FY 2008 Project Abstracts for the 

CCRAA - Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program

New Individual Grants

ARIZONA 

Arizona Western College - P031C080124

Activity Description: 

Arizona Western College (AWC), in Yuma, Arizona, is a two-year, publicly-supported 

college serving nearly 13,000 students annually, with a 59 percent Hispanic student 

population. 

The service region is experiencing strong growth in science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics-related (STEM) jobs, linked to the area's large weapons testing facility 

(Yuma Proving Ground); the nearby Marine Corps Air Station (one of the nation's largest 

staging areas for troop deployment to Iraq); and a new General Motors (GM) vehicle 

testing track. At the same time, the majority of AWC students are unable to gain access to 

these jobs because of their extreme deficiencies in math, the foundation for progress in 

STEM fields. Internal research reveals, in fact, that AWC students are failing the 

college's remedial, developmental math courses in large numbers, and those who fail 

these courses, seldom complete an Associate Degree or transfer to a four-year university 

(AWC Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research and Grants [IERG], 2008). As a 

result, AWC's Associate Degree completion rates in STEM fields are unacceptably low 

(averaging only 8.2 percent of the total degrees awarded in the past five years) and 

transfer rates to universities in STEM-related fields are similarly low (IERG, 2008). 

Following a comprehensive review of the math program, faculty and staff concluded that 

weaknesses in AWC's math curriculum and teaching/tutoring strategies, insufficient 

advising, inadequate facilities/technologies, and weaknesses in articulation with four-year 

universities were preventing students from succeeding in the all-important developmental 

math courses and reducing their opportunities to graduate or transfer. In response, the 

college proposes to strengthen the math curriculum and tutoring, based in part on 

guidelines developed by the American Mathematics Association of two-year colleges; 

strengthen advisement strategies, and renovate an existing building into a state-of-the-art 

Math Learning Center, where students will have access to modem technologies, strong 

advisement, and up-to-date instructional strategies. In addition, the college proposes to 

provide AWC students with new transfer opportunities with the implementation of 

streamlined articulation/transfer models developed with three universities - Northern 

Arizona-Yuma, Arizona State University-Tempe, and University of Arizona-Tucson. 

Integration of the above strategies will result in achievement of the project's overall 

goals: To increase the number and percentage of Hispanic and low-income students who 

complete an Associate Degree in a STEM field and to increase the number and 

percentage of these target groups who continue their studies in STEM-related 

baccalaureate programs (with emphasis on engineering). 
Central Arizona College - P031C080002 

Activity Description: 

Located near the small town of Coolidge (population 8,900), Central Arizona College 

(CAC) is the only community college in the 5,300 square miles of Pinal County, Arizona. 

Less than 150 miles from the United States.-Mexico border and between Phoenix and 

Tucson, Pinal County, is one of the fastest growing Hispanic regions in the United States. 

This HSI-CCRAA project will tackle the unacceptably low numbers of Hispanic and 

other low-income students enrolling in and graduating from our science, computer 

science, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degree programs and then continuing their 

studies at four year institutions. As CAC works to address this problem, we face the 

obstacles of our county’s large size and entrenched poverty, which reduce access to our 

college; the overuse of traditional lecturing in the STEM classrooms; a weak system of 

academic support and guidance for STEM students; a lack of introductory STEM classes 

designed to increase enrollment and retention in our STEM degree programs; and 

significant deficiencies in the STEM facilities, equipment, and learning technologies at 

our college. The project will also address the lack of a pre-engineering program that 

articulates with four-year institutions. Therefore, we are proposing an HSI-CCRAA 

project that: 

1. Implements a system of academic monitoring that can refer STEM students to 

academic tutors and advisors and involves many STEM students having Master 

Academic Plans (MAPs) to guide them through the learning and transfer process. 

2. Creates and implements STEM courses to increase enrollment in STEM degree 

programs through cultivating students’ interest and ability in STEM disciplines. 

3. Develops a pre-engineering program that articulates with the engineering degree 

program at Arizona State University and, in subsidiary, with the other baccalaureate-level 

engineering programs at Arizona’s two other state universities. 

4. Provides STEM faculty with professional development active learning pedagogy, 

which has proven to be particularly effective with underprepared students. 

5. Uses media capturing and pod casting to improve students’ access to our college and 

to enable students to repeatedly review class content for improved understanding. 

6. Provides STEM faculty with professional development in media capturing and pod 

casting, so that these mediums are used effectively and frequently as learning tools. 

7. Increases the bandwidth of our Wide Area Network and Internet networks so they 

have the capacity to handle the additional load of media capturing and pod casting. 

8. Remedies the main deficiencies in our STEM equipment, technology, and facilities. 

This work includes developing a modern, well-equipped, multi-use science lab in which 

science students can be actively engaged in the learning process and creating a mobile 

computer lab that supports learning in scientific concepts, inquiry, and analysis. 
CALIFORNIA 

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona - P031C080141

Activity Description:

The Cal Poly Pomona STEM Pipeline Project 

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona or CPP) in Pomona, 

California is one of 23 campuses that comprise the California State University system 

and is one of only six polytechnic universities in the country. Founded in 1938 and 

located 30 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, CPP is an ethnically diverse institution 

serving a total population of over 19,000 undergraduate and more than 1,100 graduate 

students. 

The goal of the proposed CPP STEM Pipeline Project is to strengthen the pipeline from 

high school through graduation in order to increase the retention and graduation of 

Hispanic and low-income students in STEM disciplines. To achieve this goal, CPP 

engaged in an extensive planning process; quality was in mind from the start, and tested 

evaluation principles were woven into every aspect of the plan. The result is a 

comprehensive project design comprised of the following objectives: 

1. Build a formal STEM learning community composed of high school, community 

college, and CPP faculty. 

2. Offer enhanced academic counseling services to community college students before 

and after they transfer to CPP. 

3. Develop a seamless transfer process, focusing on STEM degree tracks. 

4. Establish a pre-engineering course and lecture series at Riverside Community College. 

5a. Upgrade CPP’s STEM technology to enhance curriculum and engage students. 

5b and 5c. Expand CPP’s tutoring center and establish an undergraduate research 

program. 

The CPP STEM Pipeline Project will monitor and address weaknesses at every transition 

point in the pipeline, helping Hispanic and low-income students to obtain their degree 

and successfully pursue careers or graduate education in STEM disciplines. 
Cañada College - P031C080188 

Activity Description: 

Creating Opportunities for Math, Engineering, Technology and Science (COMETS) 

Cañada College enrolls 6,686 students, many of whom are the disadvantaged residents of 

San Mateo County. 

With 86.8 percent of Hispanic students placing into Pre-Algebra or Beginning Algebra, 

we identified lack of achievement in mathematics and length of time spent in 

developmental math as the single greatest obstacle to student success, persistence and 

transfer preparation in STEM. Also, students have little knowledge of the careers 

available or the training needed to obtain these career goals. 

Committed to a mission ensuring that students from diverse backgrounds have the 

opportunity to achieve their educational goals, the Cañada College COMETS project will 

develop a model program with systems and coursework designed to help Hispanic and 

other low income STEM students accelerate their completion of prerequisite math 

courses for STEM majors. The main goal: shorten the time students need to enroll in 

transferable level science classes. This will be accomplished through an intensive sixweek summer program in math instruction designed to raise the math placement level by 

at least one step. Then, during the regular school year, a Math Lab will be made available 

to students featuring self-paced, accelerated math instruction, with faculty-guided 

instruction, instructional aides and tutors present for extended hours. 

Curriculum will also be developed to incorporate hand-on scientific experiments into 

mathematics training so students can see the applications of mathematical concepts and 

use real-life examples while learning math. Experiments will be done using sophisticated 

scientific equipment, not models or simulations. Career pathways and options will be 

explored to help sustain interest in STEM fields while participating in the accelerated 

math programs. 

The project will also provide significant support for students transferring to four-year 

institutions to pursue STEM degrees. A dedicated articulation and transfer specialist will 

convene a Transfer Summit, and will develop and provide access to transfer materials. 

Students will have multiple opportunities to participate in interesting and informative 

transfer activities. 
Chaffey College - P031C080034 

Activity Description: 

Chaffey College is a large two-year, public community college in Rancho Cucamonga, 

located in the Inland Empire of San Bernardino County, 40 miles east of Los Angeles, 

California. 

Project Services and Strategies: to establish new, strengthened and replicable, 2+2+2 

transfer and articulation agreements which will open sustainable pathways to careers in 

Engineering, Engineering Technology, and Biology. 

Chaffey will strengthen the articulation of the Engineering transfer pathway to four-year 

institutions and create (and articulate for transfer) a new Engineering Technology degree. 

The biology curriculum will be realigned for articulation with four-year institutions, and 

equipment in several STEM labs will be upgraded to align with sophomore level fouryear laboratory and instrumentation. Academic and student support services for STEM 

students will be improved by expanding supplemental instruction, creation of a Science 

Success Center, the hiring of a STEM Counselor, and creation of learning communities to 

promote the success and progression of Hispanic engineering and biology students. A 

field experience component for Hispanic engineering students will be developed and 

outreach to feeder school districts to increase the academic preparedness of future 

Hispanic STEM and Engineering students will be strengthened. 
Citrus College - P031C080211 

Activity Description: 

Citrus Connect! A Model Pathway to the Baccalaureate in STEM Fields 

Citrus College is a public; two-year Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) located in 

Glendora, California, a community with a rapidly growing Hispanic population within 

Los Angeles County. The direct service area for Citrus College includes the densely 

populated heart of California’s San Gabriel Valley, an area in northeast Los Angeles 

County increasingly characterized by growth, economic extremes and diversity – the Ellis 

Island of the 21st century. 

The Citrus Connect! Project has three components: (1) Broadening Access to Citrus 

through Community Outreach and High School Bridge Programs; (2) Providing a 

Seamless, Fully-Articulated and Supportive Pathway to Baccalaureate Degree 

Completion in STEM fields; and (3) Evaluating and Sustaining the Degree Pathway. By 

accomplishing these objectives, the Citrus Connect! Project will not only address both 

CCRAA HSI Program priorities, it will connect Citrus College students to the 21st

century. 
Cypress College - P031C080003 

Activity Description 

Cypress College- Science Grant Application. Cypress College (CC), Cypress, 

California, is an accredited public two-year institution, and one of two colleges in the 

North Orange County Community College District. It serves a densely populated urban 

region that is experiencing an unprecedented population surge. The vast majority of the 

population increase and additional students is expected to occur among the minority 

populations. 

Due to the large and growing percentage of Hispanic students enrolled in the college, 

there is a great need to establish programs that support Hispanic and other 

underrepresented students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 

(STEM) disciplines to ensure that these students transfer to a four-year university and 

obtain their baccalaureate degrees. We need to improve the participation and success 

rates of underrepresented minorities in college level STEM classes at CC. Many students 

who do not complete these courses either switch out of science-related majors or drop out 

of college. The proposed project will focus on several main areas: (1) extensive outreach 

and recruitment at high schools within the area to develop interest in STEM; (2) 

developing a focused program for ensuring success in STEM courses; (3) channeling CC 

STEM students into a summer Bridge Research experience at CC and at the CSUs and 

UC universities to increase transfer rates; (4) substantially upgrading the science 

laboratory equipment and classroom technology at CC; and (5) developing new and 

expanded articulation agreements with the universities. 

Outreach to area high schools will be done in order to promote the interest of prospective 

underrepresented students and their parents. The project will also include outreach to the 

CC student body in order to attract more of our students to our STEM program. CC will 

also improve existing student support services by focusing articulation, counseling, 

transfer, financial aid, tutoring, and supplemental instruction to the goal of increasing the 

number of Hispanic and underrepresented students in STEM fields. 
East Los Angeles College - P031C080128

Activity Description: 

Green Science & Technology Curriculum 

GOALS: (a) Increase the percent of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining 

degrees in STEM fields from 5.6 percent to 12 percent (an annual increase of 

approximately 200 STEM graduates); and (b) Complete “Green Science and 

Technology” curriculum modification in 15 courses at East Los Angeles College 

(ELAC), representing an increase of 13 courses (650 percent increase over the 2007-08 

baseline) of two courses modified and articulate the courses with regional universities. 

PROJECT DESIGN: (a) Increase admission of math-ready high school graduates by 

linking ELAC Engineering admission to the effective Escalante math enrichment 

program operating at local high schools; (b) replicate the Escalante summer training 

model with a Summer Science Academy that introduces research and scientific methods, 

asks each student to conduct environmental research projects, and uses peer evaluation to 

validate results; (c) “green” content revision of 15 gateway courses in six STEM 

disciplines; (d) community environmental service activities for 200 students to reinforce 

their studies in STEM courses; (e) extended lab capacity for environmental science; and 

(f) improved articulation with California State University and University of California 

institutions. 
El Camino College - P031C080063

Activity Description: 

El Camino College (ECC) located in Torrance, California is proposing a project entitled 

Improving Student Success in STEM Transfer. The project is designed to strengthen the 

El Camino College STEM programs to increase the number of students attaining degrees 

in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and increase the number of students 

– especially Hispanic students, who successfully transfer to universities to pursue degrees 

in these fields. 

To address identified gaps that prevent more ECC students (particularly minority and 

low-income students) from majoring and transferring in STEM disciplines, the proposed 

project includes the following components: (1) Develop a New 2+2+2 Articulated 

Program in Biological Technology, and Articulate (expand/strengthen transfer 

components) the Existing Engineering Technology Program; (2) Strengthen STEM 

Transfer Pathways through (a) Infusion of Student Research Opportunities across STEM 

Disciplines; (b) Augmenting Articulated Pathways in Engineering; and (c) Improving 

Science Articulation; (3) Expand the Math, Engineering and Science Achievement 

(MESA) Center and Implement New STEM Enrichment and Support Strategies in 

conjunction with the MESA Program; (4) Strengthen STEM Pathways from High 

Schools to ECC via summer bridge programs and consistent outreach.

Project objectives include (1) increasing overall student transfer in STEM fields; (2) 

increasing Hispanic students’ transfer in STEM fields; (3) increasing Hispanic and 

overall ECC degrees and certificates awarded in STEM; and (4) increasing the number of 

articulated technology programs at ECC by developing a new Biotechnology program 

and strengthening articulation/transferability in the Engineering Technology program. 
Fresno City College - P031C080181

Activity Description:

The Fresno City College (FCC) College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) 

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program proposal was developed in direct response 

to the overwhelming need in the target area for program services that college enrollment, 

retention and graduation of Hispanic, low income and potentially first generation students 

in math, science and engineering courses. The target students for this project enroll in 

these fields in extremely low numbers, and are often lacking the academic skills, selfesteem, role models, and family guidance to complete such degrees in their college 

education. FCC has responded to the tremendous need to provide advanced educational 

services in this area by designing a comprehensive science, math, engineering and 

technology (STEM) program for these students. 

FCC’s STEM project will strengthen the ability of the Math, Science and Engineering 

(MSE) Division to meet the needs of low-income and underrepresented students. Project 

services will include the following: Instructor and peer mentoring, campus community 

building, enhanced transfer and career counseling, model transfer and articulation 

agreements, and academic improvements in equipment resources. Educational research 

has demonstrated that an integrated approach utilizing greater faculty-student contacts, 

tutoring, peer networks and greater career awareness to increase motivation are the 

elements that contribute to long-term retention of underrepresented students, especially 

Latino students. This new approach, along with an effort to focus on creating classes that 

articulate well with the Lower Division Transfer Patterns Project (LDTP) statewide 

system will create a seamless transfer between California community colleges and the 

state universities. 
Hartnell College - P031C080096 

 

Activity Description: 

A Project to Improve Hispanic and Low Income Student Success in STEM 

Hartnell College is a Hispanic-serving, comprehensive, public, two-year degree granting, 

accredited California Community College. For nearly 90 years, Hartnell has provided 

responsive, accessible, postsecondary education to the historically agricultural region of 

the Salinas Valley of west-central California, 100 miles south of San Francisco. Through 

this project, Hartnell will build on institutional strengths and leverage resources to 

address serious problems impeding institutional development: poor student enrollment, 

performance, transfer, graduation, and success in science, mathematics, engineering, and 

technology (STEM) courses and majors. As a mission-driven institution, Hartnell is 

committed to improving the educational and career opportunities for Hispanic and other 

low-income students. 

