Union College (Schenectady, NY) has a longstanding history of strength with STEM education initiatives and has used program assessment to build upon these initiatives to establish lasting institutional enterprises based on funded models. Over the past 15 years, three NSF S-STEM grants (DUE-0631082, DUE-0850242, DUE-1356398) and one CSEM (DUE-0324165) have made both immediate and long reaching impacts on our program and community. All four awards aimed to increase retention in STEM majors by addressing specific challenges faced by at-risk, targeted populations. Union’s SUCCESS program (Stimulating Undergraduates: Creating Contributors in Engineering and Science for Society) provides resources that enable meaningful high-impact experiences so that students are poised to enter into graduate studies or the workforce and persist in STEM fields. Union’s past and current S-STEM programs have placed significant emphasis on the concept of a “cohort” and have addressed retention by providing a faculty mentor and supplemental activities for each cohort. Proven strategies include providing students with opportunities to enhance their education through early introduction to research opportunities, study abroad, and leadership training. We used evidence-based practices to design experiences and promote professional advancement through supportive learning communities built around a multidimensional mentoring structure. We identify five distinct mentoring relationships: 1) Scholar-Scholar within each cohort, 2) Scholar-Scholar among cohorts, 3) Faculty Cohort Mentor-Scholar, 4) Industry & Alumni-Scholar, and 5) Faculty-Faculty. We will present qualitative and quantitative assessment data and program evaluation that supports our paradigm. Our S-STEM programmatic elements are transferable, adaptable and could serve as a framework for other institutions working to transform their STEM curricular and co-curricular activities.

NSF S-STEM at Union College: Multidimensional mentoring model for student SUCCESS

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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