$1.3 million grant will expand support for STEM students
October 15, 2020
UAF's TRIO Student Support Services has plans to expand after being awarded a $1.3 million federal grant. The expansion will provide services to 140 additional students pursuing degrees in the STEM fields who are first generation, low income or experiencing a disability.
The grant will help pay for tutors and advisors to assist students in STEM-specific fields. Some of the services provided by the program include academic advising, individual tutoring, degree planning, financial aid counseling and workshops on personal, financial and academic topics.
UAF was one of 20 colleges nationwide to receive the award from the U.S. Department of Education in a highly competitive secondary funding band.
Just over $1 billion dollars was awarded nationally to TRIO SSS programs in this funding cycle, according to the U.S. Department of Education. SSS is one of eight TRIO programs intended to help underrepresented and under-resourced students be successful in postsecondary education. UAF also houses a TRIO Upward Bound program, established more than 50 years ago to serve high school students in rural Alaska.
A total of 420 students at UAF can now be served between funding from the state legislature Comprehensive Advising Initiative and the federal TRIO grants. The total amount federal SSS funds awarded to UAF in this grant cycle will be $2.6 million dollars.
“This was our first time submitting a grant for the SSS-STEM 'special population' — and to be awarded, well, we couldn’t be more excited,” Director Victoria Smith said. “Because of this, we can do more to effectively retain and graduate SSS-eligible students.”
Smith said she plans to launch the STEM specific portion in the spring 2020 semester as planning gets under way this fall.
“We know there is a need on campus," Smith said. "STEM students struggle to find those tutors and mentors to engage with for guidance, and successfully transition into the workforce or graduate or professional school. We are lucky to have partnerships on campus that help us serve our existing STEM students. This funding is going to allow those collaborations to grow.”
Another goal of the STEM grant is to increase retention and graduation. “This grant will help close the equity gaps we know exist and remove barriers to success as students pursue their degree to completion" said Alex Fitts, vice provost and accreditation liaison officer. "We couldn’t be more thrilled with the award.”
For more information, contact Victoria Smith at 474-6844 or vrsmith@alaska.edu.