NSF S-STEM Projects Meeting

Strengths, Challenges, Insights & Areas for Improvement

Session Title: Recruiting Students

Room: Salon H

Scribe’s Name: Kristen Baum

Lead’s Name: Joan Esson

Please use this template to capture the main points from the discussion in your session. Add additional rows as needed. You should not attempt to transcribe the meeting, but note the main discussion points as they fall within the SCII framework. Scribes should be sure to note any points of consensus and capture any strongly held monitory views within your group.

Scribes must use their own computer to take notes. A computer will not be provided to you. Please bring your own computer to your assigned session for note taking. Please make sure you have this template saved on your computer prior to the meeting.

I. Strengths

1. existing (or graduated) s-stem studentsfacilitate recruitment; recruitment events with current scholars work well
2. multi-year cohort recruitment (and fill in as students graduate or leave program)
3. coordination with financial aid office, admissions, etc. (can provide list of eligible students, including pre-screening)
4. s-stem faculty who teach introductory courses can identify students who may be eligible
5. STEM teacher outreach activities (workshops for teachers who can recruit students), and relationships with counselors, etc.
6. student groups on campus can help with recruitment
7. graduate students can actively recruit (follow up with phone calls)
8. summer bridge programsfor coursework (and stay as cohort in the dorm), and then TA class the following fall
9. coordination with college prep state programs
10. transfer student recruitment would benefit from faculty and student visits to two-year schools (establish relationships early)
11. STEM summer camps for one to two weeks (funded by other sources)
12. conferences that introduce potential recruits to current students

Additional Notes:conversation also touched on retention issues

  1. Challenges

1.recruiting qualified students (especially from underrepresented groups); many haven’t taken the courses needed to prepare them for college
2. full-time status can be challenging for students with jobs, families, etc. (may be more successful if not enrolled full-time)
3. GPA requirements (3.0 may be too high in some situations)
4. students may stay in degree that they aren’t interested in because of s-stem scholarship (or they may not know what they want to major in)
5. remedial coursework is required for many students
6. many students in biology are “pre-med” (aren’t accepted into some s-stem programs) and many students aren’t aware of non-medical career options in biology
7. students may be recruited to other schools when more resources are available
8. timeline for acceptance (FAFSA, applications, remedial courses, etc.)

Additional Notes:conversation also touched on retention issues

III. Insights

1. provisional acceptance for students (especially underrepresented groups) that may be missing courses, etc. or provide scholarships on a probational status if acceptance or retention criteria are not met (required meetings with faculty mentors, required use of academic services, etc.)
2. check progress regularly to identify potential issues early
3. incorporate flexibility by awarding some scholarships after first semester (once students have taken some courses)
4. students who don’t quality for financial aid could be included in some program components, and may qualify in the future (if their financial need increases)
5. use student participants in other programs (e.g., LSAMP) as peer mentors, tutors, etc.
6. bridge programs or distance learning programs (self-paced) may help with remedial coursework

Additional Notes:conversation also touched on retention issues

  1. Areas for Improvement

1. connections to financial aid offices could be strengthened for some programs
2. full-time status can be challenging for students with jobs, families, etc. (may be more successful if not enrolled full-time)

Additional notes:conversation also touched on retention issues

Before the end of the session, please take some time to clean up your notes, and email them to Tengiz Sydykov - . Please coordinate with your Session Chair to make sure you have sufficient time to clean up your notes prior to the end of the session. Tengiz will pull together the notes from all of the breakout sessions and will post the notes on-line prior to the next breakout session.