Use of LSAMP support to initiate institutional transformation at a small women's college and HSI

Alverno College, a women's college and Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, achieved significant institutional transformation by capitalizing on the success of pilot projects funded by the Wisconsin Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (WiscAMP) program. Successful projects were integrated into Alverno Initiatives in Math and Science (AIMS), a holistic co-curricular programming model to promote student success. Both WiscAMP and AIMS efforts were predicated on the principle that no talented students should be left behind when building a vibrant STEM community. Alverno students include women of color, learners from under-resourced communities, first generation students, second language learners, and students with significant financial need. We know that when these identities intersect, we see high barriers to college access and achievement. AIMS was designed to mitigate these barriers by providing evidence-based opportunities and holistic support for the students served by our college while also enhancing students’ STEM identity and strengthening their sense of belonging. AIMS elements discussed in this paper build a supportive community through evidence-based activities that engage STEM peers in cohorts, foster student relationships with faculty, encourage student engagement within and beyond our Alverno STEM community and offer opportunities for on-campus research. Student participants in AIMS activities demonstrate higher STEM retention and graduation rates over non-participants. Our program evaluation and social science research suggest AIMS offers multiple opportunities to enhance student STEM identity, including: 1) opportunities to use science knowledge outside the classroom and in addressing needs within the wider community, 2) cohort and community building events that can mitigate the intimidation of engaging with the larger professional science community, and 3) scaffolded programing for beginning and upper-level students to develop confidence, leadership and a sense of belonging in STEM. By integrating evidence-based support into a holistic framework AIMS identifies novel approaches to supporting students including implementation of a successful model of cohort travel to professional conferences. In addition, interviews with participants confirms the work of others that families can impact a student's experience by supporting their pursuit of STEM opportunities; however, our work further suggests that when students perceive a lack of family support, faculty mentorship can mitigate potential barriers. With initial support from the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, a sustained commitment to AIMS has transformed the ways in which the Alverno STEM community approaches student servingness and fosters student success. Now established as our guiding educational paradigm, our student-centered approach through AIMS continues despite the loss of federal funding and while facing the turbulent headwinds of higher education.