This project will focus on improving mathematics and science courses and the academic 

support structures for STEM students. The project targets identified, key gateways in the 

educational process focusing on basic and college-level mathematics, biology, and 

chemistry. 

Methods to achieve project goals include: curriculum development; new and improved 

courses; mathematics academy; updated laboratory equipment; supplemental instruction; 

expanded tutoring services; visiting scholars/role models; improved classroom practices; 

faculty and staff training; improved assessment; improved data collection; enhanced 

articulation; and evaluation. Key performance measures: improved enrollment, 

persistence, retention, performance, transfer, graduation and success in key mathematics 

and science courses; improved graduation and transfer in STEM majors; improved 

assessment and student placement; improved teaching methods; enhanced articulation; 

expanded data collection. 
Los Angeles Valley College - P031C080025 

Activity Description: 

Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC), one of nine community colleges in the Los 

Angeles Community College District, is a public, comprehensive, open-door community 

college serving 6,494 Hispanic students in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, an urban 

area where 70 percent of residents are minority and 62 percent are Hispanic. 

The College is challenged to expand access to STEM programming, to support the 

success of students coming to the college from underperforming service area high 

schools, and to develop systems for effective STEM advising and transfer. 

We propose, therefore, to convert key STEM courses into accessible, effective online and 

hybrid formats. We will also develop targeted, course-specific support through 

Supplemental Instruction and flexible online tutoring. Redesigned online STEM advising 

will improve LAVC's advisors' capacity to guide students through appropriate 

coursework leading to STEM majors, while STEM Summer Bridge will prepare 

participants for STEM persistence and success through intensive academic workshops 

and orientation to STEM coursework, resources, and career opportunities. Finally, model 

STEM articulation agreements with nearby University of California Los Angeles and 

University of Southern California will facilitate persistence through the STEM 

educational pipeline. 
Moreno Valley Campus, Riverside Community College - P031C080142

Activity Description: 

Moreno Valley Campus (MVC), Riverside Community College District, located in 

Southern California in the city of Moreno Valley, is a designated HSI, two-year public, 

comprehensive, community college campus. 

Moreno Valley Campus is seeking CCRAA HSI funding, targeting Hispanic and other 

low-income students, to develop an integrated approach involving academic and student 

support services designed to increase STEM persistence, success, transfer and graduation 

rates of targeted student populations. This is a single, integrated activity that represents 

an aggressive approach to institutional change, specifically addressing improvements in 

STEM student learning and success. 

Building on STEM research and literature, including best practices, MVC will refine, 

expand, enhance, and integrate a series of STEM activities that will better address the 

needs of our STEM students with a focus on Hispanic and other low-income students. 

Project SUCCESS creates a STEM Student Success Center (SSSC) designed to provide 

students the opportunity to explore and engage in STEM fields of study, STEM careers, 

current STEM research and literature, and STEM support services (tutorial services, 

supplemental instruction (SI), mentoring, etc.). Through SSSC, targeted students will 

experience project-based learning, hands-on and interactive SI and tutoring, and a 

multitude of STEM multimedia and library resources. STEM Counselors and Educational 

Advisors will provide students with comprehensive support services including case 

management counseling; career and transfer programs; STEM Summer Bridge programs; 

STEM career, transfer, and study skill courses; financial aid and scholarship information; 

STEM workshops and seminars; and any other resources or referrals needed. 

MVC proposes a comprehensive and well-coordinated effort between STEM academic 

and students support services to provide supplemental focus and assistance to targeted 

students. A core aspect of Project SUCCESS will be to utilize the expertise available 

through partnering universities to improve the quality of STEM transfer pathways and 

programs, STEM articulation agreements, and STEM faculty development programs. In 

working with partnering universities, MVC seeks to address STEM articulation of 

standards and improvements in the preparation of students before transferring while 

exploring STEM faculty development through faculty exchanges, internships, mentor 

programs, and STEM research. 
Mount St. Mary’s College - P031C080011 

Activity Description: 

Historically, Mount St. Mary’s College, a small, four-year Liberal Arts college, has been 

more inclusive of underrepresented students than similar colleges. 

Mount St. Mary’s College has identified the following needs: (1) Entering math skills are 

low and; retention in STEM majors and courses is low; (2) too few students’ survive 

freshman year; need new methods to sustain STEM interest; (3) barriers in curriculum 

and faculty isolation in STEM pathway, high school through college. In response to these 

needs MSMC proposes the following: (1) Develop a STEM center to address 

career/academic advising, offer tutoring and Summer Academies; (2) faculty 

development and student hands-on research; and (3) develop a transfer/articulation model 

to include high schools, community colleges and MSMC. 

The goals of the project are: (1) to increase STEM majors’ career focus, math skills, 

persistence, performance and engagement; (2) increase STEM faculty pedagogical skills 

to build and sustain STEM students’ interest; and (3) reduce isolation of faculty for 

students’ benefit with a simplified and clear curriculum pathway. 
Mt. San Jacinto College - P031C080126 

Activity Description: 

Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC), San Jacinto, California, is a public, Hispanic-serving, 

two-year degree granting community college in Riverside County, California, with a fall 

2006 unduplicated headcount enrollment of 13,781 and a Hispanic student population of 

3,923 (28 percent). MSJC has three main sites that are located in the communities of San 

Jacinto, Menifee, and Temecula. 

The activities of the proposed project are organized into two major components: (1) 

Faculty and Curriculum Development; and (2) Student Support Development. MSJC is 

adopting a holistic approach to optimize: (1) the percentage of Hispanic students 

receiving STEM degrees and/or transferring from two-year to four-year institutions; (2) 

increasing student success and retention rates in transfer-level STEM courses; (3) 

improving the completion of student education plans; and (4) increasing student support 

services. Each component focuses on a comprehensive effort to affect the goal of 

increasing student success by improving retention and completion of educational goals – 

in particular the success of Hispanic and underprepared students. 

Faculty and Curriculum Development: will include STEM professional development and 

educational training for MSJC faculty and local K-12 teachers, implementation of a 

STEM Teaching Academy, industry/business externships/apprenticeships, and STEM 

Teaching Communities. Other instructional interventions will include curriculum 

development and supplemental instruction in five of the transfer-level STEM courses. 

Curriculum development will include revising and/or developing curriculum to address 

the current gaps identified by the college to ensure the successful completion of students’ 

educational goals. 

Student Support Development: will strengthen learning assistance through crossdisciplinary tutoring, advising/counseling (personal, academic and career), mentoring 

services, case management, completion of student education plans, development of a 

STEM early alert system for at-risk students, and outreach for Hispanic and underprepared students as well as student success workshops, seminars, STEM Summer Bridge 

program, STEM major/career fair and four-year college tours. Appropriately trained staff 

will ensure that students receive professional guidance in the identification of educational 

goals, appropriate course placement, and referrals to supplemental assistance with 

academic or personal challenges. 
Los Angles Pierce College - P031C080099 

Activity Description: 

Pierce College is a comprehensive, public two-year college located in Woodland Hills, 

California. One of nine members of the Los Angeles Community College District 

(LACCD), Pierce enrolls over 20,000 students a year, 30.6 percent of whom are Latino 

and 53.6 percent of whom are low-income. 

The purpose of this CCRAA proposal is to: (1) upgrade and supplement existing 

equipment to create up-to-date labs for quality learning experiences across the science 

curriculum; (2) develop curricula including a new program in Environmental 

Technologies and a "green" emphasis within the existing Automotive Technology 

program; (3) provide student support (tutoring, academic advising, transfer assistance) in 

a new Math/Science Emporium within the new Center for the Sciences; and (4) develop 

model 2 + 2 articulation agreements with area universities. 
Reedley College - P031C080160 

Activity Description: 

Reedley College (RC), an associate degree-granting institution of State Center 

Community College District (SCCCD), is located in the rural community of Reedley, in 

Fresno County, California, 30 miles southeast of Fresno. There is an immense need in the 

RC service area to encourage students to major in STEM related fields. RC has a scarce 

number of STEM transfers, weak articulation with the new University of California 

Merced Campus, and a lack of STEM Honors courses along with math barriers for its’ 

students. RC and it’s surrounding feeder high schools have inadequate labs along with 

insufficient funding to improve both math and science programs. 

Goal 1: Increase the number of Reedley College Hispanic students who are awarded 

degrees in STEM fields. Goal 2: Increase the number of RC Hispanic students 

transferring in STEM fields. Goal 3: Increase the number of Reedley College articulated 

classes and transfer major pathways with UC Merced. Goal 4: Increase success rates in 

transfer math courses and prerequisites. To accomplish this, Reedley College CCRAA’s 

grant proposal focuses on: 

1) Articulation: (a) Articulation Agreements between RC and UC Merced; (b) RC will 

create a STEM career pathway that begins at the high school level and leads to university 

transfers thus encouraging Hispanic students to major in STEM related fields; (c) RC will 

work with California State University, Fresno, in having their campus offer engineering 

courses at RC; (d) RC will create a new STEM Honors Program; (e) STEM Career 

Discovery and Transfer Center will be created for students to have a STEM resource; (f) 

Creation of RC Collaborative Council, (RC 3), on STEM which will be made up of 

STEM faculty, counselors, and administrative representatives from middle school, high 

school, community college, and universities. 

2) STEM Field Service Learning: (a) STEM Semester Projects: STEM students will 

choose a faculty advisor who will help them choose a semester long project relevant to 

the courses that the student is taking that semester; (b) STEM Outreach: STEM students 

will participate in activities to promote their fields along the lines of the “STEM 

Ambassadors;” and (c) RC STEM students will host a STEM conference for both middle 

and high school students. 

3) Improvement of Science Labs and creation of Math Study Center. RC science 

labs currently do not adequately prepare students for the next level of science courses. 

RC proposes to improve labs in: Agriculture, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering and/or 

Physics. 
Riverside City College - P031C080059 

Activity Description:

Riverside City College (RCC) is applying for an individual development grant under the 

College Cost and Reduction and Access HSI grant program from the Department of 

Education. Along with the four-year partners, California State Polytechnic University, 

Pomona and California State University San Bernardino, the Access to Success Program 

will focus on the improvement of student learning and student success in STEM fields of 

study. 

The program will provide a variety of student activities from peer mentoring to tutoring 

and counseling for RCC students in a STEM engagement center and has four goals: 

Increase the number of under represented minorities, women and veterans who want to 

attend RCC and major in the biological or physical sciences, engineering, mathematics or 

computer information systems. Increase student retention by increasing the number of 

students in STEM core courses who enroll in a second course after successful completion 

of the first. Provide an arena for sharing and collecting “effective practices” amongst 

CCRAA awardees and other community colleges and their four-year institutions for 

dissemination purposes and expansive impact. Update the articulation agreements with 

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in biology, mathematics, Computer 

Information System and engineering. 

The Access to Success program was specifically designed based on the Department of 

Education’s two priorities of increasing the number of Hispanic and other low income 

students attaining degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or 

mathematics; and developing model transfer and articulation agreements between twoyear HSIs and four-year institutions in such fields. 
San Bernardino Valley College - P031C080213 

Activity Description: 

Science and Math Student Success Consortium 

San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC), an HSI, proposes a CCRAA grant that 

articulates student needs and demonstrates a process to accomplish two major objectives: 

1) To increase the number of successful underrepresented and low-income 

students receiving degrees in STEM disciplines;

AND 

2) To develop model transfer agreements between SBVC and four-year 

institutions, thus providing a seamless transition for students. 

The proposal for the first objective encompasses expanding the capabilities of the SBVC 

Math and Science Student Success Center (MAS3C), strengthening the facilitator training 

by developing a Learners to Leaders mentoring/leadership program, enhancing programs 

that promote and encourage high school students to pursue science and math careers, and 

developing a summer bridge program to create a cohort of successful science and math 

students. 

The second objective of the grant has several components involving our four-year 

institution partners. This document will describe the development of discipline-specific 

Transfer Articulation Guarantee (TAG) agreements, a pilot cross-enrollment program 

with a local university, summer research opportunities for students at our partner 

institutions, and educational equipment purchases to enhance the lab experiences of 

community college transfer students. 
San Joaquin Delta College - P031C080073 

Activity Description:

Increasing Access to STEM at San Joaquin Delta College 

Delta College is challenged by a large number of underprepared Hispanic and lowincome students who are underrepresented in STEM courses. Too few of them 

successfully complete STEM course work or transfer to four-year universities to pursue 

STEM degrees. The goals of this project are to: (1) increase the number of Hispanic and 

low income students who are academically prepared to graduate and transfer with a long 

term goal of entering STEM professions; and (2) to strengthen the transfer pipeline 

between Delta College and seven four-year universities. 

The college will utilize the CCRAA grant to strengthen its STEM curriculum to ensure 

that it is well aligned with four-year colleges; collaborate with regional industry leaders 

to build STEM career connections for students; engage in outreach activities with 

Hispanic and low income families and high school students to promote STEM careers; 

sponsor faculty workshops to address cultural patterns that can build a foundation for 

student success in STEM disciplines; reopen the college’s planetarium and expand the 

use of technology and lab equipment in STEM learning environments; and promote 

student success through the creation of learning communities across STEM courses. 
University of California, Riverside - P031C080183 

Activity Description:

Three major challenges lie before us in pursuing this mission. We must: (1) enhance the 

number of Hispanic and low-income students who are academically prepared to major in 

the STEM fields at four-year institutions; (2) make their transition to the university a 

smooth and successful one; and (3) support them academically during their formative 

period of study in the STEM majors. 

University of California, Riverside (UCR) proposes to address these challenges by 

achieving three goals. The pre-matriculation goal will send advisors to six partner HSI 

community college campuses to hold regular informational sessions with counselors and 

students regarding articulation agreements, application procedures, financial aid options, 

STEM careers, and the courses needed to prepare for university-level work in the STEM 

fields. The transition goal will promote a successful transition for those Hispanic and 

low-income community college students who choose to matriculate to UCR. We will 

bring these students to the campus during the summer before matriculation to work in 

research laboratories, to become acquainted with faculty, academic advisors, and peers, 

and to engage in workshops familiarizing them with campus resources and the culture of 

a major research university. The student success goal will utilize program models that 

have a proven record of success at the freshman level at UCR, and apply them to the 

junior year when students are entering the critical gateway courses in the STEM majors. 

These programs include supplemental instruction facilitated by upper division 

undergraduates in select courses, early warning signals of academic difficulty in courses, 

intrusive advising, and community building through dedicated spaces for STEM students 

to congregate and study together. 
Ventura College - P031C080127

Activity Description: 

Ventura College (VC) has grown to a 40 percent Hispanic enrollment. Many of these 

students who reside in and commute from low-income areas, are first-generation college 

students, and have few STEM role models. A third of all VC students have “Undecided” 

as their major. 

