Barry University is the beneficiary of a five-year National Science Foundation grant to recruit, retain, and graduate high-achieving, low-income students in the STEM fields: biology, chemistry, computer science, and mathematics.
By Kim Kobersmith
Barry student David Henry is a computer science major with a passion for coding. He became excited about attending college his freshman year of high school and first thought he would earn a football scholarship and major in business. But an injury his senior year prevented a future sports career and derailed that plan. In the weeks that he was bedridden after the accident, Henry reimagined his future and a search for a new career path led him to computer science.
Henry was seeking a small university experience, where he would know his professors and they would know him. While applying to Barry, he discovered the Engaged STEM Scholars program. His acceptance, and the grant funds it provided, convinced him to become a Buccaneer.
Henry is one of the beneficiaries of a five-year National Science Foundation grant to recruit, retain, and graduate high-achieving, low-income students in the STEM fields: biology, chemistry, computer science, and mathematics. Awarded since the 1980s, the grant is one of the NSF’s efforts to fill a national shortfall for skilled and knowledgeable leaders in the STEM fields while giving opportunity to students from traditionally marginalized communities.
The 14 members of the Engaged STEM Scholars cohort at Barry receive four-year grants that for most, fill the financial gap between federal, state, and institutional aid while earning their bachelor’s degrees. The scholarships are a foundation, complemented by an active recruitment phase and a suite of programs and services that surround the students with academic and social supports that bolster their success.
Dr. Tamara Hamilton
Associate Dean and Professor of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, is the lead principal investigator for the grant.
Dr. Tamara Hamilton, Associate Dean and Professor of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, is the lead principal investigator for the grant. “It is very important that education is accessible to everybody,” she said. “Opening doors and allowing anyone to apply is a start. But for access to be real, we have to actively bring in students that have been historically kept out because of skills or financial resources. We need to remove barriers so students feel like it is somewhere they belong.”
Barry is an important partner with the NSF in reaching the students they seek to reach. Even before receiving the grant, Barry had a strong history of educating students from low-income backgrounds in STEM fields. Pre-grant, 40% of students were first generation and 35% had listed zero expected family income on their student aid. In addition, 71% were racial minorities under-represented in STEM fields and 68% were women.
“It is very important that education is accessible to everybody,” said Dr. Tamara Hamilton. “Opening doors and allowing anyone to apply is a start.”
Barry’s demographics make it unusual among the recipient schools. “We have a high concentration of the students the NSF wants to support,” said Dr. Hamilton. “The grant makes a lot of sense here because the faculty already learned ways of working with these students and was seeing a lot of success.”
The grant process has built on that success, prompting important conversations on campus about how to more effectively remove barriers for students with a low-income background. The project’s investigators have developed an array of interventions, large and small, that dramatically affect the scholars’ educational success. Those positive results are having a cascade effect as faculty and staff adopt core elements of the program on a broader basis throughout the College of Arts and Sciences and the university as a whole.
Rethinking Recruitment
Barry targeted nearby Title 1 high schools, those federally recognized as having a large concentration of low-income students, to recruit its first cohort. Previously, neither the university, nor any other institution of higher education, had focused any recruiting effort on these schools. “They are an untapped pool of talent,” said Dr. Hamilton. New outreach materials gave prospective students the message that those from low-income backgrounds belong at Barry and can succeed.
Faculty members and current students visited the high schools, sharing what a STEM education is like at Barry and how to afford attending the school. A dedicated financial aid counselor gave personalized attention and follow-up with prospective scholars. The Barry team is looking toward implementing their collaborative work and framework messaging as standard practices for recruiting all students; this year, they are beginning with computer science majors. Additionally, as an organizational partnership, the model was selected in the first batch of projects to be studied by the NSF research hub located at Virginia Tech.
Summer Scholars Program
The summer before freshman year, the Barry team offered a Summer Scholars Program so cohort members could complete developmental courses before they started college to create a structure of support. “That is really different than other universities, where developmental classes are often used as a weeding out for programs,” said Dr. Hamilton. “Barry’s classes are skill building and we have high pass rates, up to 90%. We recognize that these students’ K-12 schooling failed to prepare them for college work.”
