RAPID: STEM faculty support to address impacts from COVID-19 on Tribal Colleges and Universities Program institutions

部落学院和大学计划（TCUP）的一个目标是提高为美国土著学生服务的特定高等教育机构的科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）教学和研究能力。扩大这些机构的STEM课程，扩大了学生在STEM领域追求具有挑战性和回报的职业的机会，提供了可能具有文化意义的领域的研究，并鼓励社区和世代对科学和数学教育的欣赏，通过保留有资格的STEM教师的人才，能力增长的可持续性得到了显著增强。这个项目直接符合这个目标。2020-2021年的冠状病毒大流行对高等教育机构造成了重大干扰。然而，对于那些核心运营资金与学生入学率直接挂钩的部落学院和大学来说，入学率的下降等同于资金的损失。为了减轻对STEM教学能力的不利影响，该奖项将支持一名全职STEM教师的职位，以及其他资源，以维持基维诺湾奥吉布韦社区学院的STEM项目，因为它从大流行的影响中恢复过来。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A goal of the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) is to increase the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instructional and research capacities of specific institutions of higher education that serve the Nation's indigenous students. Expanding the STEM curricular offerings at these institutions expands the opportunities of their students to pursue challenging, rewarding careers in STEM fields, provides for research studies in areas that may be culturally significant, and encourages a community and generational appreciation for science and mathematics education, and sustainability of capacity gains is significantly enhanced by retaining the talent of credentialed STEM faculty. This project aligns directly with that goal.The coronavirus pandemic of 2020-2021 caused major disruptions to institutions of higher education. However, for tribal colleges and universities, whose core operating funds are directly aligned with student enrollment, drops in enrollment equate to loss of funding. To mitigate against detrimental effects on STEM instructional capacity, this award will support the position of one full-time STEM faculty member, as well as other resources to maintain Keweenaw Bay Ojibway Community College’s STEM program as it recovers from the impact of the pandemic.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.