METSTEP: Third year review

Abstract

This successful National Science Foundation supported five-year STEP program has come a long way in three years. Built upon several years of working with urban community colleges (CCs), this program was built primarily on a one-year preliminary study of a large university working with three rural community colleges. Specifically this program has a university and five non-metropolitan CCs working together to increase the interest, retention, and graduation of students in engineering and computer science who, before this program, had never interacted with university faculty and students. Females and underrepresented minority students are especially encouraged through this program. A large emphasis is also placed on having the students go directly to graduate school upon receiving their BS or BSE. The program includes scholarships for upper division transfer students from these five schools. The program is also supported by two NSF S-STEM grants which provide scholarship money for urban upper division transfer and non-transfer students, as well as scholarship money for four semesters of graduate school for students who have graduated through the program. In addition, this past year, urban transfer students were supported with scholarship money provided by a Women & Philanthropy group. Major accomplishments are outlined, with an emphasis on the work that has been accomplished in the last year. The challenges that remain and future plans are also discussed. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2013.