College grant: CSU-Pueblo ranks highest in state for Hispanic tech grads
College officials say a personalized approach contributes to students’ success.
Renee Trujillo had hoped to become a teacher when she enrolled at Colorado State University-Pueblo almost four years ago.
But even before she took her first class, the Pueblo wife and mother of three discovered teaching wasn’t her fit.
“A counselor told me that the education program was really structured and I knew I wasn’t interested in something like that,” Trujillo said.
“I took home a college catalog and read through it. The engineering programs really sounded interesting to me,” she said. “So I decided to go into civil engineering technology.”
Trujillo graduated in December and now is working as an engineer for Xcel Corp. in Pueblo.
She is one of a growing number of Hispanic students who are earning degrees in the fields of science, math and technology at CSU-Pueblo.
In fact, CSU-Pueblo has become the leader in Colorado in the number of Hispanic students who are graduating with degrees in science, engineering and other technical areas.
Of the 163 students who earned degrees in the science and technical fields at the university in 2006, 35 were Hispanic.
CSU-Pueblo ranked the highest in the state in the number of Hispanic graduates in those programs, according to statistics from the Graduate School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado at Denver.
Statistics show that at the University of Colorado-Boulder, only 29 of the 1,202 graduates in the science and technical fields were Hispanic.
At CSU-Fort Collins, 21 of the 1,144 graduates were Hispanic and at the Colorado School of Mines, there were only 22 Hispanic graduates out of the 436 who earned degrees in the science and technical fields.
Promoting success
Officials at CSU-Pueblo said being a Hispanic Serving Institution combined with a personalized approach given to all students likely has contributed to the school leading the state in the number of Hispanic graduates in the science and technical fields.
HSI schools are those that have at least 25 percent Hispanic enrollment. CSU-Pueblo’s Hispanic enrollment is just slightly above 25 percent.
“I think one of the things that we do very well is instill confidence in the students that they can succeed,” said Hector Carrasco, dean of the college of engineering, education and professional studies.
“We offer tutoring programs to help our students and we find ways to get them connected to the institution,” he said.
Carrasco said organizations such as the Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists helps keep students connected and involved.
The organization Ñ of which there are student chapters at CSU-Pueblo and Pueblo Community College and a professional chapter Ñ offer mentoring and tutoring programs as well as social functions for members.
Rosemary Townsend, who will graduate in May, said the SMAES was a source of constant support as she pursued her degree in biology.
“That’s where my biggest support came,” said Townsend, who plans to pursue a doctorate at CSU-Fort Collins this fall. “From tutoring to help financially as a mentor, they have been my biggest support.”
Kristy Proctor, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, said the university has made a tremendous effort in providing financial resources and research opportunities to minority students, which has contributed to the number of Hispanic graduates in science, technology, engineering and math, known as STEM programs.
In past years, the university received National Institute of Health grants to support the Minority Biomedical Research programs that offered minority students opportunities to conduct research projects.
The grant program has ended.
Proctor, however, has made it a priority to continue to offer undergraduate research projects for students, many of whom are Hispanic.
Each year, the college supports the program with $20,000 to $30,000 for such projects.
Biology major Daniella (Chavez) Boyer is among the many students who have benefitted from the research program.
Boyer, who graduates in May, has been doing research with biology professor Helen Caprioglio to find paints and plastics that are mold resistent.
“I also worked in the summer program doing genetics research,” said Boyer. “I can’t say enough about the opportunities and support that I have received since I’ve come here. Everybody wants you to succeed.”
Lee Anne Martinez, a biology professor, agreed, saying that the university’s strong infrastructure and support are contributing factors to student success.
Martinez added that the quality of education offered at CSU-Pueblo is top-notch.
“Students get involved in applied learning through research projects and internships,” she said.
Martinez added that the success of a NIH-supported Summer Bridges grant program for minorities has helped boost enrollment of students transferring from community colleges to CSU-Pueblo.
