Stanislaus State’s College of Science has been awarded two grants, totaling $7.2 million over five years, to support student success in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.
Of the total, $5.8 million is coming from the Department of Education to fund STEM Success, a program designed to help improve freshman and transfer student retention and graduation rates in STEM fields at Stanislaus State. STEM Success replaces the former Central Valley Math and Science Alliance (CVMSA) and broadens the scope of the former program by creating additional opportunities for learning success.
Data gathered by the CVMSA program found that nearly two-thirds of students who start a STEM major at Stanislaus State leave those programs prior to graduation, for various reasons.
More about the STEM Success grant
The remaining $1.4 million is coming from the National Science Foundation and is earmarked for supporting students who will complete computer science degree programs. The NSF has earmarked $3 million for this program, in which two four-year colleges are each pairing with a nearby community college. Stan State is teaming with Merced College for this program, while the University of Texas at El Paso is pairing with El Paso Community College.
The purpose of the grant is to support high-achieving, low-income students, since financial hardship is cited as a primary reason these students are unable to complete their degree programs. For the California collaborative, 12 recipients will start receiving scholarships at Merced College and the remaining aid from the NSF grant will go to current Stan State students.