Survey Responses

Challenges and OpportunitiesMatt Richey

St. Olaf College

What we askedNew PIs (1-2 years)

What Challenges do you face?

What opportunities do you foresee?

Senior PIs (3 or more years)

What challenges are you facing in institutionalization?

What opportunities do you foresee?

Some Numbers 444 responses total

(answered at least one question) 625 “Themed” responses Challenges

– Newer PIs → 119 resp.

– Senior PIs → 108 resp. Opportunities

– Newer PIs → 113 resp.

– Senior PIs → 104 resp.

Challenges: New PIs

Challenges: Senior PIs

Challenges – Newer PIs

Student Recruitment (40%) Grant Administration (13%) Student Engagement/Cohort Building (9%) Grant Compliance (7%) Other – Resources, Institutional Support,

Faculty Recruitment, Sustainability, Partnerships, Student Opportunities, Communication, and Outreach

Challenges – Newer PIs

Recruitment and Retention

“We didn't get enough time to recruit students during the first year of our project because we received the confirmation from

the NSF at the very end of Spring.”

“..several of the students, though capable of success, still struggle with meeting the demands of a rigorous science-

based academic curriculum, despite lots of intervention and support from the college.”

Challenges – Newer PIs

Grant Administration

“Perhaps the biggest challenge that we face is getting all of the various constituents at our institution to work together in a

coordinated fashion. So, far, this has not been a problem, but it remains to be seen how everything will work out since our

project began this year.”

Challenges – Newer PIs

Student Engagement

“Creating cohort is very challenging. We have students from 9 majors, all taking different classes. We are not allowed to require them to participate in activities. They are busy and have jobs and families. It is hard to find a common time to

meet.”

Challenges – Senior PIs

Sustainability/Institutionalization (35%) Financial Resources (20%) Institutional Support (11%) Recruitment/Retention (10%) Other – Admin, Faculty Engagement,

Grant Compliance, Communication, Student Tracking, Dissemination, Partnerships

Challenges – Senior PIs

Sustainability/Institutionalization

“The challenges we face in institutionalization are related to the scale that we would like to operate at the number of students

we can assist both financially and in an supportive and advisory role. We are limited in our ability to reach and inform

students of the resources available that can support/assist their success. .”

Challenges – Senior PIs

Financial Resources

“During these days of dwindling university budgets, we are not likely to receive funds post award for the valuable student-student mentoring program for our new SSTEM scholars.”

“Budget cuts are our biggest concern. Because of the cuts, tuition is increased and the student expenses at therefore

increased. This poses a real challenge as we try to provide funding for the students in STEM disciplines.”

Challenges – Senior PIs

Institutional Support

“Our biggest challenge in institutionalization of the program is staff support”

“A second challenge is changing deep-rooted institutional culture - in our case it involves shifting from an internal and external identity as a 'teaching institution' and the perception among

some faculty members that teaching and research are mutually exclusive.”

Challenges – Senior PIs

Tracking

“Our biggest challenges have come in the area of consistent student contact and ongoing student tracking. We have been

struggling to try and maintain the same level of student contact and support as they enter the second year of our

program. And we have struggled even more in efforts to track students as they transfer to other institutions.”

Opportunities – New PIs

Opportunities – Senior PIs

Opportunities – Newer PIs

Support for Students (22%) Recruitment and Retention (19%) Partnerships and networking (17%) Institutional Enhancement (6%) Other – Cohort Building, Institutionalizing,

Student Outcomes, Resources, Mentorship, Faculty Engagement, Assessment, Impact/Dissemination

Opportunities – Newer PIs

Support for Students

“The S-STEM grant has provided an excellent opportunity to focus on student success and explore best practices for

supporting our best students.”

Opportunities – Newer PIs

Recruitment and Retention

“If we are successful at recruiting more STEM freshmen, we see them as being our future student STEM leaders, being able to

help us recruit even more STEM freshmen in the future.”

Opportunities – Newer PIs

Partnerships and Networking

“The recruitment challenge will allows us to begin dialogues with various student outreach groups on campus that will remain

far into the future. Attending conferences like this one sponsored by NSF will allow us to seek interact with similar

programs and learn from their experiences.”

Opportunities – Newer PIs

Institutional Enhancement

“Within our university, the PI team has established stronger relationships with financial aid, admissions and student

support. This grant was instrumental in establishing the first single-gender First Year Experience course in our college. ”

Opportunities – Senior PIs

Recruitment and Retention (19%) Student Support (18%) Partnerships (14%) Cohort Building (9%) Other – Institutionalizing, Student

Outcomes, Mentorship, Faculty Engagement, Administration Assessment, Impact/Dissemination

Opportunities – Senior PIs

Recruitment and Retention

“...we now know how and can actually make a difference in the quality and quantity of STEM graduates by successfully

tapping into underrepresented populations. “

“...I foresee extending to transfer students the types of academic, financial and peer support services that we've implemented for the incoming freshmen as a tremendous

opportunity

Opportunities – Senior PIs

Student Support

“... we've made a much stronger program for our students in terms of support for them, community among students, and

career opportunities. I believe we can continue to grow these.“

Opportunities – Senior PIs

Partnerships

“Another opportunity is working more closely with other programs (LSAMP, STEP, McNair) to better and more

effectively leverage resources.”

Opportunities – Senior PIs

Cohort Building

“..... good evidence that this is a useful strategy and can help to convince administration to allow alternative scheduling

strategies, reserving of course sections, etc. needed to build cohort groups in courses.“

Opportunities – Senior PIs

Student Research

“We would like to expand that [college-wide student reseach program] program because, based on our experience with the grant, having students participate in research programs and then present their results at scientific meetings is a positive

predictor of continuation in STEM careers. “

Opportunities – Senior PIs

“... has transformed the culture of science students at our institution, and this will help us recruit and retain new

students.”

“We are creating paths of students.”

“….unique opportunity to interact with our students from their freshman year, even before some of the scholars had made a

final choice on their majors.”