Community college students planning for a degree in a STEM field have a program just for them at Fresno Pacific University starting in the fall of 2016.
Supporting Transfers in Reaching Educational Aspirations in Math and Science (STREAMS) will help community college students earn bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines at FPU. The program is open to all students in the State Center Community College District who have earned or are completing an associate degree and is especially designed for students from low-income and/or under-represented backgrounds who are the first in their families to attend a college or university.
One special feature is a two-year graduation guarantee for qualified students. Those who enter FPU with the needed credits from community college and make satisfactory academic progress at the university will be able to get all the classes they need to graduate in two academic years. (FPU already offers a four-year graduation guarantee for qualified students in all traditional undergraduate programs.)
STREAMS is financed by a five-year National Science Foundation grant and includes scholarships for the students as well as support for the university. “The goal is to promote a more representative workforce in STEM fields, especially for the Central Valley, by providing scholarships and academic mentoring for talented low-income students,” said Ken Cheung, Ph.D., an associate professor of chemistry at FPU and principal investigator for the grant.
The major objectives of the STREAMS program are:
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Identify and recruit a diverse population of academically talented community college students with financial need who are pursuing studies in STEM disciplines and form them into groups (cohorts) that will go through the STREAMS program together.
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Enhance student support structures to ensure that at least 85 percent of participants earn a bachelor’s degree within two years of transferring to FPU. Among the services will be tutoring, supplemental instruction (where STREAMS students take certain classes together) and mentoring between faculty and students. Other activities may include articulated transfer agreements, cohort-building, mentoring, guaranteed class availability and transition-to-university programming.
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Enable at least 80 percent of the STREAMS scholars to secure employment or entrance to a graduate program in a STEM field within one year of graduation. Preparation will include career counseling, workshops with experts, GRE preparation, job shadowing at local businesses, internships and research opportunities and field trips to employers and graduate schools.
FPU is also hiring an activity director to work with STREAMS scholars. The first need is to find motivated students to begin the program. “We’re looking for good people who really want to be in STEM fields,” Cheung said.