Future Tech Scholars: An Information Systems Technology Scholarship Program

This project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Columbus State Community College in central Ohio. Over its six-year duration, this project will establish the Future Tech Scholars program to fund scholarships for 90 unique full-time and part-time students who are pursuing associate degrees in Information Science Technology (IST).

These students will receive scholarships for up to two years. Three goals will guide the Future Tech Scholars program. First is to increase the recruitment, retention, completion, and transfer/employment of low-income, academically talented students.

Second is to recruit and enroll a diverse group of 90 students into the program. Third is to contribute to the assessment, implementation, and sustainability of evidence-based curricular and co-curricular support strategies that lead to increased student success. The project will develop and disseminate information on support strategies that contribute to academic success and professional preparation for low-income aspiring STEM students.

Intensive supports for scholars will increase completion of IST major programs producing highly qualified professionals ready to enter the central Ohio technology workforce or transfer to a four-year institution.

There is a great need to produce qualified IST technicians and provide support services to underserved students. The technology sector is a strong contributor to the economic health of the central Ohio region, which establishes a strong interest in recruiting students that will graduate with the skills needed to enter the workforce or transfer to a four-year degree program.

Through intense student support services that encourage retention and completion, the Future Tech Scholars program will fill the gap of qualified IST technicians. The project will be carried out with a comprehensive plan to collect evidence and evaluate the claims regarding the impact of the Future Tech Scholars program on student performance, persistence, and completion.

The project will disseminate best practices, project activities, publications, and research findings to audiences locally, statewide, and nationally. 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.