The project consists of outreach efforts to increase the number of VC STEM majors to 

ultimately increase transfers; improved services to STEM students to increase transfer 

and degree attainment; purchase of STEM equipment to expose students to its use and for 

joint field and research activities; renovation to develop two additional labs plus mobile 

lab capability, transfer services including SAT test preparation; and development of a 

model Articulation and Transfer Agreement built around Program to Program, course and 

sequence, and multiple exit points. More specifically we will work with our two 

university partners (California State University-Channel Islands [CSU-CI] and University 

of California at Santa Barbara [UCSB]) to develop STEM program-to-program pathways 

to develop a model Articulation/Transfer agreement based on at least one STEM program 

that can be replicated. This follows a model we are already beginning with K-12’s on a 

separate grant, run by the same project director. Peer to peer meetings of counselors and 

advisors among institutions will improve communication and information flow to STEM 

students. 
COLORADO 

Trinidad State Junior College - P031C080095 

Activity Description: 

Transforming Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) 

Trinidad State Junior College (TSJC), the oldest two-year public college in Colorado is a 

public, Hispanic-serving institution. TSJC is proposing a CCRAA Individual Institution 

Project to increase the number of students enrolling, retained, completing and transferring 

to four-year institutions by transforming TSJC’s science, technology, mathematics and 

engineering programs. Students in an eight county region of Southern Colorado, 

including 17 high schools will be served by the Transforming STEM project. TSJC has 

developed a partnership with Colorado State University Pueblo, 85 miles north of 

Trinidad, to facilitate a seamless transfer for STEM students. 

Goals: Transforming STEM is a single activity, designed to significantly increase the 

number of disadvantaged students entering and completing STEM coursework. 

Specifically, three components will guide Transforming STEM: 

1. STEM Enrollment: Through outreach activities, new STEM programming and the 

creation of an endowment fund, TSJC will excite and motivate new and existing Hispanic 

and low-income students to earn STEM degree. 

2. STEM Success: Enrolled students will achieve high levels towards STEM degrees 

through enhancement to existing programs, new academic opportunities and resources. 

3. STEM Transfer: TSJC will create new model articulation agreements and upper level 

coursework opportunities for STEM students through new relationships with four-year 

institutions. 
Otero Junior College - P031C080009

Activity Description:

Strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) 

Otero Junior College’s CCRAA project, “Strengthening STEM,” is designed to assist the 

college in increasing the number of students seeking degrees in STEM fields. Specific 

project components (activities) will enable OJC to improve its associate degree programs 

in math, science and technology while working to develop model transfer agreements 

with four-year institutions. OJC is initially focusing its project on two high-growth 

STEM fields: engineering and computer programming. The specifics of the project were 

developed with the help of a detailed self-study, outside input (including our recent 

accreditation process) and the use of current statistics and research into best practices. 

Three project components have been identified to address the needs of our target 

population, the Hispanic and disadvantaged students in OJC’s service area. These 

components are: 

Student retention and enrollment: Encourage retention through the development of 

activities such as outreach, tutoring and the development of new STEM courses. 

Student success: Increase student opportunities in STEM through the improvement of 

technology, professional development and the creation of an endowment fund (developed 

to assist with sustainability). 

Student transfer: Create model transfer and articulation agreements with four-year 

institutions to encourage students to pursue extended study in STEM fields and develop 

on-campus support for these transfer students. 

Strengthening STEM will have significant impact, including: an increase in the number 

of STEM-enrolled students at OJC, an increase in students in grades 6-12 who are 

benefiting from outreach activities, an increase in retention among STEM students and an 

increase in the number of students who are successfully transferring to four-year 

institutions in STEM. Tools being put into place through this grant that will assist in its 

success include additional direct-to-student services (through tutoring and transfer 

assistance), the development of new STEM courses, increased professional development 

opportunities for faculty, improved on campus technology designed to support higher 

technology courses and an improved endowment fund that will be used to address 

sustainability in the long-term. 
ILLINOIS 

Northeastern Illinois University - P031C080027 

Activity Description: 

Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), a Hispanic-serving institution, proposes to 

create a new interdisciplinary Student Center for Science Engagement which will provide 

Hispanic and low-income college students a comprehensive set of services to retain and 

support them in the successful completion of their bachelors degree. The program will 

focus on both competitive preference priorities of the CCRAA, by significantly 

increasing the number of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining degrees in the 

fields of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Science, Mathematics and 

Physics; and by enhancing our transfer and articulation agreements with the two-year 

Hispanic-serving institutions in NEIU’s geographic community in order to increase the 

number and preparation of students seeking majors in these fields. 

 

This project will allow NEIU to develop and improve the capacity to serve Hispanic and 

other low-income students for years to come. The center will integrate effective teaching 

strategies and practices that research shows are effective in encouraging learning, 

persistence and retention. By updating labs and facilities, providing faculty development, 

enhancing academic support and mentoring, creating learning environments that 

encourage social integration, and by enhancing student-faculty interaction, it is 

anticipated that the outcomes will be achieved and will be sustained. This major 

initiative draws upon the past successes of the NEIU effort to support the Hispanic 

community it serves. 
NEW JERSEY 

New Jersey City University - P031C080208

Activity Description:

Improving the Success of Community-College Graduates Seeking to Complete 

Baccalaureate Sciences Degrees 

New Jersey City University (NJCU), located in Jersey City, is New Jersey’s only fouryear, public Hispanic-serving institution. 

The project design is informed by a genuine need among these students, and by NJCU’s 

mission of access and excellence in an urban university with a diverse student population, 

as outlined in NJCU’s current strategic plan, Vision 2010. The goals of this project are to: 

(1) Increase the number of science majors at NJCU; and (2) improve the persistence, 

retention and graduation rates of science majors at NJCU. These goals will be achieved 

through the implementation of the following two activities: 

Activity One: Increasing enrollment through capacity-building within NJCU’s 

science major programs. NJCU will increase its capacity to educate incoming 

“completer” students through: (1) increased and improved capacity for teaching 

laboratory sciences; (2) curricular revision and alignment, both across the NJCU science 

departments and with the “feeder” community colleges; and (3) standardization and 

dissemination of science department websites. We expect to attract significantly more 

NJCU science majors by attracting additional “completer” students. Curricular alignment 

will reduce curriculum-centered obstacles for entering “completer” and other student 

populations at NJCU, and increase the student persistence in science programs at NJCU. 

Activity 2: Improving persistence, retention and graduation among science majors 

at NJCU. Through: (1) cohort-tracking of “completer” students with the Student Early 

Alert System© (SEAS); (2) supplemental instruction for “completers” in upper-level 

science courses; (3) Science-specific advisement for entering “completer” students; and 

(4) opportunities for “completers” to participate in mentored research and scientific 

meetings, NJCU will improve retention and graduation rates of science major 

“completer” students. The SEAS, an innovative and powerful student tracking system 

developed specifically for NJCU, will be used to track the progress of all “completers” 

within science courses and supplemental instruction, and to communicate academic 

progress issues with “completers” on an ongoing, formative basis. Improved student 

success and persistence will increase the number of students who remain in and 

eventually complete science programs at NJCU. 
Passaic County Community College - P031C080139 

Activity Description: 

Passaic Partners for Stem Innovation and Achievement 

Passaic County Community College (PCCC) is the only two-year, public, openadmissions institution in Paterson, the third largest city in New Jersey. Accredited by the 

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, PCCC serves over 7,000 students, a 

predominantly low-income, Hispanic and minority student population. 

 

Facing low enrollment, completion, and transfer rates in its STEM transfer degree 

programs (computer information systems, engineering, mathematics, and science), the 

college has established a partnership committed to moving students along key transition 

points in the STEM pipeline, beginning in 10th grade and continuing through the 

Bachelor’s degree. The project partners include seven local high schools and academies 

serving primarily Hispanic and low-income students and five colleges and universities in 

northern New Jersey. 

 

To improve student success, the project will implement three essential components: (1) a 

K-12 outreach component that involves high schools students in hands-on collaborative 

learning and dual enrollment activities to better prepare them for postsecondary 

education; (2) a STEM improvement effort on the PCCC campus that engages students in 

their STEM learning and provides them with the academic and personal support needed 

to persist, especially in that critical first year of study; and (3) an initiative to facilitate 

student transfer to the university by aligning curriculum in STEM disciplines across the 

various levels of education, guiding students from high school to the community college 

to the university. 
NEW MEXICO

Clovis Community College - P031C080051 

Activity Description: 

Clovis Community College (CCC), located in Clovis, New Mexico, is a public two-year 

institution serving some 4,000 students a semester, over 28 percent of whom (33 percent 

of full-time equivalent ) are Hispanic. 

The purpose of this proposal is to upgrade existing laboratories, increase lab space, 

increase technology applications, and add faculty to improve quality, increase enrollment, 

and expand the breadth of STEM education. CCC will also develop an outreach program 

to area public schools, whose students are over 50 percent Hispanic and 54 percent lowincome, offering professional development for teachers and working to improve college 

readiness of students while increasing their awareness of opportunities in STEM fields. 

The project will increase STEM enrollment at CCC and STEM major transfers to 

baccalaureate and graduate degree granting institutions. By the end of the project, CCC 

math and science enrollment will be at least 15 percent higher than in fall 2007; success 

rates in college-level math and science will be at least five percentage points higher; and 

transfers from CCC to Eastern New Mexico University in STEM fields will increase by 

at least 33 percent over the 2005-2008 average. Capacity-building activities will support 

long-term expansion of STEM curricula and enrollment, and increased endowment 

dedicated to STEM education will help sustain these improvements for years to come. 
New Mexico State University-Carlsbad - P031C080038 

Activity Description: 

New Mexico State University-Carlsbad (NMSU-C) is a public, open-door, 

comprehensive community college and Hispanic-serving institution in Carlsbad, New 

Mexico. Founded in 1950 and now an independently accredited branch campus of 

NMSU-Las Cruces, NMSU-C pursues its mission "to provide access to quality education 

opportunities and to support the economic and cultural life of the people of southeastern 

New Mexico." 

Southeast New Mexico is very rural; the only towns of any size are Carlsbad (population 

25,410), Roswell, and Hobbs, all 70 or more miles apart. Nonetheless, there is a vital 

STEM presence here. Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories and a host of public 

and private concerns employing engineering and information and communication 

technology professionals compete for too few qualified employees, and economic 

development is limited by a dearth of technical personnel. To help close the gap between 

demand and supply, NMSU-C proposes a project entitled Stairways to STEM Success, 

which responds to both CCRAA Competitive Preference Priorities, to increase Hispanic 

and other low-income STEM graduates and develop model transfer and articulation 

agreements between two- and four-year institutions in STEM fields. 

Stairways will develop three new A.S. degree programs in pre-engineering, engineering 

technology, and information and communication technology, renovate and equip labs to 

support them, and provide academic support (self-study resources and tutoring) for their 

enrollees. We also propose to develop model articulation agreements with New Mexico 

State University-Las Cruces and the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, both 

prominent four-year research institutions, for students' transfer into 2 + 2 BS programs in 

all three areas. 

Stairways will also help close the gaps that NMSU-C has faced in graduating STEM 

professionals: Although interest in STEM careers is high and 47 percent of students in 

STEM classes are Hispanic, no students have declared STEM majors or graduated with 

STEM degrees in recent years. Institutional fiscal constraints are responsible: labs are 

outdated and inadequate, course offerings are limited, and no degree programming in the 

targeted fields exists at all. Additionally, the majority of NMSU-C's students come 

underprepared for college-level work (e.g., 85 percent require remediation in math), and 

58 percent of our STEM students are also enrolled in developmental courses. Struggling 

with the rigors of STEM coursework, STEM students' mean GPA is lower than all 

students, and 30 percent of STEM students have GPAs below 2.0. 
Northern New Mexico College - P031C080057 

Activity Description:

“Transforming Northern’s STEM Capabilities,” will move Northern New Mexico 

College substantially forward in its development into a regional university. Only recently 

a community college, Northern New Mexico College has added new STEM 

baccalaureate programs (including biology, environmental science and information 

technology). This project will strengthen each and enable the college to add B.S. 

programs in mechanical engineering (renewable energy) and mathematics. 

The project’s sweeping, comprehensive strategy will focus on: (a) the addition of critical 

laboratory and research capacity in biology, environmental science and chemistry; (b) 

B.S. program enhancements in the mechanical engineering program and a new 

baccalaureate program in mathematics; (c) STEM articulation and transfer efforts with 

regional community colleges to strengthen the pathways into our STEM B.S. programs; 

(d) research and curriculum activities designed to increase STEM faculty and student 

research and strengthen STEM students’ technical writing skills; and (e) support for 

STEM teaching faculty in achieving a terminal degree. 

The project will have measurable and significant outcomes, such as a significant increase 

in the number of Hispanic and other students entering and succeeding in STEM B.S. 

degrees; increases in the number of students enrolled in STEM courses; sustainable 

numbers of students in new B.S. programs; greatly expanded research activity and grantsseeking by STEM faculty; significant improvement in student academic performance, 

retention and graduation rates in STEM fields; and an increase in the number of doctorallevel teaching faculty. 
The Regents of the University of New Mexico-Taos - P031C080114

Activity Description:

Water & Natural Resource Information Systems 

In response to under-representation of Hispanics and Native Americans in the STEM 

fields, congruent to CCRAA-Title V priorities and objectives, and meeting community 

needs, the University of New Mexico-Taos (UNM-Taos) has developed a unique and 

progressive initiative to apply the knowledge of the STEM fields through our faculty and 

field interns in providing educational information and technical assistance to our 

surrounding, predominantly low-income Hispanic communities on the many aspects of 

land tenure/use and water both in terms of quantity and quality. 

Water will surpass oil as the most important issue in the southwest and the nation, and the 

watersheds of northern New Mexico play a prominent role in the development and future 

of the area. Historically, water rights are appurtenant to the land and almost a third (33 

percent) of the entire watershed is owned by low income Hispanics and Native 

Americans. The historical significant ownership of water by Native American and 

Hispanics in northern New Mexico and the increasing competition for water in light of 

scarcity and contamination creates a sense of urgency but also provides an ideal 

opportunity for UNM-Taos to apply STEM technical knowledge in service of the 

community. While increasing the number of low income and Hispanic students 

graduating in STEM disciplines, this project will establish an educational information 

clearinghouse for historical and state of the art spatial data systems, as well as mobile 

field learning labs and methods of dissemination of resources and findings to our 

surrounding communities. 

UNM-Taos has formed a consortium with Taos Pueblo, Hispano aqua associations, water 

and natural resource federal and state agencies with the objective of improving access 

and success in STEM careers focusing on technology based curricula and experiences in 

water and natural resource information systems. Public lands occupy almost 85 percent of 

land in Taos County and our students have grown up in these areas. North central New 

Mexico is a tri-cultural region undergoing vast economic and demographic changes 

resulting in great disparities of wealth and well being. Increasing representation of 

Hispanics and Native Americans in STEM careers will provide local youth greater 

professional employment opportunities in the STEM career pathways. State and federal 

natural resource agencies will benefit by having greater staff diversity as well as being 

able to draw upon the talents of youth familiar with the public lands in their community. 
Regents of the University of New Mexico-Valencia County Branch - P031C080092

Activity Description: 

The University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus (UNM-V) is a two-year, public college 

of the University of New Mexico System. Established as a branch campus in 1981, the 

institution functions as a regional community college. 

Activity 1: To significantly increase the number of Hispanic and other low income 

students attaining associate degrees in STEM fields, and to increase the percentage of 

Hispanic and other low-income STEM students transferring to the UNM-Main Campus 

by developing and implementing a model branch articulation and transfer program 

between UNM-V and UNM-Main Campus. We propose to increase the Hispanic and low 

income student graduation rate in STEM fields by 20 percent over two years and the 

Hispanic and low-income transfer rate in STEM fields to UNM-Main Campus from 13.4 

percent to 18 percent, both by the conclusion of the grant. 

UNM-Valencia plans to achieve this goal in the following ways: 

Increase overall graduation rates for STEM degrees by implementing a University 

Success Course for STEM majors with an emphasis on career opportunities in STEM 

fields and by upgrading classroom technology to include Smartboard® equipment in 

science, math and digital arts classrooms as well as Classroom Capture Technology in all 

classrooms. 

Increase overall success rates in STEM gateway courses through curriculum 

development, intensive training to promote more effective teaching methods, introducing 

supplemental instruction to all sections of these courses, and increasing full-time faculty 

in these courses. 

