Increasing the Academic and Career Success of Alaska Native and Rural Students in Science and Math

This project will address the national need for skilled scientists and mathematicians by increasing the recruitment, retention, and graduation of academically talented, low-income rural and Alaska Native students at the University of Alaska Southeast. To this end, the project will provide scholarships to 22 undergraduates pursuing bachelor’s degrees in Biology, Marine Biology, Fisheries, Environmental Science, or Mathematics.

First-year Scholars will receive up to four years of scholarship support and transfer Scholars will receive up to two years of scholarship support. All Scholars will create an Individual Development Plan (IDP) in partnership with a faculty mentor. This plan will serve as a blueprint for the Scholars’ academic and career planning.

In addition, first-year Scholars are expected to significantly increase their academic success by attending a first-year seminar focused on academic skill building and career development. The program also plans to improve Scholars’ use of student support services, anticipating that this change will increase STEM degree completion and career success for Alaska Native and rural students.

The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. The project’s specific aims are to: (1) increase first-year retention and graduation of STEM students; (2) increase STEM student participation in high-impact workforce development activities; and (3) implement, adapt, and study the IDP as a sustainable strategy to increase the success of low-income, academically talent STEM students.

This project will use an IDP for each student as a tool to: (1) help students articulate, plan for, and monitor academic progress towards academic and career goals; (2) support student transitions to the university; (3) facilitate structured faculty mentoring; (4) catalyze student use of academic and social support services; (5) include employers in career planning; and (6) develop responsive co-curricular activities to support student success. The project’s research agenda explores career decision self-efficacy as a critical component of individual development planning.

Data collected from the research and evaluation activities will be used to improve institutional capacity to serve Alaska Native and rural students during and after the funding period. 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 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.