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The Payoffs for Retention and Networking of Getting to Know Freshman Students

Faculty #7
Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: STEM Science and Mathematics Education
- Harris-Stowe State University
Co-Author(s): Anbreen Bashir, Scott Horrell, John MacDougal, Diane Smoot, Harris-Stowe State University, St. Louis, MO



Despite decades of interest and research into promoting the success of under-represented students in STEM, a persistent gap remains. Nationally, retention in science fields is lower for students in low-income brackets, first-generation students, and minority students. Harris-Stowe State University is an open-enrollment Historically Black College/University that ranks in the top of Missouri public institutions in the degree production of African-Americans, and is thus is an ideal place to study factors that can broaden participation in STEM. Harris-Stowe was awarded a Targeted Infusion Project in the Fall of 2015, with the goal of implementing faculty-driven first-year biotechnology curriculum to study the effect on biology student retention and networking. Prior to the TIP:BIO-BOOST funded intervention, only 6% of first-time freshman were known to full-time biology faculty by the end of their first term (assayed each November). Now in TIP BIO-BOOST year three, the number of first-year freshman known by full-time faculty has grown to 43%. The BIO-BOOST intervention has redefined the first-year biology experience at Harris-Stowe with significant effects on retention and opportunities for students. These successes are being realized during a time of rapid growth (2.5x increase in enrollment) for the Harris-Stowe Biology Program. Through assessment of the TIP:BIO-BOOST intervention, we intend to build both academic and social strategies that promote the success of STEM students.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): This project is funded by a National Science Foundation HBCU-UP TIP grant, award number 1533545

Faculty Advisor: None Listed,

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. DUE-1930047. Any opinions, findings, interpretations, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of its authors and do not represent the views of the AAAS Board of Directors, the Council of AAAS, AAAS’ membership or the National Science Foundation.

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