Implement a model articulation and transfer program from UNM-V to the UNM-Main 

Campus by hiring a full-time STEM senior academic transfer advisor to assist Valencia 

transfer students in overcoming barriers to success at the UNM-Main Campus. 
NEW YORK 

Borough of Manhattan Community College - P031C080210

Activity Description:

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is one of nineteen units comprising 

the City University of New York. Located in one of the fastest growing regions in the 

City of New York (Tribeca), BMCC currently serves more than 24,000 students in its 

credit (18,200) and noncredit (6,000) programs making it the largest community college 

in the University. Located in the heart of New York City’s financial district, the 

communities served by the college extend far beyond the Wall Street - City Hall area. 

Students commute to BMCC from each of the city’s five boroughs and are drawn to the 

college because of its commitment to academic excellence, flexible scheduling options 

and the comprehensive educational services afforded its student body. Notwithstanding 

the large growth in enrollment among community colleges nation-wide over the past 

twenty years, significant gaps continue to exist in the rate at which students are retained 

and graduated, especially among Hispanics in the STEM disciplines and engineering in 

particular. 

Although Hispanics have made modest improvements in educational achievement during 

past decade, they continue to make only marginal gains in terms of their presence in the 

STEM workforce. At BMCC, where the vast majority of its student population is 

comprised of minority groups, many of whom are academically underprepared, these 

findings have heightened importance. The proposed Title V CCRAA initiative will 

improve the access of undergraduate minority students to careers in the engineering by 

effecting long-range improvements in science education at BMCC. 

The project’s is comprised of seven integrated activities, which include: 

Pre-Freshmen Engineering Program, curriculum redesign of courses in engineering, 

student research, faculty development, peer mentoring, supplemental instruction and 

upgrading of outdated lab facilities.
LaGuardia Community College - P031C080028 

Activity Description: 

“Promesa” (Promoting Math Excellence and Science Access) 

LaGuardia Community College’s mission focuses on providing access to higher 

education, particularly for traditionally underserved students – and translating that access 

into success. LaGuardia has been a gateway to college for thousands of students – 

immigrant, Hispanic and other minorities, low-income, and first-generation college. 

LaGuardia’s award-winning instructional and academic support programs have resulted 

in higher first-year retention and graduation rates than the national community college 

averages. 

Yet, the college has not been able to graduate large numbers of Hispanics and lowincome students with degrees in science due to three institutional weaknesses that will be 

addressed through Project Promesa: (1) mathematics – a fundamental prerequisite for 

science study – remains a formidable challenge for LaGuardia’s Hispanic and lowincome students; (2) the college does not offer any specific science majors; and (3) the 

college’s science facilities are inadequate and antiquated, limiting the faculty’s ability to 

implement pedagogical improvements. 

Project Promesa will address these needs through a faculty development program 

designed to adapt a proven approach for higher-level math instruction to “basic skills” 

math at the community college level; the creation of two new STEM degrees (biology 

and environmental science) along with a model transfer and articulation program; and 

significant enhancement of the college’s science lab facilities that will afford Hispanic 

and low-income students opportunities for hands-on, inquiry-based science learning. 
Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology - P031C080012 

Activity Description: 

Encima y Más Allá – Above and Beyond for Hispanic STEM Degree Completion 

Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology was established over 75 years ago in 

Queens, New York, then as a training school for aviation technicians serving LaGuardia 

Airport. As the aviation industry has shifted and changed to reflect advances in 

technology and the global marketplace, Vaughn has had to adapt its mission to become a 

fully accredited college with a mission to produce well-educated graduates for the 21st

Century workplace in high demand aviation and related advanced technology industries. 

The Encima y Más Allá project goals and objectives address the first priority of the 

CCRAA grant program to increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income 

students attaining degrees in the STEM fields by the development of an effective FirstYear Experience (FYE) for Vaughn students, the vast majority of whom are enrolled in 

STEM programs. While 93 percent of our graduates are employed upon graduation, too 

many students do not persist to complete their degrees. National research indicates that 

the critical missing link in Vaughn’s transformation into an effective Hispanic-serving 

institution is a college-wide program to increase student “engagement” in learning, 

beginning as early as possible. Through this CCRAA project, Vaughn will develop an 

Early Connection to Vaughn College (ECVC) bridge program and FYE, which engages 

faculty, support staff and students in the success of our students in the critical first year of 

college. STEM faculty development, STEM-related infrastructure improvements and 

resource development strategies are included to further strengthen and sustain our STEM 

programs. 

Working with our two-year HSI articulation partners, Cochise College (Arizona) and Taft 

College (California), Vaughn will develop an innovative articulation and transfer 

agreement which will provide low-income, Hispanic students from these rural colleges a 

unique opportunity to transfer, with a full-ride scholarship, into Vaughn’s bachelor’s 

degree program in mechatronics. 
PUERTO RICO 

Bayamon Central University - P031C080151 

Activity Description:

Institutional Profile: Located in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Bayamon Central University 

(BCU) is a private Master's Level I coeducational liberal arts institution affiliated with 

the Roman Catholic Church and founded by the Dominican Order in 1961. The student 

body is 100 percent Hispanic. The total 2007 undergraduate enrollment was 2,825 (1,911 

full-time and 914 part-time). BCU offers seven associate degrees, 37 baccalaureate and 

14 master's degree programs. In keeping with the Dominican philosophy, the BCU 

mission is to provide access to postsecondary education for at-risk, low-income Hispanic 

students, offering a solid liberal arts education and degree options in high-demand 

professions of business administration, technology, natural science, teacher education, 

social work, and nursing. 

The San Alberto Magno Science Center classrooms and laboratories have visibly 

deteriorated within the last twenty years without the benefit of repair due to budget 

constraints and high cost to update equipment and provide modern lab instrumentation. 

As STEM enrollment dwindles so does revenue, which is 75 percent dependent on tuition 

and fees; thus, addressing the problem is delayed. Advising and academic support 

services do not provide the degree of support needed for the majority first-time entering 

students who are underprepared (64 percent) and first-generation college (85 percent). 

Consequently, STEM students are losing ground. The participation and persistence 

statistics are startling testimonies of the magnitude of the problem: 

- The number of STEM bachelor's degrees awarded at BCU has dropped by 51 percent 

since 2004. 

- Only 27 percent of the fall 2000 STEM declared majors at BCU persisted to degree 

within six years. - Only 4.5 percent of the BCU student body declared STEM as a major 

(fall 2007). 

Activity: Strengthening the STEM Education Pipeline for Low-Income Hispanic Students 

BCU proposes to repair and strengthen the STEM education pipeline for Hispanic and 

low-income students by developing: (1) adequate resources for STEM curricula (updated 

facilities and modern lab instrumentation); (2) proactive advisement and academic 

support for STEM declared majors and two-year college transfer students; and (3) 

articulation agreements with the partner two-year college (Huertas Junior College), 

including vertically aligning general education science curricula between the two 

institutions. 
Humacao Community College - P031C080129 

Activity Description: 

Located in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Humacao Community College (HCC) is an 

independent, nonprofit, two-year college with a 100 percent Hispanic student body and 

faculty. The total enrollment for fall 2007 was 651 (516 full-time and 135 part-time). 

HCC offers nine occupational degree and four certificate programs. The college is 

accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) 

and the Council of Higher Education (CHE) of Puerto Rico and governed by a fivemember Board of Trustees. The mission of HCC is to "prepare youths and adults through 

educational means of excellence that promote their whole development and their effective 

performance in the occupational world." 

CCRAA Activity: Building a STEM Pipeline for Low-Income Puerto Rican Students 

HCC proposes to increase access to the STEM education pipeline for Hispanic and lowincome students by developing a high-demand biotechnology technician associate in 

applied science degree program and a biotechnology A.A.S. to Bachelor's of Science 

ladder with Inter American University in Puerto Rico - Bayamon: (1) developing 

adequate resources for science curricula (adding and equipping STEM classrooms and 

laboratories and acquiring adequate library and teaching resources); (2) developing 

transfer advisement/support for STEM declared majors, including the addition of a 

STEM advising/transfer center; and (3) developing a model articulation agreement with 

the partner four-year college, including aligning the HCC general education math and 

science curricula with the four-year college curricula for a seamless transition for 

transferring students. 
Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Barranquitas - P031C080082 

Activity Description: 

Recruitment and Retention in Science and Technology by Improving Curriculum, 

Updating Laboratory, and Multimodal Learning 

The goal of this project is to improve and expand institutional capacity of Inter American 

University of Puerto Rico, Barranquitas Campus (IAUPR-BC) to serve Hispanic and 

other low-income students in the areas of life sciences (B.S. in biology and B.S. in 

biotechnology), B.S. and A.S. in computer science, and engineering. This goal will be 

accomplished by: (1) Increasing the percentage of students entering into the Science and 

Technology Department at IAPR-BC by 50 percent; (2) Increasing in 50 percent the 

retention rates of students in the Science and Technology Department at IAPRBC at 

IAUPR-BC from the first year through the second year by means of student services, 

such as counseling and the Multimodal Learning Center; (3) The implementation of a 

transfer and articulation agreement in Engineering between IAUPR-BC and Inter 

American University of Puerto Rico Bayamón Campus (IAUPR-BY); (4) Strengthening 

IAUPR-BC curriculum in science and technology, through curriculum articulation and 

updating laboratory activities using problem based learning; and (5) Updating science 

laboratories to implement hand-on and problem solving based learning and undergraduate 

research. Therefore, the main outcome of this project will be the increase in retention rate 

and the number of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining degrees in the fields 

of science and technology at IAUPR-BC. 
Universidad del Este, Carolina - P031C080085 

Activity Description: 

The ASSI Project

Closing Academic, Support Services and Intervention Gaps to Increase Retention and 

Success of STEM Programs Students UNE-Carolina CCRAA Individual Grant Proposal, 

a single comprehensive integrated project, has the overarching objective of increasing the 

number of students attaining degrees in STEM fields by academically and affectively 

strengthening its enrollment toward a successful completion of a degree. 

Critical needs affecting UNE-Carolina STEM programs students are as follows: 

(1) High failure rates in mathematics, English and Spanish courses requirements; 

(3) Insufficient proactive student support to satisfy academic and educational needs, 

promote college integration and provide continuous services and timely interventions; 

(4) Insufficient course instructional assessment processes integration at classroom and at 

administrative level; and 

(5) Inadequately prepared faculty to promote student success and retention. 

The proposed project will accomplish its objectives by: providing STEM students the 

services and resources that will enable them to succeed in their courses, adapt to college 

life and persist to graduation; promoting the integration of course instructional and 

institutional assessment processes into math, English and Spanish STEM courses to 

monitor effectiveness of learning; increasing training and access to information and 

communication technologies and providing for STEM students; promoting the integration 

of alternative instructional methodologies, course assessment techniques and integration 

of technology by implementing a Faculty Instructional Development Institute (FIDI) and 

personalized one to one sessions. 
Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, San Juan - P031C080198 

Activity Description: 

The CCRAA project aims to motivate and support high school graduates admitted to the 

Universidad del Sagrado Corazon (USC) to pursue a STEM B.S. degree. The intent of the 

proposed initiative is to ensure that no talented Hispanic or low-income student will be 

denied the opportunity to pursue studies at the baccalaureate level, gain access into the 

science fields, and pursue graduate education in science because of a lack of support 

services. This vision is embodied in the institution’s mission statement and subscribed by 

the faculty and staff who have chosen to participate in this project. Current outreach and 

dissemination strategies will be enhanced to improve recruitment of new science majors 

so that by September 2010, 30 new STEM students will have been successfully recruited 

and pipelined into the science programs at USC. 

USC is a 100 percent Hispanic-Serving Institution with a significant percentage of lowincome students (66 percent), also serving a substantial female population. Spanish is the 

language of instruction although English is required, taught, and used extensively 

throughout all courses and disciplines.

USC recognizes the national need to strengthen our economy, retain and expand 

advanced STEM based industries, provide well paying jobs for our work force, maintain 

and expand national competitiveness in the new science based economy. To achieve 

these goals, the nation needs to increase the number of students entering STEM fields, 

and to increase retention and graduation rates of Hispanics and other minorities and lowincome students in these fields. Thus, USC plans to identify and implement up-to-date 

teaching/learning strategies and curricula that address student needs; increase high school 

students’ interest and competence in STEM; advance undergraduate student and faculty 

research skills and experiences; increase retention and graduation rates of USC’s STEM 

students; and advance the professional development of faculty. These steps are viewed as 

critical elements in our efforts to address the under representation of minority students, 

particularly Hispanics, in the sciences. 
Universidad Politécnica de Puerto Rico, Hato Rey- P031C080209

Activity Description: 

Title: Increasing the five year graduation rate at Universidad Politécnica de Puerto 

Rico through transformative change in engineering curriculum and the addition of 

support and materials 

Studies from the National Science Foundation show that minorities and women, who 

have a more hands-on approach with the engineering curriculum at an earlier time during 

their five-year tenure, will more likely graduate. With this knowledge, Universidad 

Politécnica de Puerto Rico (UPPR) researched ways to increase the five-year graduation 

rate at UPPR. 

Goal 1: To increase the five-year graduation rate of students in the College of 

Engineering and Geomatic Science. Outcome: The graduation rate will increase by 

twenty percent in five years, as measured and/or shown by university graduation records. 

UPPR is a commuter college, in that there are no dorms. Therefore, UPPR will be able to 

attract more students by developing a distance education online program. Also, a distance 

education program will be developed in order to collaborate with other higher education 

institutions. 

Goal 2: Engineering support personnel and materials will be added to assist Hispanic 

and/or low income Engineering Students. 

Two academic advisors and two engineering mentors will be hired to assist Hispanic 

and/or low-income engineering students. This specialize assistance will help Hispanic 

students to graduate within five years. 

Goal 3: Updating technology and materials in the engineering laboratories and Technical 

Support Lab, as per Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) 

standards. 

As per recommendations from ABET, technology and materials in each of the labs from 

the nine departments in the College of Engineering need to be upgraded and added so that 

the student-to-materials ratio is less. 
TEXAS 

El Paso Community College - P031C080207

Activity Description: 

El Paso Community College STEM Labs for Early College High School 

El Paso Community College (EPCC) is a Hispanic-serving institution. We have five 

campuses in El Paso County, serving a population that is nearly all Hispanics, many of 

whom are low-income. While many efforts have been made to improve the number of 

fair-paying jobs, the people that we serve are at a disadvantage to perform in prevailing 

new jobs because our people are not well-trained, particularly in those jobs that require a 

knowledge and experience with skills embedded with science, technology, engineering, 

and math abilities. To respond to this situation, EPPC is adding two new STEM College 

High Schools (ECHS) at our Trans-mountain and North West Campuses, where we will 

partner with the El Paso and Canutillo Independent School Districts. 

With the support of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, we will upgrade our 

current lab facilities, articulation agreements, and support services within a 24-month 

period, starting in November of 2008 and ending in September of 2010 to meet this 

timely and needed demand. Our goals are to: (a) increase the number of Hispanic 

students enrolling in STEM fields; (b) increase the number of EPCC students that transfer 

to four-year institutions in STEM fields; (c) transform, renovate, and upgrade existent 

STEM facilities at the Trans-mountain and North West Campuses; and (d) improve the 

STEM academic and support services at the two target campuses. To achieve this we 

have developed a process that is well-planned, builds on existent relationships with the 

target school districts and the University of Texas at El Paso, will be closely monitored 

and evaluated, and is achievable in the time period proposed. 
Mountain View College - P031C080182 

Activity Description: 

Mountain View College (MVC) is a public, two-year degree-granting college that 

currently (spring 2008) serves 6,700 students (48 percent Hispanic / 29 percent AfricanAmerican) in economically disadvantaged southwest Dallas County. Low or nonexistent interest in STEM fields of study, few linkages with other educational institutions, 

lack of STEM relevant career opportunities and an annual budget that is vulnerable to 

fluctuations in enrollment are among the problems facing this 38-year old minorityserving institution. In that context, STEM Infrastructure represents an aggressive 

approach to creating a collaborative, STEM-focused and student-centered program to: 

(1) increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining degrees in a 

STEM field; and (2) to develop model transfer agreements between MVC and area fouryear institutions. 

