Exploring Pathways to Access, Collaboration, and Equity for Central Appalachian Students

该项目将通过促进未来S-STEM轨道3提案的规划，为有经济需求的有才华的学生提供支持和毕业，从而满足国家对科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域训练有素的专家和专业人员的需求。规划工作是弗吉尼亚大学（UVA）和阿巴拉契亚中部农村的两所机构之间的合作：弗吉尼亚大学怀斯学院（UVA Wise）和东南肯塔基社区技术学院（SKCTC）。作为计划活动的一部分，该项目将招募并聘请另外三所社区大学作为合作伙伴。弗吉尼亚大学是一所公立大学，也是一所旗舰大学，而UVA Wise是其位于弗吉尼亚州西南部农村的小型文科学院。SKCTC是一所公立、社区和技术学院，服务于肯塔基州东南部，是肯塔基社区和技术学院系统（KCTCS）的一部分。该项目建立在UVA Wise的Track 1 S-STEM项目的基础上，该项目于2019年招募了第一批学生，并已将26名预期学者中的前12名毕业。主要的规划活动包括规划讲习班、学习系列、各伙伴的组织和需求评估、区域就业前景分析以及发展变革理论和逻辑模型。通过规划过程和未来3轨S-STEM提案的制定，该项目将为阿巴拉契亚中部地区的转型和扩大STEM劳动力的参与做出贡献。该项目将努力提高主要来自阿巴拉契亚中部的低收入、有才华的本科生的STEM学位完成率。为了实现这一目标，该项目将：(1)建立在弗吉尼亚大学、弗吉尼亚大学智慧学院、SKCTC、弗吉尼亚社区学院系统、KCTCS和阿巴拉契亚地区委员会之间的合作伙伴关系；(2)确定并扩大与地区两年制院校和行业合作伙伴的合作关系；(3)巩固合作伙伴之间的转让和衔接协议；(4)传播发展公平的S-STEM伙伴关系的经验教训。规划工作将以公平的最佳合作实践为指导，并将准备其公平和合作过程的描述，以便与支持低收入学生的学术界广泛沟通。由工业界、支持机构和社区学院成员组成的社区咨询委员会将评估项目目标的进展情况。该项目由美国国家科学基金会的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，旨在增加有经济需求的低收入学术天才学生在STEM领域获得学位的人数。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并为低收入学生提供有关学业成功、留校、转学、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。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。

This project will contribute to the national need for trained experts and professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), by facilitating planning for a future S-STEM Track 3 proposal aiming to support and graduate talented students with financial need. The planning effort is a collaboration between the University of Virginia (UVA) and two institutions in rural Central Appalachia: The University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA Wise) and Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College (SKCTC). The project will recruit and engage three additional community college partners as part of the planning activities. UVA is a public, R1, and flagship institution while UVA Wise is its small liberal arts division in rural southwest Virginia. SKCTC is a public, community and technical college serving southeastern Kentucky that is part of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS). This project builds on a Track 1 S-STEM project at UVA Wise, that recruited its first cohort in 2019 and has graduated the first twelve of 26 anticipated scholars. Major planning activities include planning workshops, a learning series, organizational and needs assessment at each partner, an analysis of regional job prospects, and the development of a theory of change and logic model. Through the planning process and the development of a future Track 3 S-STEM proposal, this project will contribute to the important work of transforming the Central Appalachian region and broadening participation in the STEM workforce. This project will strive to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, talented undergraduates primarily from Central Appalachia. To accomplish this, the project will: (1) build on partnerships between UVA, UVA Wise, SKCTC, the Virginia Community College System, KCTCS, and the Appalachian Regional Commission; (2) identify and expand partnerships with regional two-year institutions and industry partners; (3) solidify transfer and articulation agreements between partners; and (4) disseminate lessons learned about developing equitable S-STEM partnerships. The planning effort will be guided by equity-minded best practices for collaborations and will prepare the description of its equitable and collaborative process to communicate widely to academic communities that support low-income students. A Community Advisory Board with members from industry, supporting agencies, and community colleges will assess progress towards project objectives. 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.