Mentoring STEM Majors: Effort to Increase Retention and Graduation

This session will describe an extensive mentoring program that is part of the Albany State University (ASU) HBCU UP Summer Bridge Program. The goal of this mentoring component is to provide ongoing academic, social, and professional development support to students majoring in STEM. Selected students participated in a 4-week intensive summer bridge program that focused on academics, social skills, STEM research, and college-wide support services. When the students began as freshmen, the support continued with a highly involved mentoring program. Faculty mentors were assigned at most five students who were required to meet with the faculty at least 1 hour per week for the semester. The meetings were either individual or as a group. The topics addressed at these meetings have been personal, academic, and/or professional. If a concern is raised that needs resolution, these issues would be discussed anonymously at the weekly meeting of the HBCU UP leadership team. With ASU faculty and administrators being present, these problems are resolved, and plans are made to keep the same problems from occurring in the future to other students. The benefits students have realized include higher GPAs, more research experiences, and higher retention rates