The STEM Infrastructure program design satisfies both competitive preference priorities 

with a focus on activities that propose to increase the number of Hispanic and other low 

income students attaining degrees in a STEM field of study and the development of an 

innovative STEM-focused infrastructure resulting in model transfer and articulation 

agreements between MVC, the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at 

Arlington. STEM Infrastructure, a 24 month program (60-month evaluation plan), is 

designed to provide future and current students with STEM-focused curricular alignment 

and student-centered instructional practices while creating linkages between educational 

institutions and developing engaging STEM-focused programs of study. 

 

Activity One (STEM Skill Development) - Develop co-institutional STEM connections 

and provide an infrastructure of STEM academic support for Hispanic and low-income 

students. 

Activity Two (STEM Course Development) -. Program and curriculum development 

for an Engineering Science Program and an Air Traffic Control Program. 

Activity Three (STEM Evaluation, Dissemination and Publication) - Implementation 

of comprehensive evaluation framework, improved access to best practices developed 

and dissemination of programmatic achievements. 
Odessa College - P031C080147

Activity Description: 

Odessa College (OC) located in the flatlands of West Texas known as the Permian Basin, 

opened its doors in 1946 with 186 students. Since that time, this Hispanic-serving 

institution has grown to serve a student body in excess of 4,500 each year. The college’s 

state designated service area includes 13 contiguous, predominantly rural West Texas 

counties bordering New Mexico and encompassing more than 33,800 square miles. 

Within this region, 47 percent of residents are Hispanic, poverty rates are high (17.7 of all 

residents; 25.3 percent Hispanic), and educational attainment is low. More than 24 

percent of adult residents (36 percent Hispanic residents) have not completed high school 

and just 18 percent have a baccalaureate degree (four percent Hispanic). 

Like the residents it serves, OC has endured the ups and downs of a rollercoaster 

economy largely dependent on the oil and gas industry. We have watched our regions 

disadvantaged residents lured into a false sense of security by well-paying (but 

temporary) jobs in the oil fields when the economy is at a high point. A short while later 

these residents often find themselves out of work, without adequate education credentials, 

and without any transferable skills. We submit this CCRAA application with intent of 

creating an avenue for increased opportunities for our Hispanic and low-income students 

so that they may have the appropriate skills and credentials to rise above the confines of 

menial labor and join the ranks of the well educated engineering workforce in the region. 

Our Pathways for Hispanic Engineers in West Texas project will create a pre-engineering 

degree tract at Odessa College and develop an articulation agreement Texas Tech 

University (located 120 miles away in Lubbock, Texas) to facilitate and encourage twoyear to four-year transfer of our students. 
Palo Alto College - P031C080173 

Activity Description: 

San Antonio, Texas, emerged after the 2000 Census as one of the largest, fastest-growing 

and most Hispanic cities in the nation. San Antonio is now the seventh largest city in the 

United States (population of 1,144,646). San Antonio is also a poor city. 

Approximately 17.3 percent of San Antonio residents live in poverty compared to 15.4 

percent for the state and 12.4 percent for the nation. Serving the disadvantaged 

population is Palo Alto College (PAC). Palo Alto College, served a student population 

of 8,021 in fall 2007 of whom 65 were Hispanic, 74 percent were first-generation college 

students and 49 percent were classified as economically disadvantaged. Student 

indicators are troubling. At Palo Alto College, 56 percent of entering first-time-incollege students also do not graduate. The six-year graduation rate for the firsttime-in-college freshman cohorts was 21.3 percent from 1999 to 2005, and only 15.8 

percent of entering Palo Alto College students’ transfers to a public university. 

Palo Alto College proposed MOTIVE (Motivating Opportunity to Involve Valuable 

Education) which translates to MOTIVATE in Spanish: (1) Professional development 

for PAC STEM faculty (and surrounding high schools STEM teachers); (2) Hire two 

science lab technicians III, one application analyst/programmer position, 10 math and 

science tutors, one STEM curriculum consultant and support two to four faculty-visiting 

STEM scholar’s to improve services in STEM fields; hire seven student “ STEM Peers 

Helping Peers Succeed” – STEM Peer Advisors in different STEM-related fields to 

mentor college students and promote the STEM fields; (3) Palo Alto College will 

significantly increase the amount of external funding available for STEM student 

scholarships and program development through an endowment; (4) Palo Alto 

College will significantly improve STEM faculty development resources through the 

upgrading two science labs at PAC and the creation of a Science Exploration 

Laboratory Center; (5) Strengthen STEM partnerships by improving graduation, 

and transfer rates of underrepresented minority students in STEM fields by 

modifying current articulation agreements between PAC and the University of Texas at 

San Antonio and Texas A&M University. 
South Texas College - P031C080202 

Activity Description: 

South Texas College is a public institution of higher education meeting the diverse 

educational and workforce needs of the people of Hidalgo and Starr counties. The 

college’s vision is a better quality of life for its communities. The college’s core values 

are student success, excellence, integrity, community and opportunity. 

This project simultaneously attacks regional independent school district weaknesses in

exit math success rates; and reinforces aggressive South Texas College STEM degree 

attainment efforts. 

Although South Texas College (hereinafter also referred to as STC or College) makes 

college readiness a focus issue through its Annual Summit on College and Career 

Readiness and through its developmental studies program, the fact remains that most of 

the students enrolling at STC are not college-ready. STC enrollment of students 

underprepared in math is averaging approximately 70 percent. Upon enrollment into 

South Texas College, these students must take a recommended sequence of 

developmental math courses before they can continue to more advanced college-level 

academic work. This project will focus on the math failure rate through a reinforcement 

of the college’s Developmental Math Studies Program. Specifically, the proposed 

Project will implement the recommendations of the college’s Developmental Math Task 

Force, which has been developing strategies to combat this problem. 

The true measure of success for this project’s STEM expansion component is not how 

many students enroll each year, but instead, how many students complete their courses 

each semester and graduate with specific STEM degrees. The project’s specific 

measurable goals of the STEM expansion component are based on two student groups of 

140 each being served by the project, or a total of 280 students aiming at a STEM degree. 

The goal is to double the total number of students attaining STEM degrees by the end of 

a three-year time frame, compared to the latest baseline data in fall 2008. In fall 2007, 

there were 171 STC STEM degrees awarded. This means that the project would have to 

achieve at least a 61.1 percent success rate with its 280 students based on fall 2007 data. 
Sul Ross State University - P031C080199

Activity Description: 

Sul Ross State University (established 1917), a charter Hispanic-Serving Institution, is a 

small, public, regional comprehensive university located in rural West Texas that serves 

just over 1,800 students. The SuI Ross campus in scenic Alpine, Texas, is gateway to 

"Big Bend Country," a crucible of cultures: Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and 

Anglo. From the slowly winding Rio Grande River to the vast expanses of the 

Chihuahuan Desert and Davis Mountains, the culturally rich but impoverished people 

along the 1,200-mile Texas-Mexico border have historically looked to Sul Ross for a new 

way of life. Virtually all of our students (49 percent Hispanic) come from this 

economically and educationally disadvantaged population. While Sul Ross is committed 

to fulfilling its comprehensive mission of access and success for area residents, funds 

have not been available to resolve documented gaps and weaknesses in services and 

infrastructure, which threaten our ability to effective serve our students, particularly in 

promising STEM fields. The purpose of the proposed CCRAA project, "Inspiring 

Achievement in STEM," is not only to increase Hispanic and other low-income students' 

attainment of STEM degrees, but also to enlarge the STEM higher education pipeline by 

developing model transfer and articulation agreements with area two-year colleges (South 

Plains College and EI Paso Community College). The project will replace outdated 

science, technology and math lab equipment, develop pro-active academic support, 

establish two STEM Transfer Centers and provide faculty development in instructional 

techniques utilizing new equipment and technology and in teaching learners from diverse 

backgrounds. 
Texas A&M International University - P031C080083

Activity Description: 

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU), a Hispanic-serving institution located in 

Laredo, Texas, proposes a College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) Individual 

Development Grant project to establish an innovative recruitment and retention program 

that will increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income minority students 

pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 

Activity: STEM Recruitment, Retention and Graduation (STEM-RRG) 

The purpose of the project is to strengthen academic offerings and program quality and 

increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income minority students attaining 

degrees in STEM fields by: (1) Developing a STEM Recruitment and Enrichment 

Program; (2) Establishing a Pre-Engineering Cohort; (3) Establishing a Mathematics 

Education Cohort; (4) Creating an endowment that will provide Hispanic and other lowincome STEM students a continuous source of scholarships; (5) Providing STEM 

research experience to enhance student retention; (6) Developing a mathematics 

enrichment program; (7) Creating a college algebra support program; (8) Providing 

faculty development in the areas of curriculum design, working with diverse populations, 

assessment and instructional strategies; (9) Developing a model transfer agreement and 

student advising; and (10) Offering counseling support services. 
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi - P031C080033 

Activity Description:

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) located in Corpus Christi, Texas, 

seeks a Title V CCRAA (College Cost Reduction and Access Act) grant in order to: (a) 

increase the number of transfer and first-time-in-college (FTIC) students who will seek a 

baccalaureate degree in STEM disciplines; and (b) design and improve an articulation 

and joint advising agreement with Del Mar College that will help increase the number of 

transfers from Del Mar College to TAMUCC who will seek baccalaureate degrees in 

STEM areas. Four goals, eight objectives, and four components provide the framework 

for this program. 

This project has a four-pronged approach based on four goals. They are: 

1. To increase the number of transfer as well as first-year-in-college students, especially 

Hispanics, who will succeed academically and obtain degrees in STEM areas of their 

choice. (The STEM Academic Support Services Component) 

2. To increase the strength of the articulation, joint advising and transfer agreement 

between TAMUCC, and Del Mar College, through a renewed articulation agreement 

targeting transfer students majoring in STEM areas. (The Articulation Agreement 

Component) 

3. To increase the quality of classroom instruction through a faculty development 

component aimed at providing enrichment experiences to enhance the pedagogical skills 

of faculty. (The Faculty Development Component) 

4. To increase the quality and quantity of on-campus resources through a renovation of 

The Glasscock Building as an HSI STEM Center in order to provide academic support 

services for the STEM disciplines. (The Classroom Renovation Component) 

Project services and activities include the following: For Component One, services to be 

provided include academic student support activities to include: (1) outreach to potential 

transfer and FTIC students to encourage them to pursue and persist in a STEM degree; 

(2) mentoring, advising and more intensive degree audits to increase stem majors; (3) 

intake of these students into a CCRAA cohort of transfers and FTIC students to be 

provided intensive services in STEM disciplines to include mentoring, tutoring, 

supplemental instruction, advising, student tracking, and a summer career and research 

exploration experience; (4) supplemental instruction and tutoring to increase the course 

persistence of students in challenging courses; (5) student tracking, mentoring and 

advising and follow up to increase the number of these students who will graduate with a 

baccalaureate degree in STEM disciplines. For Component Two: design of a new 

articulation agreement emphasizing the STEM disciplines through collaboration with Del 

Mar College. For Component Three, the creation of a STEM Faculty Development 

Program to provide a faculty skills development and enrichment series; and for 

Component Four, the renovation of a building into an HSI STEM Center for Student 

Success. 
The University of Texas at Brownsville - P031C080205

Activity Description: 

The University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) is located in Brownsville, Texas, serves a 

student population of over 17,000, of which 93 percent are Hispanic. UTB’s service area 

is among one of the poorest in the nation and is located on the border between Texas and 

Mexico in a region that boasts the highest concentration of Hispanics in the state. 

The Science and Technology Educational Partnerships for Success (STEPS) project at 

UTB proposes to address the needs of the predominately Hispanic student population of 

the South Texas region through collaboration with three regional community colleges 

including South Texas College, Del Mar Community College, and Texas State Technical 

College. The STEPS project will: (1) enhance student transferability into bachelor level 

STEM fields and programs; (2) facilitate student support interventions to improve the 

transfer process and success rates of STEM students; (3) create additional attractive 

pipelines for science majors to take coursework in bioinformatics and computer 

forensics; (4) to improve existing laboratory facilities; and (5) create an endowment that 

will provide scholarships and incentives to bolster student persistence in higher 

educational pursuits. It is the intent of the STEPS project to increase enrollment of STEM 

majors at UTB through articulation, student support and focused advising, and to create 

an environment that connects students with the potential to succeed in science as a career. 

This project will offer for the first time to students in the southernmost region of Texas 

interdisciplinary science degrees at bachelor levels in the emerging fields of computer 

security and forensics as well as bioinformatics. Enhancing current facilities to create 

state-of-the-art laboratories in these fields will support these fields. Thus, STEM students 

will be able not only learn to perform exploratory studies but also advance their 

knowledge in research. 
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin - P031C080166

Activity Description: 

 

Opportunities for Student Achievement and Transfer for a STEM initiative designed to 

achieve the following goals: 

1. To increase the number of transfer students from area community college who enroll 

and graduate from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) in STEM 

disciplines. 

2. To enhance mathematics and science achievement across the curriculum. 

3. To enhance engineering instruction, pre-engineering enrollment and to obtain 

authority to offer the full four year engineering degree at UTPB. 

4. To increase students’ use and exposure to technology in STEM disciplines. 

 

UTPB will align its mathematics curriculum with the area high schools and community 

colleges in order to achieve a more seamless transition into the university. Additionally, 

resources to build an engineering program, including laboratories will be purchased and 

implemented. Student support services, such as mentoring, tutoring and providing a 

UTPB STEM advisor on community college campuses will be will be offered to students. 

UTPB will increase its outreach to the community colleges, including pursuing specific 

STEM articulation agreements to add to the agreements already in place. 

 

A math specialist will be employed to assist with changing the delivery of Pre-calculus 

and Calculus I as well as to assist students in developing the prerequisite skills needed to 

do well in their mathematics courses. This foundational math will enable students to 

succeed in all STEM disciplines, since math is fundamental to all of the Sciences and 

technology. Several laboratories to support engineering and computer science will be 

built and classroom technology will be purchased for several of UTPB’s buildings. 
The University of Texas at San Antonio - P031C080167

Activity Description: 

Academy for Teacher Excellence (ATE): E3 (Equity, Education, Entrepreneurship) 

Pathways to Hispanic Students’ Success 

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), in collaboration with Northwest Vista 

College, requests funding to address the issue of low Hispanic participation and retention 

to prepare teacher candidates in the STEM areas and to enhance the STEM content, 

pedagogical, technological, and cultural knowledge and skills of bilingual, English as a 

Second Language (ESL), and special education teacher candidates. This will be 

accomplished by improving the capacity of UTSA to improve student success and to 

provide affordable high-quality educational opportunities for their students. UTSA’s 

Strategic Plan 2016 supports the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) 

mission to provide funds for institutions for higher education (IHE) to address the 

competitive priorities and take actions that on a short term basis address obstacles to 

achieve its goals and institutionalize a process to achieve long term change of practices 

that become institutionalized throughout the educational pipeline. 

