The University of the Virgin Islands, a small HBCU, has developed the UVI Growth Model for STEM Retention through funding from the NSF HBCU-UP since 1999, along with increased capacity fueled by the VI-EPSCoR project and NIH NIGMS funding for MARC and RISE Programs. The synergy of these programs is the key to UVI’s success. Since 1999 UVI has realized a 48% increase in STEM majors. The College of Science and Mathematics improved retention rates, with the most recent cohort realizing a 91% retention rate, versus UVI’s 75% overall rate.  The persistence rate has also increased for STEM majors and is currently at approximately 65%, versus UVI’s overall 58%.  The graduation rate for STEM majors has increased by 6%, and currently hovers near 30%, compared to UVI’s overall six-year graduation rate of 22-26% in keeping with UVI’s chosen institutional peers, where graduation rates range from 19% to 39%. The number of students participating in summer research experiences at US mainland institutions has also increased. Over 80% of the UVI graduates in the MARC program have gone on to doctoral programs. The success of the UVI Growth Model is in part due to the adoption of research-based approaches. These approaches have included a summer program for entering freshmen, peer-led team learning, revised curriculum, and informal co-curricular activities focused on student academic and social experiences as well as research training at UVI and at R01 institutions.<br/>

University of the Virgin Islands: A comprehensive approach to retention, persistence, and research training

256th National Meeting (2018)

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