Science and Information Technology Scholars: Recruiting, Retaining, and Graduating Biology, Computer Science, and Cybersecurity Students to Meet Workforce Needs

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This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians. It will do so by supporting high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Felician University. Over its five-year duration, the project will provide scholarships and other supports to sixteen students. These students will pursue bachelor’s degrees in biology, computer science, or cybersecurity. In addition to scholarships, Scholars will have access to academic and social supports, including first- and second-year experience courses, multi-year research experiences, faculty advising, and a formalized internship and mentorship program. Felician University is a Hispanic-serving Institution with a large proportion of female students. As a result, the project has the potential to broaden participation in STEM fields and in the STEM workforce. The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The program has three specific aims: 1) recruit and enroll sixteen students majoring in biology, computer science, and/or cybersecurity; 2) retain and graduate at least thirteen Scholars; 3) prepare and enable the Scholars to enter the STEM workforce or STEM graduate programs within six months of graduation. To generate new knowledge, the project will investigate the effectiveness of the Integrative Academic Advising model in increasing student retention and completion. The findings can help guide other small Hispanic- and minority-serving institutions that aim to increase student retention and graduation. The results will be broadly disseminated to expand the research base on best practices for building student-faculty relationships to increase retention, persistence, student success, and placement into STEM careers or STEM graduate programs. This project is funded by NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.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.