Objectives: Objectives and outcomes are consistent with Government Performance and 

Results Act indicators and are clearly specified and measurable. Six major outcomes will 

guide the proposed project activities: (1) 100 Hispanic or other low-income students will 

be recruited and enrolled in UTSA’s program for preparing STEM, bilingual, ESL or 

special education teachers; (2) Add 50 secondary teachers in the STEM areas and 50 

elementary bilingual/ESL and special education teachers to reduce these shortage areas 

that disproportionately impact Hispanic and other low-income students; (3) 90 percent of 

Hispanic or other low-income minority students participating in the project (50 in a 

STEM area and 50 in a critical teaching shortage area including bilingual, ESL and 

special education) will successfully complete the first year in the program with at least a 

2.5 grade point average (GPA) or higher; (4) 85 percent of Hispanic and other lowincome minority students participating the second year will successfully complete the 

first two years with at least a 2. 5 GPA or higher; (5) Increase the number of Hispanics 

transferring from Northwest Vista College to UTSA by five percent each project year; 

and (6) 80 percent of Hispanic and other low-income minority students participating in 

the project will be fully certified to teach one of the STEM areas, or bilingual, ESL and 

special education. 
University of the Incarnate Word - P031C080203

Activity Description: 

University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), San Antonio, Texas. The overarching purpose 

of UIW’s CCRAA project is to carry out activities that increase the number of Hispanic 

and other low-income students who receive a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, 

engineering or mathematics (STEM). To address this purpose, this project will 

accomplish the following four objectives: 

Objective 1: Increase the number of declared STEM majors by 3.5 percent, from a 

baseline of 734, in spring 2008, to 760 by 2010. 

Objective 2: Increase average student pass rates in selected gateway STEM courses 

from 66 percent, in Academic Year 2007-2008, to 70 percent by 2010. 

Objective 3: Increase student progression in STEM disciplines by two percent from a 

baseline of 73 percent in fall 2007, to 75 percent by 2010. 

Objective 4: Increase the number of STEM classrooms and labs that satisfy national 

accreditation standards, from a baseline of 30 (out of 51) in 2008, to 40 by 2010. 

These four objectives were formulated after a thorough assessment of national, state, 

community, and institutional needs. The project will fulfill these objectives by carrying 

out two activities supported by a series of tasks. 

Several components of this project make it an innovative model for other HispanicServing Institutions (HSIs). One of these is the focus on expanding articulation 

agreements in STEM with St. Philip’s College (SPC), a two-year HSI here in San 

Antonio. To accomplish this expansion, faculty from UIW and SPC will work together to 

align curriculum in selected STEM courses and carry out joint activities between STEM 

faculty and students at both institutions. Another innovative component is the planning of 

faculty instructional development workshops that will focus on collaborative and 

cooperative learning strategies that research shows benefits minority students. The 

workshops will be held each summer of the award period for UIW and SPC STEM 

faculty and will include breakout sessions for group work and collaboration. A final 

innovative component is the emphasis on improving curriculum and teaching in 

introductory or so-called gateway STEM courses. These courses often “weed out” 

Hispanic and other students who initially major in STEM but who are not strong in 

mathematics or science. The gateway courses that this project will focus on are lower 

level mathematics and chemistry courses. Equipment and technology purchases are an 

important part of this project. These purchases will increase in the number of existing 

classrooms and laboratories that meet national standards in which Hispanic and other 

STEM students can conduct research and receive high-quality training. 
FY 2008 CCRAA COOPERATIVE GRANTS 

CALIFORNIA 

California State University-Bakersfield - P031C080013 

Activity Description: 

Leveraging an Established Intersegmental Partnership to Provide an Accessible 

STEM Pathway for Hispanic Students in one of the Highest need Regions in 

America 

California State University-Bakersfield (CSUB), the lead college in this collaborative 

project is the only four-year, public institution of higher education within a 100-mile 

radius of Bakersfield and currently enrolls over 6,000 undergraduates, 37 percent of 

whom are Hispanic. CSUB has joined forces with Bakersfield College (BC), the closest 

two-year HSI, to undertake a project which directly addressees the two priorities of the 

CCRAA STEM grant program. BC is an older, larger college with 15,000 students, about 

45 percent Hispanic. Together CSUB and BC serve a region of California that is on the 

frontlines of the national crisis in Hispanic under preparedness for and underrepresentation in STEM degree completion. The K-12 system is at the bottom of the 

California system in student achievement/preparation for college. 

Working closely with BC the project is planned to provide a seamless inter-segmental 

STEM pathway for Hispanic student success – the logical next step for CSUB in acting 

strategically to produce more Hispanic STEM graduates who will determine the future of 

the service area. Project components include: Collaborative STEM Outreach, 

Effective STEM Transfer and Articulation, Removing Specific Institutional Pathway 

Obstacles, and Developing a Model STEM Transfer and Articulation Agreement. The 

project has one overarching measurable objective which all components, strategies and 

activities were planned to achieve: To increase, by 20 percent, the number of Hispanic 

students who enroll and transfer successfully from BC to CSUB to complete STEM 

degree programs.
California State University, Monterey Bay - P031C080193

Activity Description:

California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), a young and growing Hispanicserving institution (HSI) with a deep commitment to underserved and underrepresented 

populations, will partner with Hartnell College, a HSI community college with 60 percent 

Hispanic enrollment, to achieve three goals. First, the partnership will increase the 

number of Hispanic and low-income students attaining Bachelor of Science degrees from 

CSUMB in the science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields. Second, 

the partnership will increase the number of STEM students transferring from Hartnell 

College to CSUMB. Finally, the partnership will develop effective feedback and 

continuous improvement mechanisms to ensure high quality practices, products, and 

services. CSUMB student retention and graduation rates significantly lag behind their 

sister institutions in the CSU system. Additionally Hispanic and low-income transfer 

students in STEM majors at CSUMB have graduation rates of 50 percent and 40 percent 

respectively, which are significantly lower than comparable transfer graduation rates for 

the CSU system. Of the 23 CSU campuses CSUMB is last in attracting and enrolling 

transfer students. Furthermore, the number of transfer students decreased by 20 percent 

over the past two years, and in the 2007-08 academic year only eight percent of all 

Hartnell College transfer students to CSUMB were in the STEM disciplines. Through 

this program, CSUMB will invigorate the academic experience, and provide students 

with a clear, contextualized vision of how their academic experience fits within the larger 

world. This will be achieved through: 

• Innovative courses that utilize the latest technology and teach through hands-on, realworld experiences. 

• Curriculum that allows students to make connections between courses, disciplines, and 

the larger world in order to expand their learning environment. 

• Undergraduate student research and conference participation that inspire students to 

fully utilize their knowledge and critical thinking skills. 

• Strong faculty-student connections to reinforce connections to the university and the 

professional community. 

The program will also help remedy the community college transfer issue by attracting 

and retaining STEM transfers students. For this effort to succeed, there must be strong 

linkages between institutions, faculty, and students. Likewise, there must be a draw – and 

a clear pathway – toward CSUMB. This will be achieved through sound transfer and 

articulation agreements supported by faculty-to-faculty connections, and by connecting 

Hartnell students with the CSUMB learning environment, and applied undergraduate 

research opportunities. This program will make the connections between institutions, 

between courses and majors, and between classroom instruction and real-world 

applications that will strengthen students’ desires and abilities to obtain STEM degrees. 
East Los Angeles College - P031C080094

Activity Description:

The LEAD applicant, East Los Angeles College (ELAC), enrolled 22,287 students in 

2007, with more Hispanic students (16,739 or 75 percent) than any other postsecondary 

institution in California. The COOPERATIVE institution, California State University Los 

Angeles (CSULA) enrolled 21,051 students in the same time period; 8,908 Hispanic 

students (42 percent). The two institutions are located only two miles apart. Over 60 

percent of ELAC math enrollments are below college-level, and only 16 percent of math 

students enroll in Intermediate Algebra or above. Only 188 of 443 degrees awarded in 

2007 (42.4 percent) were awarded to Hispanic students—suggesting serious attrition 

within transfer programs among Hispanic students. Gaps in service include: (a) poor 

articulation between community college and local high schools; (b) “leakage” in STEM 

pipelines at all levels, including ELAC; (c) heavy remedial math burdens drive students 

away from STEM majors; (d) women are underrepresented in STEM and Engineering 

programs; and (e) outdated transfer/articulation agreements between ELAC and CSULA. 

PROJECT DESIGN: (a) Increase admission of math-ready high school graduates by 

linking ELAC Engineering admission to the effective Escalante math enrichment 

program operating at local high schools; (b) Offer Multi-disciplinary Preview to 

Engineering Courses, attracting more Latino students by offering them the prospect of 

solving problems and contributing to an improved urban quality of life; (c) Offer 

Specialized Math for Engineers to contextualize the calculations and problems required 

of professional engineers, by presenting concrete and theoretical mathematical solutions; 

(d) Complete Modular Articulation Agreements for Engineering between ELAC and 

CSULA to allow greater diversity and specialization in lower division course offerings. 

All services are appropriate to the needs of intended recipients or beneficiaries, based on 

research and analysis of effective practices in engineering education. 
Gavilan College - P031C080030

Activity Description: 

STEM Future Professionals: Student Support, Faculty Development, and 

Streamlined Transfer/ Articulation Model 

Gavilan College, Lead San Jose State University, Partner 

Public 2-Year Community: Western 

Associations of Schools and Colleges 

(WASC) 

Public California State Universities: WASC 

Gilroy, CA: northwest San Joaquin Valley San Jose, CA 

Headcount, Fall, 2007: 7,174 Headcount, Fall, 2007: 31,906 

Race/Ethnicity: 5% Asian; 2% Black; 47% 

Hispanic; 40% White; 1% Native American

Race/Ethnicity: 23% Asian/Pacific Islander; 

5% Black; 18% Hispanic; 27% White; 1% 

Native American 

STEM Needs Project Program 

1. Students need STEM career information 

and better math skills; too few STEM majors.

Part 1: STEM Support Center: career and 

academic advising, tutoring, summer 

bridges. 

2. Faculty need new pedagogies to sustain 

STEM interest; faculty exchange is rare. 

Part 2: Faculty Redesign Courses, Teaching 

- Learning Exchange, Student Research 

3. Address barriers and misalignments in the

STEM curriculum pathway: high school 

through college. 

Part 3: Transfer/Articulation Model: 

Pathway Task Force: representatives from 

3 high schools, Citrus College, and La 

Verne. 
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College - P031C080174

Activity Description: 

Los Angeles Trade-Technical College (LATTC) and California State University Los 

Angeles (CSULA) College of Engineering, Computer Science and Technology are 

applying for a Cooperative Agreement Development Grant under the Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions Program College Cost Reduction and Access Act to fund the 

LATTC/CSULA STEM Success Program. Both colleges are Hispanic-Serving 

Institutions with a large percentage of Hispanic students, most of whom are low-income. 

The colleges are located in Los Angeles, California and are approximately five miles 

from each other. 

We conducted a needs assessment in preparation for this application and those results, 

combined with current available research resulted in the following list of needs we will 

address. The need for: 

3⁄4 Increased outreach and recruitment efforts specific to STEM-related careers; we 

have too few science related outreach efforts. 

3⁄4 Increased number of STEM related degrees at LATTC; we have several, but more 

are needed to attract students to STEM fields. 

3⁄4 Increased positive outcomes for Hispanic students in STEM-related classes; the 

success rate is far too low as compared to other ethnic groups. 

3⁄4 Increased coordination between LATTC and CSULA in STEM career pathways. 

3⁄4 Curriculum alignment and instructor interaction are needed to insure smooth 

transitions from high school to community college to four-year colleges and 

universities. 

3⁄4 Increased opportunities for STEM-related student leadership development.

The project design is primarily comprised of LATTC and CSULA jointly developing the 

STEM Success Program (SSP). The STEM Success Program will consist of three major 

program activities as follows: (1) Outreach and Recruitment; (2) Program, Pathway and 

Instructor Development; and (3) Student Support and Leadership Development. And 

these three program activities will be carried out through the following six interrelated 

components: 

1) The Science and Technology Academy; 

2) Development of additional LATTC Associate in Science degree programs; 

3) STEM Pathways Initiative; 

4) Vertical STEM Teacher Alliance; 

5) Student Leadership Development Component; and 

6) STEM Student Support Services Network. 
Oxnard College - P031C080153

Activity Description: 

Pathway to the Baccalaureate in STEM Fields: Realizing the Dream 

Located approximately 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles, Oxnard College (OC) is the 

youngest and fastest growing of the three community colleges in the Ventura County 

Community College District. Student unduplicated headcount for 2006-07 was 10,450, 

over 80 percent from racial/ethnic minority groups, with Hispanics making up the largest 

group (61 percent of enrollment). OC has undergone significant transformation in recent 

years, and continues to expand and enhance its programs and services in response to the 

needs of our service area. OC has been successful in attracting an increasing Hispanic 

enrollment, and is the college of choice for many throughout the district because of its 

commitment to student success. However, OC is challenged by the fact that many of our 

students arrive at the college underserved by, and underprepared for, the educational 

pathway which leads to 21st century degrees and careers. 

Ventura County is now at the forefront of California coastal conservation efforts, which 

are creating exciting, meaningful jobs and career opportunities in fields such as 

bioscience and environmental science. Despite the fact that the college is located just 

two miles from the Pacific coast, most of our students do not take advantage of this 

abundant resource and are unaware of the many opportunities it provides. Through 

intersegmental collaboration, OC and its partners – California State University Channel 

Islands (CSUCI) and University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) – will combine 

efforts and resources to develop a model educational STEM pathway which prepares, 

motivates and supports students through baccalaureate degree completion. 
Riverside City College - P031C080046 

Activity Description: 

Riverside City College (RCC) is applying as lead institution in a cooperative 

development grant in partnership with its sister campuses, Norco Campus (NC) and 

Moreno Valley Campus (MVC) an the nearby four-year institutions, California State 

Polytechnic University, Pomona (CPP) and California State University, San Bernardino 

(CSUSB). The partnership will focus on one overarching activity: improving STEM 

student learning and success by developing model STEM transfer programs between the 

institutions and building a strong foundation for transfer with success strategies in the 

STEM discipline. 

Through a variety of student activities, support and outreach services, faculty 

development, and articulation agreements, Step Up to Success will meet the following 

five goals: (1) Increase the number of underrepresented minorities, women, and veterans 

who want to attend RCC and major in STEM; (2) Increase student retention; (3) Create 

faculty-to-faculty teams in order to evaluate STEM extended courses in order to 

determine equivalency; (4) Develop model STEM transfer program with two local fouryear universities; and (5) Develop a student tracking system and activities that reinforce 

the connection between high school students and RCC and between RCC students and 

four-year institutional partners. 
Santa Ana College - P031C080159

Activity Description: 

Project GPS2 – Guiding and Preparing STEM Students 

Santa Ana College (Coordinating Institution) is a public, two-year community college 

that enrolls 27,097 students, 45 percent of whom are Hispanic. Fullerton College is a 

public, two-year community college that enrolls 20,638 students, 34 percent of whom are 

Hispanic. California State University, Fullerton is a public, four-year university that 

enrolls 37,130 students, 28 percent of whom are Hispanic. 

Project GPS2 – Guiding and Preparing STEM Students is a Cooperative Arrangement 

designed to: (1) increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income students 

attaining degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; (2) 

develop model transfer and articulation agreements between two-year HSI’s and a fouryear institution; and (3) increase the number of secondary math and science teachers and 

to improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities of prospective elementary school teachers 

in math, science, and technology. 

To address the dire need for a STEM knowledgeable and prepared workforce, the low 

transfer rates of Hispanic and other minority students in STEM majors, and the critical 

shortage of highly-qualified K-12 teachers (especially for math and science), Project 

GPS2 proposes to make substantial change. Utilizing innovative and wide-reaching 

outreach strategies to ignite interest in STEM, extensive fieldwork and mentoring, and a 

myriad of support services, a measurable increase in the number of students entering the 

STEM pipeline will occur. The development of two new A.A. degrees, a bachelor’s 

degree in Earth Science, a new science teaching credential, and a seamless transition 

from the community college to the university will provide the most significant and overt 

changes to our institutions. Virtual advising, Virtual Learning Communities, and 

classrooms and facilities equipped with the latest instructional technology will pique 

student interest in STEM careers and equip future K-12 teachers with the tools they need 

to inspire the next generation. The enhancement and expansion of teacher education 

centers at each partner institution will greatly build the capacity of the institutions to 

identify and support future math and science teachers. Significant efforts to improve data 

collection, communication, and coordination across institutions and across the region 

utilizing a Joint STEM symposium and the Regional Teacher Education Council will 

greatly contribute to the success of students pursuing STEM majors, careers, and/or K-12 

teaching. 
Taft College - P031C080066

Activity Description: 

Developing The Stem Central California Corridor (STEM C3) 

Taft College located in the center of the San Joaquin Valley of California, is a two-year, 

public Hispanic-serving institution with an important and difficult mission to provide 

educational services and opportunity to an expansive service area which is undergoing 

dramatic demographic and economic change and which, by most measures, is severely 

educationally underserved. 

