SC STEPs to STEM

南卡罗来纳大学（USC）正在通过招聘和保留努力的结合，增加其科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）项目的毕业生人数。一个特别的重点是接触那些由于背景不足或“大器晚成”而处于退出STEM职业边缘的学生，这些学生最近才发现对科学的亲和力。为了支持这些努力，项目团队在南加州大学的教师与来自州立技术学院、南加州大学分校和地区中学的学生、辅导员和教师之间建立了牢固的联系。招聘计划包括i)与高中职业和指导顾问的联系，ii)成功完成相关专业发展课程的STEM咨询的继续教育学分，以及iii)使用广泛的跨学科研讨会课程，以及科学技术的历史和哲学课程，以吸引非STEM学生学习STEM学科。保留计划包括1)新的桥梁课程，为学生准备严格的STEM学科（特别是微积分），2)开发一个暑期学院，以提高学生的“数学准备”，并协调STEM研究经验，3)为所有STEM专业提供广泛的学生支持活动，并针对保留率最低的专业开展活动。该项目的智力价值在于致力于该项目的强大而多样化的教师和管理人员团队，以及他们广泛的兴趣和经验，特别是针对上述“有风险”的学生。通过国家高等教育系统中各级领先机构的全面参与，可以感受到该项目的更广泛影响。这种参与反过来影响了大量的州内学生，从而增加了该州的STEM劳动力。

The University of South Carolina (USC) is increasing the number of graduates of its science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs through a combination of recruitment and retention efforts. A particular focus is on reaching students who are on the edge of dropping out of STEM careers due either to insufficient background or being a "late bloomer," only recently discovering an affinity for the sciences. To support these efforts the project team has established strong ties between faculty at USC and the students, counselors, and faculty from the state technical colleges, the USC branch campuses, and regional secondary schools. The recruitment plan includes i) outreach to high school career and guidance counselors, ii) continuing education credit in STEM counseling granted for successful completion of an associated professional development curriculum, and iii) the use of broad-based interdisciplinary seminar courses, along with history and philosophy of science and technology courses to attract non-STEM students to STEM disciplines. The retention plan features i) new bridge courses to prepare students for the rigors of STEM disciplines (especially calculus), ii) development of a Summer Institute to improve the "math readiness" of students and to coordinate STEM research experiences, and iii) broad-based student support activities for all STEM majors and activities that target majors with the lowest retention rates. The intellectual merit of the project rests in the strong and diverse team of faculty and administrators committed to the project and their wide-ranging interests and experiences, which are focused particularly on the "at risk" students described above. The broader impacts of the project are being felt through the comprehensive involvement of leading institutions at all levels in the state's higher education system. Such involvement affects in turn a large number of in-state students with resulting benefits to increasing the state's STEM workforce.