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

该项目将通过促进未来S-STEM Track 3提案的规划，为国家对训练有素的科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)专家和专业人员的需求做出贡献，该提案旨在支持有经济需求的有才华的学生并使其毕业。这项规划工作是弗吉尼亚大学(UVA)与阿巴拉契亚中部农村地区的两所机构合作进行的：弗吉尼亚大学怀斯学院(UVA Wise)和肯塔基东南社区与技术学院(SKCTC)。作为规划活动的一部分，该项目将招募和聘用另外三个社区大学合作伙伴。UVA是一所公立、R1和旗舰机构，而UVA Wise是其位于弗吉尼亚州西南部农村的小型文科部门。SKCTC是一所服务于肯塔基州东南部的公立、社区和技术学院，是肯塔基州社区和技术学院系统(KCTCS)的一部分。该项目建立在怀斯大学S-STEM项目的基础上，该项目于2019年招募了第一批学生，并已从26名预期学者中的第一批12人中毕业。主要规划活动包括规划讲习班、学习系列、每个伙伴的组织和需求评估、区域就业前景分析以及制定变革理论和逻辑模型。通过规划进程和制定未来的3号轨道S-STEM提案，该项目将有助于改造阿巴拉契亚中部地区和扩大STEM劳动力的参与这一重要工作。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。为实现这一目标，该项目将：(1)在弗吉尼亚大学、怀斯大学、科学技术合作中心、弗吉尼亚社区学院系统、KCTCS和阿巴拉契亚地区委员会之间建立伙伴关系；(2)确定并扩大与地区两年期机构和行业合作伙伴的伙伴关系；(3)巩固合作伙伴之间的转让和衔接协议；(4)传播发展S-STEM公平伙伴关系的经验教训。规划工作将以注重公平的协作最佳做法为指导，并将编写关于其公平和协作进程的说明，以便与支持低收入学生的学术界进行广泛交流。一个由工业界、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NSF的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，该项目旨在增加在STEM领域获得学位的低收入学术天才学生的数量。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并产生关于低收入学生的学业成功、留住、转移、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。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。

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.