Ensuring that all students who want to pursue degrees in science can do so is a goal of many undergraduate STEM equity programs. The Chicago State University (CSU) Chi-Sci Scholars program began in 2014 funded through the National Science Foundation S-STEM program. This program builds on the specific strengths of our population on the southside of Chicago. We describe adaptable activities with the goal of improving support systems for students at minority-serving institutions (MSIs). While we focus on MSIs, many of the activities can benefit and increase retention of students at other institution types. In addition to discussing which activities successfully increased community and retention, we offer cautions on using commonly accepted tools in predicting and judging student success and suggestions for creating more holistic measure of student and program success.

The Chi-Sci Scholars Program: Developing community at a minority serving institution

255th National Meeting (2018)

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