在满足对更多样化和更熟练的技术劳动力的需求。这种需求仍然存在，在堪萨斯州尤为迫切。该项目的总体目标是，在该项目的五年期间，使在这两所大学获得STEM学士学位的人数增加一倍。组成联盟的七所机构各不相同，包括五所社区学院和两所四年制院校--巴顿县社区学院、道奇城市社区学院、唐纳利学院、花园城市社区学院、苏厄德县社区学院、威奇托州立大学(WSU)和牵头机构堪萨斯州立大学(KSU)。堪萨斯STEM之路联盟的目标包括：1)通过KSU和WSU与五所堪萨斯州社区学院的合作，进一步开发成功的STEM途径，获得学士学位；2)共同努力，为高中和大学STEM项目开发创新的和文化上合适的招聘材料和活动；3)开发和评估系统的方法，以确保成功地转移到KSU、WSU或其他堪萨斯州4年制机构的高质量的科学和工程项目；4)发展或改善影响二、四年制伙伴院校和KSU的URM学生持久力和留存能力的学术、课程和联合课程活动，包括特别关注关键途径的关键环节(例如，建议、财政援助、校园融合)；以及5)提供形成性评估，以确保项目持续改进，并进行总结性评估，以描述项目对学生和院校的结果和影响。这些目标支持了国家科学基金会的战略目标，即“培养一支世界级的、广泛包容的科学和工程劳动力队伍，并扩大所有公民的科学素养。”为了实现这一目标，联盟机构将审查和改进他们目前招收URM学生进入STEM专业的做法，评估为提高学生在这些专业的坚持性所做的努力，并实施学生增强计划，以提高STEM自我效能。所有联盟合作伙伴将关注高等教育的关键时刻，如从高中过渡、机构转移和职业准备。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program assists universities and colleges in their efforts to significantly increase the numbers of students matriculating into and successfully completing high quality degree programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to diversify the STEM workforce. Particular emphasis is placed on transforming undergraduate STEM education through innovative, evidence-based recruitment and retention strategies, and relevant educational experiences in support of racial and ethnic groups historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. These strategies facilitate the production of well-prepared students highly-qualified and motivated to pursue graduate education or careers in STEM.For the United States (U.S.) to remain globally competitive, it is vital that it taps into the talent of all its citizens and provides exceptional educational preparedness in STEM areas that underpin the knowledge-based economy. Kansas Pathways to STEM LSAMP program was established in 2013 in response to the need for a more diverse and skilled technical workforce. That need still exists and is particularly acute in the state of Kansas. The overall goal of the project is to double, during the five years of the project, the number of underrepresented minority (URM) students receiving STEM baccalaureate degrees at the two universities. The seven institutions that make up the Alliance are diverse and include five community colleges and two four-year institutions -- Barton County Community College, Dodge City Community College, Donnelly College, Garden City Community College, Seward County Community College, Wichita State University (WSU), and Kansas State University (KSU), the lead institution. The Kansas Pathways to STEM Alliance objectives include to: 1) further develop a successful STEM pathway to the baccalaureate degree through the partnership of KSU and WSU with five Kansas community colleges with 2-year transferable programs; 2) work together to develop innovative and culturally appropriate recruitment materials and activities for high schools and college STEM programs; 3) develop and evaluate systematic approaches to assuring successful transfer to KSU, WSU, or other Kansas 4-year institutions with high quality science and engineering programs; 4) develop or improve academic, curricular and co-curricular activities that impact persistence and retention of URM students at 2- and 4-year partner institutions and at KSU, including special focus on critical pathway junctures (e.g., advising, financial assistance, campus integration); and 5) provide formative evaluation to assure continuous project improvement and to conduct summative evaluation to describe the results and impact of the project on students and institutions. These objectives support the National Science Foundation's strategic goal to "cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce, and expand the scientific literacy of all citizens." To accomplish this, the alliance institutions will review and improve their current practices in recruiting URM students into STEM majors, evaluate efforts to improve student persistence in these majors, and conduct student enhancement programs demonstrated to increase STEM self-efficacy. Attention will be paid by all alliance partners to the critical junctures in post-secondary education such as transition from high school, institutional transfers, and career preparation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.