Through this project, Taft College and its partners located at each end of a 6,000 squaremile corridor, Antelope Valley College and California State University – Fresno at 

University Center, will combine expertise and resources to address the critical need for 

well-trained engineers locally and regionally: 

(1) Clearing the STEM Pathway by removing obstacles in the pipeline through 

increasing the awareness, motivation and preparedness of Hispanic and other low-income 

students before college; 

(2) Developing an Intersegmental Mechatronics-Engineering Degree Pathway – an 

interdisciplinary STEM field which prepares graduates for emerging and in demand 

fields in the corridor as well as nationally; and 

(3) Sustaining the Pathway to Degree Completion by improving instruction and 

support services modeled on best practice to improve Hispanic student outcomes in the 

STEM pathway so that access to education is more than a revolving door. 
University of La Verne- P031C080019 

Activity Description: 

Supporting STEM Majors for Future Careers: Advising, Tutoring, Summer 

Bridges, Faculty Development, Student Research, Transfer/Articulation Model 

The University of La Verne (ULV) in La Verne, California, (20 miles northeast of Los 

Angeles) must strengthen its capacity to provide a supportive environment for STEM 

students, its own majors and those transferring from Citrus College, the project's 

community college, Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) partner. Citrus is located in 

nearby Glendora, California. Student demographics are very similar. 

Primary Needs Project Strategies 

1. Student math skills need improvement; 

retention in STEM majors and courses is too 

low; too few majors. 

Strategy 1: STEM Center: career/ academic 

advising, tutoring, Summer Science Camp & 

PowerMath, STEM Student Ambassadors. 

2. Faculty need new methods to sustain 

STEM major’s engagement; faculty do not 

have adequate time with colleagues in their 

field. 

Strategy 2: Faculty Re-design of STEM 

Courses, student research projects, TeachingLearning Exchange, Science Squad. 

3. Address barriers and misalignments in the 

STEM curriculum pathway: high school 

through college. 

Strategy 3: Transfer/Articulation Model: 

Pathway Task Force: representatives from 3 

high schools, Citrus College, and La Verne. 

Undergraduate White Asian/Pacific Hispanic AfricanAmerican Other 

ULV: 1,636 35.4% 6.4% 38.45% 9.65% 9.1% 

Citrus: 20,525 32.39% 12.19% 39.49% 6.05% 9.84% 
FLORIDA 

Miami Dade College - P031C080145 

Activity Description: 

Based on common needs and shared environmental concerns, Miami Dade College 

(MDC) and the University of Puerto (UPR) have joined forces to establish a Partnership 

for Undergraduate Education in the Natural Sciences for Transformational Engagement 

of STEM Students: PUENTES (meaning “bridges” in Spanish). Project PUENTES will 

incorporate best practices at similar institutions to increase the number of Hispanic and 

other low-income students attaining degrees in STEM fields and to develop a model 

transfer and articulation agreement in STEM disciplines between a two-year Hispanicserving institution and a four-year institution. The project will build a number of 

bridges—both academic and virtual—to achieve these goals. 

First, Project PUENTES will develop an Associate in Arts degree in Environmental 

Science at MDC that aligns with the Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental 

Sciences and other related Natural Science programs at UPR. A comprehensive model 

articulation plan and a dedicated STEM endowment will facilitate seamless transition 

between the two institutions. Parallel Environmental Science Laboratories at both 

institutions will support not only these degree programs but also a faculty research 

exchange program, creating a common culture of research and providing students with 

stimulating hands-on experience that will motivate them to persist in their studies. 

Project PUENTES will bridge knowledge gaps for these students through a robust, 

technology-based peer tutoring-mentoring program. Finally, it will deploy 

telecommunications technology to deliver collaborative bilingual science seminars and 

Internet technology to create an MDC-UPR learning community among students and 

faculty. Together, these bridges will cement a lasting partnership between MDC and 

UPR and strengthen their capacity to promote student success in STEM over the long 

term. The project constitutes a model on which MDC, UPR, and other institutions can 

base articulation agreements in the future. 
St. Thomas University - P031C080179

Activity Description:

STEM Integration to Promote Undergraduate Enrollment, Degrees and 

Opportunities 

¡SI PUEDO! will increase Hispanic and low-income students achieving university 

degrees in science or mathematics and will create four-year, seamless curricula in 

chemistry, biology, and mathematics across two- and four-year programs. A key 

outcome of !SI PUEDO! will more than double enrollment and retention of Hispanic and 

low-income students in STEM majors at the four-year institution (120 STEM fellows per 

year, and 240 over two years). With a seamless curriculum and enhanced student support 

services, advising and mentoring, graduation rates of STEM fellows is predicted to 

increase the current graduation and retention rate of 19.2 percent at Miami Dade CollegeInterAmerican to 69.2 percent, and from 18.2 percent at St. Thomas University (STU) to 

68.2 percent. 

Need: Miami Dade County, located in South Florida, has almost two million Hispanics. 

Many of the Miami-Dade County public schools have enrollments of more than 80 

percent Hispanic, 60 percent of these are from low-income families. The number of 

Hispanics in science and mathematics degree programs is low and the number completing 

degrees is even lower. A number of barriers must be removed or mitigated to increase 

the number of Hispanics enrolled in and completing these STEM degrees, including the 

lack of continuity between lower and upper divisions for students transferring from twoyear to four-year colleges, lack of adequate support services and advising, economics 

forcing students to work full-time while in college, and limited science activities to 

engage these students. ¡SI PUEDO! will address these academic barriers and will 

demonstrate the commitment of two institutions to increase the number of Hispanics and 

low-income students enrolling in and completing science and mathematics undergraduate 

degrees. 

MDC, one of the Nation’s leading colleges with two-year programs, will join in 

permanent Hispanic STEM Partnership with STU, a Hispanic-serving institution with a 

special focus on undergraduate science and math education. These institutions join their 

diverse strengths to create permanent and supported four-year seamless degree programs 

that will increase science and mathematics degree achievement. 
NEW JERSEY 

New Jersey City University - P031C080078 

Activity Description: 

Improving the Pipeline for Latinos in Science and Mathematics Among Two Urban 

Hispanic-Serving Institutions 

This CCRAA Cooperative Arrangement application is the result of a partnership between 

New Jersey City University (NJCU) and Hudson County Community College (HCCC), 

two institutions that are bound by the commonality of their missions, their geographic 

environment in Jersey City, New Jersey, and their aspirations for supporting Hispanic and 

other minority students achieve academic and economic success. It attacks three 

problems: 

1. Low numbers of low-income and underrepresented students enrolled in science and 

mathematics majors at both institutions. 

2. Transfer students’ need to repeat courses or take extra credits. 

3. Poor performance in science and mathematics classes, low retention and graduation 

rates, and low numbers of students graduating with STEM degrees. 

In Activity One, Increasing STEM Majors at NJCU and HCCC, we will improve 

alignment of STEM programs and courses between HCCC and NJCU and develop a 

statewide articulation model for STEM programs. A cadre of Practicing Professionals 

will make career presentations in classrooms to provide job information and we will 

create and disseminate nationally a series of STEM career videos. 

In Activity Two, Classroom Support for Student Success, we will improve instruction in 

STEM teaching through faculty development opportunities, make extensive renovations 

of laboratory facilities, and purchase cutting-edge science equipment. To support student 

success, faculty will create individualized Web-support modules for targeted STEM 

courses. 
NEW MEXICO 

New Mexico Highlands University - P031C080040 

Activity Description: 

Program Bridging Careers For Success (BCS) 

The purpose and goal of the BCS, in a cooperative arrangement between New Mexico 

Highlands University (NMHU) and Luna Community College (LCC), is to increase the 

number of low-income northern New Mexico Hispanic students earning baccalaureate 

science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees through a model 

transfer and articulation agreement and a targeted program of support. 

NMHU and LCC are Hispanic-serving institutions collaborating to provide a seamless 

evidence-based STEM support and career building system that tackles barriers faced by 

many first generation northern New Mexico Hispanics in higher education and 

transforms them into positive program actions to ensure student success. These actions 

are presented as outcome-based objectives for the project including: 

• Faculty at NMHU and LCC will jointly align courses and establish an articulation 

agreement in eight STEM programs by 2010 to ensure a seamless transfer of 

students; 

 

• NMHU and LLC will operate a dual institutional multi-action faculty and student 

STEM support center by 2010 to share resources in the support of students and 

faculty; 

• NMHU and LCC will institute two targeted infrastructure improvements 

including: state-of-the-art support faculties for students and faculty support; and a 

new hiring and promotional criteria for faculty with successful experience 

working with Hispanic students and effective teaching practices by 2010 to create 

a long-term impact in STEM at NMHU and LCC; and NMHU and LLC will each 

establish an endowment fund to supplement the operation of the BCS Project by 

2010 and to ensure continuation of the project after funding.
The Regents of New Mexico State University - P031C080067 

Activity Description: 

PRIMOS - Partnership for Retention and Improvement of Meaningful 

Opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) 

New Mexico State University (NMSU) and Doña Ana Community College (DACC), 

both Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), will implement an integrated system of 

research-based activities to address the gaps in educational attainment for Hispanic and 

other low-income undergraduates in science, engineering, technology and mathematics 

(STEM) fields. Broadly, those gaps are under-preparation for postsecondary education 

and low enrollment, retention, transfer and graduation. 

Our goals are to: (1) increase the numbers of students who declare a STEM major by 20 

percent; (2) increase the number of degrees earned in STEM fields by eight percent; and 

(3) establish a transfer model that results in a 20 percent increase in the students who 

successfully transfer from DACC to NMSU. 

To accomplish these goals, we have identified research-based activities supported by a 

strong management plan. The overarching categories of activities include improved 

student advising, academic and student support, engaged teaching and learning, and data 

coordination. Each of these categories is supported by activities such as redesigning 

curriculum in STEM barrier courses, refresher courses in mathematics for entering 

freshmen, a transfer advisor at DACC, supplemental instruction, coaches for students 

clustered in learning communities, a new STEM component in our college readiness 

courses, faculty development to enhance teaching and learning, and increased 

employment opportunities for STEM seniors. 
NEW YORK 

Borough of Manhattan Community College - P031C080081 

Activity Description: 

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is one of nineteen units comprising 

the City University of New York, located in one of the fastest growing regions in the city 

of New York (Tribeca). BMCC currently serves more than 24,000 students in its credit 

(18,200) and noncredit (6,000) programs making it the largest community college in the 

university. Located in the heart of New York City’s financial center, the communities 

served by the college extend far beyond the Wall Street-City Hall area. Students 

commute to BMCC from each of the city’s five boroughs and are drawn to the college 

because of its commitment to academic excellence, flexible scheduling options and the 

comprehensive educational services afforded its student body. 

Although BMCC has made a concerted effort to improve student success in the STEM 

disciplines through the implementation of a variety of programs, data indicates academic 

achievement, especially among Latinos and other disadvantaged groups remains a 

problem. To address this problem, BMCC seeks funding to establish a Science for 

Forensics Program in partnership with John Jay College under the Title V CCRAA 

Cooperative initiative. The project will redesign existing space to create state-of-the-art 

science labs, establish a Pre-Freshmen Forensic Science Summer Immersion, 

contextualizing basic science courses, support for student research and expansion of 

student support services. 
Bronx Community College - P031C080204 

Activity Description: 

Opening the Pipeline: Increasing STEM Transfer and Graduation Rates at Bronx 

Community College and the City College of New York 

American higher education today faces a profound challenge: to produce greater 

numbers of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates, and to 

ensure that minority and economically disadvantaged students are equitably represented 

in this critically important workforce. This project seeks to strengthen the institutional 

frameworks needed to produce STEM Associate’s degree holders at Bronx Community 

College (BCC), and to bring them to successful Bachelor’s degree attainment at the City 

College of New York (CCNY). 

Three qualities known to lead to student success in STEM disciplines are: continuity, 

which structures the educational experience in ways that best support student 

advancement through increasingly rigorous STEM content; capacity, which emphasizes 

enhancing student knowledge and skills; and engagement, which focuses on developing 

student interest and motivation. This project is organized around activities that build 

upon these three indicators of student success: 

1. Continuity—Students transferring from BCC to CCNY will be given 

academic advisement and mentoring by STEM faculty at both institutions. 

Cross-campus faculty collaboration will align STEM coursework and 

curricula. Academic advisors will effectively and actively track students. 

New dual/joint degree programs will be developed in STEM disciplines. 

2. Capacity—A new interdisciplinary lab skills course will accelerate student 

progress at BCC, and BCC transfer students will attend joint BCC/CCNY 

“Bridge” programs designed to strengthen key mathematical skills and 

comprehension of scientific concepts. Paid internships will provide financial 

support and reinforce learning. Laboratory upgrades at BCC will align 

coursework across the campuses. 

3. Engagement—CCNY peer and faculty mentors will advise advanced BCC 

STEM students. Psychosocial counselors will intervene to help BCC students 

when needed. BCC’s STEM Resource Center will host career development 

events and distribute information on financial aid, internships, and 

scholarships. The two campuses will jointly sponsor research projects, field 

trips, and family engagement activities for STEM students. 
Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology - P031C080048

Activity Description: 

Developing a Seamless Intersegmental Pathway for Hispanics to Mechatronics/ 

Engineering Degrees through Collaborative Effort 

In this partnership CCRAA-HSI application, Vaughn College of Aeronautics and 

Technology (Vaughn) has joined forces with LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC) 

to develop a much needed pathway for Hispanic students to Mechatronics and related 

engineering careers in high need. The project partners are both located in Queens, New 

York, a service area, which includes one of the most densely populated and diverse 

populations in America. 

Vaughn is well positioned to provide the motivation for STEM education that research 

says Hispanics must have to overcome the many obstacles to degree completion. 

Vaughn’s history and development attest to the attractiveness of aviation and aeronautics 

to Hispanics. LAGCC is the most effective Hispanic-serving community college in 

America in transfer, and has many nationally recognized, evidence-based best practices 

focused on translating access to success, including supplemental instruction, learning 

communities and e-Portfolios. Combining expertise and resources, linking faculty and 

programs across institutions, Vaughn and LAGCC will develop a model 

engineering/technology pathway for students from high school through bachelor’s degree 

which will ensure success in terms of degree completion and will prepare students for the 

exciting, emerging field of Mechatronics. 

The Vaughn/LAGCC STEM Pathway Project features to increase access and success of 

Hispanic students in STEM degree attainment include: development of the LaGuardia 

Youth Center for Engineering Excellence (LYCEE) for dual enrolled high school 

students, improving infrastructure to better facilitate instruction of all programs related to 

the Mechatronics pathway, and the development of a STEM Success Center at Vaughn 

which provides a centralized hub of improved support and transition services for 

Vaughn’s native and transfer students. 
PUERTO RICO 

Universidad Politécnica de Puerto Rico - P031C080169

Activity Description: 

Increasing Enrollment at Universidad Politécnica de Puerto Rico by Collaborating 

with Higher Education Institutions 

Studies from the National Science Foundation show that forty percent (40 percent) of 

engineering students at four-year institutions are graduates of junior colleges, or two-year 

institutions. With this knowledge, Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico (UPPR) 

researched ways to ease the transition from a two-year institution to a four-year 

institution by developing several programs and online options for education. 

Goal 1: Within two years, add a Distance Education Program to the College of 

Engineering and Geomatic Science, resulting in a ten percent increase of students using 

the Distance Education Program at UPPR. 

