Expanding Financial and Support Systems for Scholars in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

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 Mount Saint Mary's University (MSMU), an all-women's Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) located in Los Angeles, California. Over its six-year duration, the "Expanding Financial and Support Systems for Scholars in STEM" (S4X) project will fund scholarships to 25 full-time students who are pursuing bachelor's degrees in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, and mathematics.

Three cohorts of first-year, transfer, and sophomore students will receive scholarships of $10,000 per year for up to four years at MSMU. The project is designed to recruit, retain, and support scholarship recipients through co-curricular programming such as peer and faculty mentoring, career exploration and preparation, and assistance securing internships and/or research opportunities.

These efforts are supported by a concerted effort to nurture and leverage family engagement to support scholarship recipients in their pursuit of baccalaureate degrees. The S4X principal investigators will establish pathways for MSMU low-income, high-achieving students and prepare scholars for STEM-related careers in lucrative fields. This effort will directly contribute to the national development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce and meet the immediate needs of California's STEM labor market.

The focus on family engagement will contribute to the understanding of how to leverage family involvement to support STEM scholars, especially those from underrepresented populations and diverse cultural backgrounds. This project will also add to the knowledge base of how various cohort-building and support activities contribute to STEM student retention and success.

The overall goal of this project is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. S4X will recruit, enroll, retain, and graduate scholars, with the ultimate aim of placing graduates in STEM careers or graduate programs within six months of graduation. This project will also develop cohort-building and family engagement activities to support the needs of S4X scholars.

Three critical issues that influence retention will be addressed. First, due to academic disparities among local high schools many MSMU STEM majors enter college under-prepared for rigorous introductory science and math courses, and so require more comprehensive academic support services. Second, many students do not have a family background preparing them to navigate the higher education system and require more transition-to-university support.

Third, many low-income students must work while attending school and face the stress of worrying about finances. S4X will address these issues through scholarships and a comprehensive evidence-based set of activities designed to increase academic efficacy, retention, graduation, and career placement. The project team hypothesizes that having families engaged throughout the student's academic life will be beneficial to scholars in persistence and completion.

A series of family-oriented activities will be implemented through S4X and their effect on retention will be evaluated to further strengthen the project and to inform the design of others like it. Other measures will be evaluated through surveys and analysis, including the project's impact on 1) participant feelings of self-efficacy with regard to STEM careers and science-related careers; 2) scholars' STEM graduation rates; 3) understanding of career options in STEM; 4) intention to pursue higher education or a STEM-related career.

Project results will be disseminated widely to MSMU internal stakeholders and community members, as well as the broader, scholarly community through publication and venues focusing on STEM and HSI education. 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.