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NSF S-STEM Scholarship Grant for Engineering and Applied Technology Majors to Increase Enrollment and Retention

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Conference

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Indianapolis, Indiana

Publication Date

June 15, 2014

Start Date

June 15, 2014

End Date

June 18, 2014

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Enhancing Success/Peristence at Two-Year Colleges

Tagged Division

Two Year College Division

Page Count

7

Page Numbers

24.939.1 - 24.939.7

DOI

10.18260/1-2--22872

Permanent URL

https://216.185.13.131/22872

Download Count

540

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Paper Authors

biography

Kenan Baltaci University of Wisconsin, Stout

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Kenan Baltaci is an Assistant Professor at University of Wisconsin-Stout, in the Electrical Engineering Technology Department. He received B.S. in electrical engineering degree from Istanbul Technical University in Turkey. Following, a master’s degree and doctoral degree in industrial technology was granted from University of Northern Iowa.

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Melissa Thompson P.E. P.E. BridgeValley Community and Technical College

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Melissa Thompson is an Associate Professor at BridgeValley Community and Technical College, (formerly Bridgemont Community and Technical College), in the Civil Engineering Technology Department. She holds baccalaureate and masters degrees in Engineering, and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the state of West Virginia.

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Bekir Zihni Yuksek University of Northern Iowa

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Bekir Yuksek received Doctor of Technology degree in Fall 2013 and is currently working as adjunct professor at the University of Northern Iowa. Research interests include renewable energy, wind energy, wind
turbines, solar panels, solar energy, and management of renewable energy.

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Abstract

Increase enrollment and retention with NSF S-STEM Scholarship GrantBridgemont Community and Technical College (BCTC), in Montgomery, West Virginia,received NSF S-STEM grant award for $600,000 over a period of five years to establishBridgemont STEM Scholars program to increase annual full-time enrollment in targetedengineering technology and applied technology fields, increase retention of participating STEMmajors from the first to second year, increase the number of participating students who completetheir degree within two years, and increase the number of graduating Bridgemont STEMScholars who become employed in their field or continue their education in their field. Thispaper intends to share the insight gained about issue of retention and enrollment in engineeringtechnology programs from demographics, baseline data and survey conducted solely to learnabout impact of financial and academic barriers on student enrollment and retention during grantwriting process. Demographics and baseline data shows that the communities served aredisadvantaged; on average, 43% of students attending the “feeder” high schools for BCTC arelow-income, and over 65% of entering students require developmental courses upon enrollment.Most of the students require financial assistance, with 76% receiving financial aid. Over 96% ofthe students come from West Virginia, and approximately one-third come from within 50 miles.The survey shows that approximately 84% receive financial aid, 55% stated that a lack offunding at least partially delayed or slowed their progress toward getting a college education, and88% expressed at least some concern over having sufficient funds for college. Many students areemployed: 63% work during the school year for 27 hours per week on average, and 89%expressed at least some concern that employment prevents them from studying and completingassignments. All the details about demographics and baseline data, grant application process willbe shared in this paper.

Baltaci, K., & Thompson, M., & Yuksek, B. Z. (2014, June), NSF S-STEM Scholarship Grant for Engineering and Applied Technology Majors to Increase Enrollment and Retention Paper presented at 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, Indiana. 10.18260/1-2--22872

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