How HSIs are working to improve STEM academic and career success

POSTED ON Mar 03, 2023

One in 10 employees in California graduated from California State University (CSU) and 84% of alumni remain in the state. Last week, CSU showcased the achievements of people making their mark in the robotics industry, including quality assurance engineer Jaime Ciriaco, a 2017 graduate of Sonoma State University.

California State University (CSU) campuses make up some of the nation’s leading Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), with 46 percent of the university’s 432,000 undergraduate students being Hispanic or Latinx. As designated HSIs, CSU campuses are using federal funds to create programs to bridge the equity gap faced by underrepresented minority and low-income students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

“The professors in the engineering program at Sonoma State were always invested in the students’ development and pushed their students in order to bring the best out of them,” Ciriaco told CSU. “The luxury of being able to walk into my professors’ office hours without a hassle allowed me to ask for help or seek advice on anything I needed. I strongly believe because of this I am able to excel in my current role.”

According to a CSU press release, 12 campuses recently received grants totaling $35 million from the U.S. Department of Education to boost support for Latinx and low-income students in STEM.

The programs all aim to prepare students to transfer to CSU successfully, and provide the support students need to graduate as workforce-ready professionals ready to secure jobs in high-demand STEM fields.

CSU Dominguez Hills is partnering with four local community colleges to make nearly every support service available to students at the community colleges. The Guided Pathways for STEM (GPS) program is an innovative approach that gives equal weight to addressing academic and non-academic needs. Students will be provided with advising, assessment, tutoring, workshops, and services to help meet their basic needs so they can focus on academic success and efficiently transfer to CSUDH.

CSU Fullerton’ss Project RAISER ensures incoming students are prepared for the rigors of STEM courses. Community college students will be conducting undergraduate research at CSUF, and CSUF staff will be preparing them for high-impact internships and research opportunities after they transfer.

Cal State San Bernardino is establishing a Science Success Center to address the challenges that underrepresented students face. The center will steer students to valuable resources, including counseling and psychological services, and provide supplemental instruction, tutoring, individual development plans, undergraduate research opportunities, and other programs to improve academic and career success. The center will also give students access to Latinx mentors from professional societies.

At CSU Channel Islands, Project AYUDAS will reassess and modify first-year required STEM courses, as these introduce students to STEM and can influence their decision on whether they want to stay or switch majors. Project AYUDAS will increase STEM student retention by redesigning the curriculum and developing equity-minded pedagogy for faculty.

Sacramento State‘s STEM4Equity will transform math, physics, and engineering courses to align with STEM employers’ needs. Leadership activities and internships will be offered to develop STEM identity for Latinx and low-income students and equip them with real-world skills.

Meanwhile, CSU San Marcos will leverage industry partnerships to align education and workforce. The campus will embed undergraduate research experiences in the curriculum and offer work-based learning opportunities. Learn more about the HSI grant program and how campuses plan to maximize it on the U.S. Department of Education website.

As 1 in 10 employees in California graduated from a CSU and 84% of alumni remain in the state, these individuals are using the knowledge and skills they gained from a CSU education to make their mark on the #robotics industry.

Meet a few of these alumni: https://t.co/u3TyViXbeK pic.twitter.com/ND3YEU9nlV

— The CSU (@calstate) February 27, 2023