|
Authors:
|
Felecia Nave, Prairie View A&M University
Sherri Frizell, Prairie View A&M University
Pam Obiomon, Prairie View A&M University
Suxia Cui, Prairie View A&M University
Judy Perkins, Prairie View A&M University
|
|
Abstract:
|
Over the past two decades, Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) has sponsored a number of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) enrichment programs to help improve the enrollment and retention of students in these career fields. Of these programs, the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored STEM-Enrichment Program (EP) is the most comprehensive program offered at the university. Initiated in 1999, STEM-EP is an innovative program designed to promote academic excellence by students who intend to pursue a degree in one of the STEM disciplines. The program is a multi-faceted initiative consisting of a nine week summer residence program for recent high school graduates, coordinated scholarships and tutorials, peer and faculty mentoring, professional development training, and undergraduate research opportunities. Over 95% of the participants have been students of color (i.e., African-American & Hispanics), of which 35% have been women of color. The objective of this paper is to assess the data from six cohorts of STEM-EP participants beginning with summer 2000 to examine the impact of the program on the retention and academic performance of the participants. The methodology used in the compilation of the data includes a review of the tracking data collected by the STEM-EP program managers for NSF reporting. An analysis of the data is presented that includes retention information for each cohort, grade point average, and a comparison of the retention and performance of participants disaggregated by gender.
|