The program, which ended in 2006, provided community college students a five-week summer program, in which they receive enrichment skills as well as participate in research.
“They are very short-term research but it’s authentic research. It’s basically designed to help raise the student’s confidence level and familiarize them with the research process.”
“Once students get involved in research, they want to continue and do so with success,” she said.
She added that many students who may have just wanted an associate degree, will further their education if they know what opportunities exist.
“A lot of people fall out of the pipeline at this juncture (associate degree) but if they make it to the four-year institution, somehow they get that desire to go on, not just for a master’s degree but some go on to a Ph.D.”
Martinez said that at least 85 percent of the students went on to pursue four-year degrees and 60 percent of those went to CSU-Pueblo.
Boyer was one of those students who participated in the bridge program.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” she said. “But when I came to the bridge program, I was invited to do research and I was really encouraged from that experience.”
Boyer said “getting my feet wet” in the research, inspired her to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
“My next step is a Ph.D.,” she said proudly.
CSU-Pueblo recently has added two new scholarship programs, that hopefully will attract even more minority and low-income students to the STEM fields.
A $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will fund 20 to 25 scholarships for low-income and minority students pursuing degrees in science and technology fields.
The aim of the program is to get graduates in those speciality areas to fill the need for workers in those fields, according to Keith Sinkhorn, an engineering professor and author of the grant.
The other grant from the National Institutes of Health is a collaborative effort between CSU-Pueblo and CSU-Fort Collins to get more minority students to pursue advanced science degrees.
The goal is to create more qualified minority scientists in the biomedical science fields.
The program will provide a $20,000 stipend for up to two years for students to study in a graduate program.
Individualized attention
Proctor said the strong tutoring and mentoring programs, along with the smaller student-to-staff ratios, especially in the science and technical areas, provide students the support needed to succeed.
“The key to supporting and maintaining minority students is to have strong mentors and role models,” she said.
Proctor said she has made a concerted effort to hire minority faculty, including women, who provide the kind of role models needed for the students who attend CSU-Pueblo.
She added that the smaller class sizes allow for more direct contact with students and more mentoring of students.
“In other larger institutions, (undergraduate) students end up working with graduate students or post-doctorate students,” she said. “For undergraduates to work with professors, who are doing research, is really unheard of at the undergraduate level.”
Martinez said such an environment is conducive to minority and first-generation students.
“A lot of times being in a large classroom is not the most friendly atmosphere, especially for a minority student. I know, because I was there.”
Chrystal Fernandez, a transfer student from New Mexico, said the support she received from the biology department led her to pursue not just a bachelor’s but a master’s degree in the field.
“I always felt like the sciences weren’t too friendly to minorities and women but that’s not the case here,” she said. “My first semester, I was invited to do research with Dr. Jeff Smith on strokes. It’s really a privilege to have that opportunity. The support I’ve been given has made me want to get a master’s degree.”
More work to be done
In spite of the success CSU-Pueblo has had in graduating Hispanic students in the science and technology fields, more work needs to be done in attracting minorities to those fields, officials said.
According to statistics from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, only 4 percent of all degrees awarded in the fields of science and technology are to Hispanics, yet Hispanics compose 20 percent of the state’s population.
Carrasco said as a Hispanic Serving Institution more needs to be done to encourage minorities, particularly first-generation students, to pursue those kinds of degrees.
“I think it’s difficult to understand why there aren’t more Hispanic students going into those fields,” he said. “I think one of the issues is that there is a shortage of role models in those areas. The STEM fields are not readily visible. Someone who is college-bound, but not familiar with those programs, might not choose to go into those fields because they simply do not know about them.”
Proctor agreed.
“A lot of first-generation students tend to go more toward the health professions because that’s what they know,” she said. “Oftentimes, it’s just a matter of educating the student to let them know what opportunities exist out there. We need to do a better job of giving them exposure to careers in the STEM field.”
source:http://www.chieftain.com
