Salish Kootenai College RISE III Program Plan

描述（由申请人提供）：Salish Kootenai学院（SKC）是一所位于蒙大拿州西部平头印第安人保留地的部落学院。SKC目前提供13个学士学位课程，11个副学士学位课程和7个结业证书课程。通常情况下，学生人数平均约900 - 1000名学生和50 - 100个部落在任何给定的学年代表。 该提案是2006年首次授予SKC的NIGMS RISE（SKC RISE I）的更新，并于2010年更新（SKC RISE II）。它的目的是显着影响进入生物医学科学博士课程的美国原住民学生的数量。最后一次RISE（SKC RISE II）以及现已到期的NSF- TCUP奖的主要成就是SKC BS（生命科学）学位的建立和认证。这是第一个在部落学院提供的生物科学学士学位，其持续的支持对于越来越多的土著学生进入主流机构的生物医学博士课程至关重要。因此，这是这次新的RISE更新的首要目标。与SKC RISE II下的这一计划相关的是一个广泛的合作伙伴关系网络的发展，用于将学生安置在外部，研究密集型夏季实习，在SKC进行的学生本科研究质量的提升，在国家科学会议上获得了多个奖项的认可，以及美洲原住民科学家研讨会系列的延续。SKC于2012年从该计划中毕业了第一名学生，在其短短的2年生命中，入学人数一直在增加。 这个新的BS（生命科学）学位利用基于教育研究结果的学生成功逻辑模型。这一模式包括强有力的学术和社会融合活动，这两项活动对在科学领域取得成功的代表性不足的少数群体都很重要。除了这两个组成部分，两个新的额外的组成部分已经开发和建议，作为这个成熟的模型的改进。这就是“专业化”活动和“文化确认”。保留在模型中的是：继续利用公认的教育最佳做法扩大探究式课程，全面的研究实验室经验与密集的一对一学生辅导，发展批判性思维，演讲技巧和参加国家科学会议，所有这些都在部落学院的文化框架内达特促进方案的保留。包括在这个改进的模式是拟议的开发更多的“基于地方”的课程内容，和更多的方式连接课程的“传统的认识方式”，这两者都是重要的组成部分，以土著学生的招聘和保留，并最好从部落学院的角度提供。与此RISE III提案相配合的还有其他协同SKC计划，例如由NSF STEEP资助的新BS（中学教育），用于培训本地高中科学教师，以及两项待定的NSF TCUP提案-一项针对中学数学教师，另一项旨在培训学生使用最先进的技术（GC-MS）分析环境污染物（如PCB）。该提案还包括一个全面的评估计划，以跟踪该计划的成功，以及一个非常合格和承诺的外部咨询委员会，以提供计划监督和指导。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Salish Kootenai College (SKC) is a tribal college located on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana. SKC currently offers thirteen Bachelor's degree programs, eleven Associate's degree programs, and seven Certificate of Completion programs. Typically, the student body size averages approximately 900 - 1000 students and 50 - 100 Tribes are represented in any given academic year. This proposal is a renewal of an NIGMS RISE first awarded to SKC in 2006 (SKC RISE I) and renewed in 2010 (SKC RISE II). It has been designed to significantly impact the numbers of Native American students entering into biomedical science PhD programs. The major accomplishment resulting from the last RISE (SKC RISE II), as well as a now expired NSF- TCUP award was the establishment and accreditation of the SKC BS (Life Sciences) degree. This is the first bioscience-based Bachelor's degree to be offered at a tribal college and its continued support is critical to increasing numbers of Native students entering biomedical science PhD programs at mainstream institutions. This is, therefore, the overarching goal of this new RISE renewal. Associated with this program under SKC RISE II has been the development of an extensive partnership network for placing students in outside, research-intensive summer internships, an elevation in the quality of the student undergraduate research being performed at SKC, as recognized by several awards at national science meetings, and a continuation of the Native American scientist seminar series. SKC graduated its first student from this program in 2012 and enrollment over its short, 2-year life has been increasing. This new BS (Life Sciences) degree utilizes a student success logic model based on education research findings. This model includes strong academic and social integration activities, both of which have been shown to be important in underrepresented minorities succeeding in the sciences. In addition to these two components, two new additional components have been developed and proposed as refinements of this proven model. These are "professionalization" activities and "cultural validation". Retained in the model is: continued expansion of inquiry-based coursework using recognized educational best practices, comprehensive research lab experience with intensive one-on-one student mentoring, development of critical thinking, presentation skills and participation in national science meetings, all within the cultural framework of a tribal college tat promotes program retention. Included in this improved model is the proposed development of more "place-based" curriculum content, and more ways of linking curriculum to "traditional ways of knowing", both of which are important components to Native students' recruitment and retention, and best delivered from a tribal college perspective. Working in concert with this RISE III proposal are other, synergistic SKC programs, such as a new NSF-STEEP-funded BS (Secondary Education) to train Native high school science teachers and two pending NSF TCUP proposals - one for Secondary Math teachers and one proposal to train students in state-of-the-art techniques, (GC-MS), for the analysis of environmental contaminants such as PCBs. This proposal also includes a comprehensive evaluation plan to track the success of the program, as well as a very qualified and committed External Advisory Committee to provide program oversight and guidance.