Inside Iowa State
September 8, 2000
P&S Council awards $30,000 in retention grants
by Linda Charles
The Professional and Scientific Council recently awarded $30,000 to fund
projects that help recruit and retain students at Iowa State.
"We're pretty happy that the President's Office decided to continue funding the program, at the current level no less, considering the budget cuts," said Dave Edsall, chair of the retention and recruitment committee.
The program began in 1994, and during its seven years, $175,000 has been awarded to 90 programs. This year, 13 of 21 proposals were funded, with eight fully funded. Awards ranged from $200 to $4,500.
Awards were made in August. Edsall said it's not too early to begin thinking about proposals for next year. While the official call for proposals wont come until July 2001, after the university budget has been approved, "the more planning people do in advance, the better," he said.
Samples of what a successful proposal should be will be posted on the P&S Web site later this year. Information on the grants also is available on the Web at www.iastate.edu/~ps_info/RandR.html.
Following is a summary of projects (and the amount funded).
- Three-day camp to introduce engineering and technological career fields to young girls and provide career guidance information to their mothers. ($2,500)
- Workshops and training sessions for students, academic support staff and faculty on study strategies, online resources and academic services in connection with Web-supported and Web-based courses. ($2,750)
- Financial management system to teach students about educational and consumer debt and offer innovative approaches to managing financial resources. ($200)
- Visitation by students and staff to secondary and post-secondary Iowa schools to increase awareness of career opportunities in natural resources and visibility of undergraduate curriculum. Forestry students will visit high school personnel and students and serve as recruiters and peer mentors to incoming students in the program. ($2,400)
- Project to determine barriers women graduate students face in obtaining post-graduate education and develop a strategy to retain women graduate students in science and engineering. ($2,000)
- Three-year apprenticeships or internships to give students research experience with Engineering college and Institute for Physical Research and Technology scientists and engineers. ($1,000)
- Program pairing first-year students with learning disabilities with student mentors who also have learning disabilities to help them with self-advocacy, study skills, resources and procedures. ($4,500)
- Academic workshops facilitated by student leaders to help students balance academic and extra-curricular activities. ($2,000)
- Program in which minority undergraduates will mentor minority high school students to generate interest in education, health and human performance, and industrial technology. ($2,000)
- Visits by former summer minority interns to Iowa high schools to publicize the program. ($2,455)
- Pilot workshop for counselors and educators to receive information on the College of Agricultures majors and career opportunities. ($2,455)
- Social activities and tutorials in the microbiology department that involves current students in recruiting by helping incoming students make informed decisions. ($1,250)
- Training manual to help staff become more culturally sensitive to international students. A symposium will be held to form a plan and a support network will aid graduate students, who often deal with these issues. ($4,500)
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