For Dr. Hamilton, this reality hit home during a lunchtime conversation at the summer program. The students were sharing similar experiences from high school, when they would have a different substitute every week instead of a full-time teacher and their assignments consisted of worksheets that no one ever graded. “A student confessed she knew she was supposed to learn this in middle school, but didn’t, and thought it was her fault,” said Dr. Hamilton. “By giving her a way to catch up and be ready for college without shame, she could see it wasn’t.”
A Change of Climate
As the lead investigators pieced together the elements for successfully welcoming students from a low-income background, they developed a Faculty Institute, a two-day workshop that brought together 14 of the cohort’s first-year teachers. “We don’t need to change curriculum or grading or content,” said Dr. Hamilton. “It is about little changes to create a warmer climate, like having a syllabus with a welcoming tone. There is empirical evidence that this works and makes a huge difference.”
Rather than focusing on skill deficits, a warm classroom recognizes and affirms that all students have something to contribute. Along with community cultural wealth, students from historically marginalized upbringings have resilience and experience working in systems that aren’t designed for them.
“We are changing the narrative, letting students know that whatever skills they bring are valuable here,” said lead researcher Dr. Zajickova. “The students come from different educational back- grounds and bring different strengths to the table.”
The College of Arts and Sciences has been evaluating their practices in the interest of warming their communications. Leaders realized receiving an academic probation letter, for example, can be a chilly experience, so they rewrote theirs to convey a warmer tone. It still says students need to improve their grades, but then it shares good news: that others get off of probation regularly and that advisors are available to help them find a way out.
After the initial faculty workshop, grant research partners at Northwestern University checked in monthly with participating faculty. They seek to prove through their research that a student’s sense of belonging, enhanced by a warmer classroom, changes their academic performance. While the final results are not complete, preliminary findings show students have a higher GPA in classes with trained faculty. “We are able to look at our curriculum and assess where we are putting these roadblocks in front of students,” said Dr. Zajickova. “Statistics show implementing these changes not only helps historically marginalized students, but helps everybody. Ultimately, it makes me a better educator.”
The Learning Community
Now sophomores, the Engaged STEM Scholars cohort has developed into a supportive community. Students in the same classes form study groups. They offer each other social and academic support and are fierce advocates for each other. Computer science student Snowbird Rubio values the biweekly cohort group meetings, led by faculty mentors. They might take a field trip to a job site, like the drug enforcement agency, or have time for scholars to share about individual STEM experiences and what they learned. But the meetings are more than an academic exercise.
“We play games and build connections,” said Rubio. “We share what we are proud of and our weaknesses. Then peers can give us advice on how we can improve.”
The community is supported by faculty mentors who hold students accountable by keeping an eye on their academic progress and address problems. Peer mentors, further along in their college career, help students formulate their goals and interests academically and share the ins and outs of life around campus.
The community also empowers self-advocacy, something low-income students don’t have at the same level as their peers. When they arrived at school, many were intimidated by the idea of faculty office hours. Some heard about the writing center but didn’t consider visiting it to get help with a paper. The scholars program weaves in exposure to campus resources to break down those barriers. One way that happens is by applying for internships, a requirement for scholars. These kinds of out-of-classroom experiences can be a big factor in student retention, can help students explore career possibilities, and are valuable additions to resumes.
“I have gone numerous times to the career center while writing my resume and cover letter,” said Henry, “but I wouldn’t have used these kind of campus resources if not for the program. I didn’t know people actually went to faculty office hours until my peer mentor said these are out there to help me and I should take them up on the opportunity.”
Signs of Success
Indicators show that Barry’s carefully crafted Engaged STEM Scholars program is making a difference. The targeted, collaborative recruitment model is reaching underserved students. Faculty are modifying procedures to “warm” their classrooms, benefitting all.
Looking at individual scholars, the supportive element of the program is clear. Overall, they have an 80% retention rate, compared to 60% across the entire Barry community. Their cumulative grade point average is a full point higher than a control group, composed of students with the same majors in the same year.
The faculty mentors are observing a real growth and maturing. After a challenging first year when many of
the scholars struggled with time management and felt overwhelmed with their courses, they are beginning to take charge of their college experience, taking on leadership roles and organizing service projects.
Perhaps the greatest change, though, is the way the program has given students a positive shift in their self-identity. David Henry sums it up: “When I first came to college, I didn’t think I was smart enough. At Barry, I have learned if I don’t know something, it is only because I have not put in the work to study it.”
Watch the video to learn more about the STEM Scholars program.
