Project Abstractsfor Fiscal Year 2020Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA) Program 

***PR/Award # P031M200076***

**University of St. Thomas Houston****(TX)******$600,000.00****Pipelines and Pathways Project (HPPP)** proposes development and pilot of a new, industry-approved master’s program. The MS in Industrial and Process Chemistry will be offered online, or classroom based. PPOHA funds will expand the postbaccalaureate academic offerings and enhance program quality at UST, a designated Hispanic-serving institution. This program will expand educational opportunities at the graduate level and improve the academic attainment of Hispanic and low- income students completing postsecondary degrees.

**Project meets Competitive Preference Priority One and the  Invitational  Priority: As**part of a collaboration with **University of Houston-Downtown (UHD),** an eligible Hispanic- serving institution, UST will create a pipeline from UHD’s STEM Scholars program to the MS degree plan in Industrial and Process Chemistry. An external advisory board consisting of

professionals in the chemical, petrochemical and oil and gas industries has approved the program curriculum for accreditation of the program by the National Professional Science Master’s Association. UST faculty have aligned the needs of business and industry with the training and curricular needs of students that will enter a variety of STEM career options. This program will establish a PSM graduate degree program in Industrial and Process Chemistry. It is aligned with industry needs and will prepare students for entry into a variety of STEM career options.

A full-time Pathways for Professional Careers Manager will conduct corporate and industry outreach to establish on-going internship opportunities for students in this program. The Pathways Manager will conduct outreach in person with industries in the greater Houston metropolitan area, and via phone and skype for students participating in the online program from a geographical distance.  A Transition Support Services Coordinator will support students coming directly to the master’s program following college/university graduation to make the challenging transition to graduate coursework a successful transition. The Support Services Coordinator will be trained to provide wrap-around services for the Hispanic and low-income graduate students, including  proactive counseling focused on the best practices from Bettinger and Baker’s coaching theory (2011), a theory proven effective and meeting  evidence of “moderate evidence of effectiveness” by the IES What Works Clearinghouse.

A Graduation to Graduate School Guide will provide support and counseling to graduates coming from UHD’s STEM Scholars Academy to the UST program. Activities will also include classroom and online course design and pilot delivery, creation of tutorial modules, and student enrichment and lab visits to familiarize themselves with the professional chemistry industry.

The HPPP program will also upgrade scientific equipment in the UST chemistry labs.  Each year, funds will be allocated for postbaccalaureate research fellowships and scholarships for Hispanic and low-income students enrolling at UST. This program will be directed by Dr. John Palasota, who previously served as Project Director on several successful Department of Education grants. UHD partner Dr. Mary Jo Parker, Director of the UHD STEM Scholars Academy will serve as the Graduation to Graduate School Guide. The program will be evaluated by an independent professional evaluator and member of the American Evaluation Association.

**Total number of students served by this project**: By September 2024, at least 1,144 students will utilize grant services, training, and programs. During the grant, at least 565 students will enroll in courses, and at least 219 students will graduate with the MS in Industrial and Process Chemistry degree. The Federal cost for each participant in this proposal project is an average $542 per student per year.

# *PR/Award # P031M200019*

**University of California, Santa Cruz (CA) $599,867.00**proposes for this Title V Part B program **GANAS (Graduating and Advancing New American Scholars)**, a project aimed at increasing the readiness of Latina/o students from UCSC and California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) to apply and succeed in graduate programs. The GANAS Project includes interventions strategically positioned to overcome institutional barriers that impede Latina/o graduate student preparation, retention, advancement to candidacy, and completion. This will be accomplished through eight project activities under two areas of focus:

· Graduate Student Pipeline Interventions

· Activity 1: Summer Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program

· Activity 2: Navigating Graduate School Application Process Course.

· Activity 3: Careers in the Creative Economy Course - Pathways to Graduate Degrees in the Arts.

· Graduate Degree Completion Programs

· Activity 4: Financial Planning/Literacy, Holistic, and Basic Needs Counselor.

· Activity 5: Doctoral Summer Bridge Program.

· Activity 6: VOCES Graduate Student Writing Center.

· Activity 7: Graduate Student First-Year Experience Course: Induction to the Discipline through Collective Learning.

· Activity 8: Latina/o Teacher Credential and Master's Degree Initiative.

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