UPPR is a commuter college, in that there are no dorms. Therefore, UPPR will be able to 

attract more students by developing a distance education online program. Also, a 

distance education program will be developed in order to collaborate with other higher 

education institutions. 

Goal 2: Within two years, a High Achievers Program for Junior College Hispanic 

students will be created, resulting in a program that increases the total enrollment of the 

UPPR College Engineering and Geometric Science by five percent, as seen in annual 

enrollment figures from UPPR. 

High Achieving Hispanic Junior College students needs are different than the average 

college students. UPPR will be collaborating with junior colleges to assist students who 

wish to enter the engineering field through hands-on training, speaking engagements, 

travel to national conferences, leadership skills, and internship opportunities. Knowledge 

is more than from the book, it is about life experiences, and UPPR will use this to assist 

High Achieving Hispanic students from junior colleges wishing to enter the engineering 

field. 

Goal 3: Create a Mech-Tech Junior College (MTJC) Connections Program, which will 

increase the number of MTJC graduates by five percent within two years at UPPR. 

MTJC and UPPR have had long-standing collaborations. However, the transition is 

usually done without any assistance, and currently, only one course transfers. The MTJC 

Connections Program will be created to ease the transition between both institutions, and 

provide special opportunities for the participants, such as speaking engagements, 

conferences, and academic mentors. 
TEXAS 

Amarillo College - P031C080131

Activity Description: 

Amarillo College, a public, two-year, Hispanic-serving institution (HSI), located in 

Amarillo, Texas, has entered into a Cooperative Arrangement with New Mexico Institute 

of Mining and Technology, a public, four-year, graduate, science and engineering 

institution, located in Socorro, New Mexico, to develop A Model for Participatory, 

Collaborative STEM Learning. The purpose of this project, addressing both CCRAA HSI 

Competitive Priorities, is two-fold: (1) to increase the number of Hispanic and other 

low-income students attaining degrees in the fields of science and engineering; and (2) to 

develop a model transfer and articulation agreement between our two institutions, a twoyear Hispanic-serving institution and a two-year STEM institution. 

Amarillo College is the largest college in the Texas Panhandle (10,387 students fall 

2007); two branch campuses and an outreach center extend access throughout the region. 

Reflecting the demographics of the nine-county service area, more than 3,200 fall 2007 

students were Hispanic. New Mexico Tech is a small STEM institution (1,327 students 

fall 2007) with a national reputation for academic quality and low costs. NMT students 

are mostly in-state (85 percent), two males for every female, traditional, high-achieving, 

and racially diverse, with Hispanics by far the largest minority group (24.9 percent fall 

2007). 

The need to increase science and engineering graduates through model initiatives is of 

critical importance to the Amarillo College and New Mexico Tech combined services 

areas, which have high numbers and proportions of residents with low educational 

attainment (four-six percentage points below national, Hispanic), low per capita income 

(17-32 percent below national), and high rates of poverty (30-40 percent). Need is even 

greater among Hispanic residents (expected to reach 50 percent of the Panhandle 

population by 2030). However, the region also has growing industry opportunities for 

STEM graduates in niche specializations, which our institutions can support. 

Therefore, Amarillo College and New Mexico Tech propose to develop a model 

articulation agreement that will increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students 

attaining degrees in Engineering and Science by: (1) closely articulating two-year and 

four-year curricula and learning environments from six Amarillo College A.S. programs 

to five New Mexico Tech B.S. programs; (2) jointly developing faculty; (3) developing 

transparent transfer and degree completion processes; and (4) joining complementary 

instructional delivery methods. 
El Centro College - P031C080006 

Activity Description: 

El Centro College (ECC) and Texas Tech University (TTU) propose to establish new 

articulated 2 + 2 transfer agreements which will open pathways to degrees and careers in 

Environmental Science, targeting Hispanic and other low income students in central 

Dallas. In support, the new Trinity River Audubon Center, near a prominent bend in the 

Trinity River, (located eight minutes south of downtown Dallas and ECC) will provide 

dedicated classroom and laboratory space, as well as serve as a research/field experiences 

site. 

ECC, one of seven colleges in the Dallas County Community College District, serves 

ethnically diverse, economically disadvantaged and increasingly Hispanic 

neighborhoods. Although ECC offers pre-professional courses transferable to four-year 

institutions, it has a distinctive and historical competency in technical occupational 

training in more than 40 fields with few transfers. With this partnership articulation 

project, ECC will increase STEM degree awards, increase its capacity to transfer 

Hispanic and low income students in STEM fields, renovate and/or remodel to expand 

lab space for science majors, strengthen and articulate laboratory instrumentation and 

curriculum, create new support systems for math students – including math labs, develop 

and pilot student research opportunities, STEM mentors and field experiences, and work 

with community to create a pre-college pipeline leading to STEM transfer programs. 

For Texas Tech University off-campus sites provide lower-division courses in order to 

provide a seamless degree pathway for transfer. Programs offered at outlying sites such 

as this one at ECC in Dallas expand access to higher education, especially for low income 

and underrepresented groups. In this partnership with ECC, TTU will support 

articulation of transfer science curriculum, jointly develop articulated and strengthened 

laboratory experiences – improving labs both in the classroom and the field, and 

develop/pilot biology student field research component at both Trinity River and Llano 

River Field Station at Junction. TTU will deliver four-year courses directly to Dallas to 

increase access and lower costs for low-income and Hispanic students pursuing 

bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields. 
Midland College - P031C080077 

Activity Description: 

Midland College (MC), serving as the lead in this cooperative project, and Sul Ross State 

University (SRSU) are two public Hispanic-serving institutions serving a predominantly 

rural region of West Texas. As a two-year community college, MC serves more than 

5,700 each fall (31.9 percent Hispanic and 69 percent low-income). Sul Ross State 

University offers baccalaureate and master’s degree programs to more than 1,700 

students (46.5 percent Hispanic; 59 percent low-income). Both institutions serve a highly 

disadvantaged service region, plagued with high poverty and very low educational 

attainment. Here, only 75.6 percent of adults and 63.7 percent of Hispanic adults have a 

high school diploma (compared to 78.6 percent, Texas; 84.1 percent, U.S.). College 

degree completion is also low with only 18.1 percent of adult residents and only 4.4 

percent of Hispanic adults having a bachelor’s degree (compared to 10.3 percent, Texas; 

12.3 percent, U.S.). 

The partner institutions have a history of collaboration and have just completed a very 

successful Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institution Cooperative project. As a 

result of this collaboration, a student can now receive a baccalaureate degree in Natural 

Resource Management or Earth Science from Sul Ross while attending classes on the 

MC campus. 

Through this CCRAA project, MC and SRSU seek to build upon this history of success 

by developing the capacity to offer and deliver courses leading to B.S. degrees in 

biology, chemistry, and geology for students attending classes on the two-year campus of 

Midland College. 
San Antonio College - P031C080008 

Activity Description:

A Partnership to Improve Access to the Baccalaureate for South Texans through 

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Teaching and Learning 

Innovation 

Purpose: to significantly increase the numbers of Hispanic and other low-income 

students enrolled in postsecondary science, technology, engineering and mathematics 

programs at San Antonio College (SAC) and Texas State University (TSU); to 

significantly decrease the time to graduation/transfer for Hispanic students at SAC and 

Texas State; and to increase the numbers of Hispanic and low income students obtaining 

baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

This CCRAA Cooperative arrangement, “A Partnership to Improve Access to the 

Baccalaureate for South Texans through STEM Innovation,” will be a partnership 

between San Antonio College, Texas’ largest single-campus community college, and 

Texas State University-San Marcos, an emerging Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) 45 

miles northwest of San Antonio. By combining the resources and expertise of each 

institution, SAC, which serves over 10,000 Hispanics each semester, will be able to 

provide more effective STEM instruction and support to Hispanic Texans and remove 

obstacles in their path to STEM careers, and Texas State, which has extremely high rates 

of retention and graduation for the 22 percent of its enrollment that is Hispanic, will be 

able to offer its excellent STEM education to more Hispanics. 

SAC prepares large numbers of Hispanics, but has low transfer rates and low productive 

grade rates in gatekeeper courses. The proportion of Hispanics served by Texas State is 

not reflective of the service area’s population. SAC will help Texas State enroll more 

qualified Hispanics in STEM programs; Texas State’s affordable, student-centered, 

academic excellence and its success with Hispanic students can help SAC STEM 

transfers acquire bachelor’s degrees. 

Puentes (bridges) will consist of four components: (1) pipeline activities designed to 

increase SAC transfers to Texas State; (2) establishment of a Math Center (Math Space) 

where best practices and alternative delivery methods will be used to help improve math 

retention and remove math barriers to STEM career success; (3) expansion and 

improvement of SAC’s new BioSpot Center for biology majors and their new Math, 

Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) Center for other STEM majors; and (4) 

Professional Development for faculty at both institutions, including curricular 

development and the piloting and rigorous assessment of STEM best practices in the 

classroom. 
University of St. Thomas - P031C080184

Activity Description: 

University of St. Thomas (UST) is an independent, Catholic, coeducational Hispanicserving institution (HSI) located in Houston, Texas. UST currently enrolls approximately 

1,700 undergraduate and 1,640 graduate students from 30 states and 57 countries. From 

1990 to 2000 Houston’s Hispanic population grew by 62 percent. 

To meet the dual purposes of the CCRAA-HSI grant program, UST has created a 

collaborative partnership with Houston Community College (HCC). This HSI is the 

fourth largest community college system in the United States and enrolls 52,000 students 

across six campuses. HCC and UST STEM faculty have a history of submitting joint 

proposals to support collaborative undergraduate research efforts involving students and 

faculty from both institutions. 

The collaborative partnership undertaken for this CCRAA-HSI grant initiative has 

resulted in a carefully planned two-year program to be known as the ELEMENTS 

Project: Enhancing the Learning Environment for Minorities Enrolled in The 

Sciences. The four goals of the ELEMENTS Project are as follows: 

Goal 1: Increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining 

degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). 

Goal 2: Develop model transfer and articulation agreements between two-year HSIs and 

four-year institutions in such fields. 

Goal 3: Enhance the STEM instructional environment at both participating institutions. 

Goal 4: Increase local capacity to continue programming; disseminate program 

approaches/results to other HSIs; replicate program successes. 
Southwest Texas Junior College - P031C080007

Activity Description: 

Creating A Math And Science Community In Southwest Texas 

Southwest Texas Junior College (SWTJC) has partnered with The University of Texas at 

Austin (UT) and Sul Ross State University - Rio Grande College (RGC) to design and 

implement the “Creating a Math and Science Community in Southwest Texas 

(CAMSC) program.” The over-arching goal of the CAMSC program is to increase the 

number of Hispanic and other low-income students majoring and attaining degrees in 

science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and to develop model 

transfer and articulation agreements in such fields. 

The CAMSC program will build upon successful STEM collaborations with UT and 

RGC as well as SWTJC STEM programs. The project will address: (1) the gap in the 

number, quality and access to STEM educational opportunities; (2) the disparity in access 

to STEM course offerings in rural southwest Texas; (3) inefficiencies in the STEM 

educational pipeline; (4) disparity in success rate between Hispanic and White students in 

STEM courses; and (5) inadequate support services for STEM programs and students. 

Two activities are designed to ensure that students in rural southwest Texas have every 

opportunity to “prove themselves” capable of being a great geologist, engineer, physicist, 

or any other STEM related profession. Through a variety of means, the CAMSC 

program will help these students expand their horizons academically, culturally and 

socially. Building on the success of past and current initiatives, the academically gifted 

students presently in STEM programs and those yet to come are “Academic Stars” just 

waiting to shine. The CAMSC “Padrino – Asesor” model is designed to establish a 

community which will support, challenge and equip these students with the academic and 

social tools that they will need in order to excel. 
Texas A&M University-Kingsville - P031C080200 

Activity Description: 

Developing A Stem Success Pipeline at Texas A&M University 

Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) is a state-supported institution serving an 

area of rural South Texas bordering Mexico. The university serves an area approximately 

the size of West Virginia, ranging from San Antonio to the Mexican border. TAMUK is 

designated as a minority-serving institution, with 62 percent of its student population 

being Hispanic. TAMUK’s 15-county primary service area has a population of 

approximately 1.35 million and is characterized by poverty, high unemployment and 

welfare rates, substantial living conditions, and high ratios of underserved and 

disadvantaged citizens. 

Del Mar College. Del Mar College (DMC) is ranked among the nation’s top three 

percent of community colleges granting associate degrees to Hispanic students, according 

to the national publication Community College Week in their June 19, 2006 special issue, 

Top 100 Associates Degree Producers. Furthermore, Community College Week reported 

in the December 4, 2006 issue that DMC ranked Number 8 among the fastest-growing 

public, two-year colleges in the nation between fall 2004 and fall 2005. Enrollment grew 

5.8 percent from 11,345 to 12,006 students. 

Activity 1: Enhancing Student Success in Engineering and Technology. This 

activity has been designed with the goal of expanding student awareness of career 

opportunities through undergraduate research and streamlining the process of 

transitioning from DMC to TAMUK. Academic advising and providing oversight to the 

transfer and articulation process are key elements of making each students transition 

successful. In addition, to overcome difficulties encountered in gateway courses for 

STEM majors, supplemental instruction will be provided. Finally, a STEM Success 

Pipeline living-learning community will be developed at TAMUK to provide additional 

support to CCRAA participants outside the classroom. 

Activity 2: Enhancing Teaching and Learning in Engineering and Technology. 

Transforming learning with technology through course redesign and equipping Intelligent 

Classrooms is one focus of this activity. To serve neo-millennial students better and 

enhance teaching and learning at DMC and TAMUK, new online and hybrid courses will 

be developed serving STEM majors. In addition, a faculty investment program based 

upon a faculty learning community concept will provide continuing professional 

development to DMC and TAMUK faculty with the goal of enhancing capacity and 

supporting student success. 
The University of Texas-Pan American - P031C080218 

Activity Description: 

An Integrated STEM Pathways Support Initiative for the Rio South Texas Region -- The 

University of Texas-Pan American (UTP A), a 78 year old, general academic component 

of The University of Texas system, is a comprehensive university serving over 17,000 

students annually, of which more than 85 percent are of Hispanic origin. In fact, UTP A 

educates the most Mexican American students in the nation. UTP A is located in 

Edinburg, Texas, the county seat of Hidalgo County, the most populous of the four 

counties comprising the area known as the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The southern 

border of Hidalgo County is the Rio Grande River, the international border between 

Mexico and the United States. UTP A is the only comprehensive university in the seventh 

most populous county in the state and enrolls the highest number and highest percentage 

of Hispanics among Texas public universities. 

The University of Texas-Pan American and South Texas College (STC), a two-year HSI, 

are collaborating on a number of efforts to facilitate student engagement and success in 

STEM areas. With both institutions located in Hidalgo County and having well over 80 

percent Hispanic student populations (approximately 70 percent of whom are first 

generation college students), the purpose of this Cooperative Arrangement Development 

Grant proposal is to develop and support strategies that will facilitate the success of

Hispanics and other low-income students in STEM areas. In order to do this the focus of 

the efforts will be to support four activities that constitute An Integrated STEM Pathways 

Support Initiative for the Rio South Texas Region. The first activity will enhance student 

services to foster success in Calculus I, as it is known to be a roadblock for student 

success in STEM fields. The second activity will support the implementation of

Challenge-Based Instruction (CBI) in selected courses. CBI is known to be a more 

effective approach to the learning process. The third activity will support faculty 

development through workshops on CBI techniques with a focus on increasing student 

success, and finally the fourth activity will grow and support pathways to STEM fields 

between STC and UTP A. As an integrated project in support of student success in 

STEM fields, the proposed project will provide a model that will have a significant 

impact on the number of STEM graduates and that will be simple to replicate in other 

geographical areas. 

### 12/30/2008