Coker University is adding a third cohort of 18 students to its STEM Scholars in Biology (SSB) program for high-achieving students interested in pursuing careers in STEM fields and who are in need of financial assistance to attend college, and is now accepting applications for its SSB 2020 cohort (starting Coker in the fall of 2020 with an expected graduation date of spring of 2024).

Coker University currently serves as the lead institution on a collaborative research project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program (NSF S-STEM). As a result of this work, the SSB program at Coker anticipates the selection of an annual cohort of academically talented students who will receive as much as $10,000 a year in scholarship aid for their four years of college, along with other benefits such as a laptop computer, mentoring by scientists, individualized advising and early involvement in research.

In addition to their four-year scholarships, SSB participants receive an integrated first-year experience, including a STEM-based first-year seminar, new laptop computers, mentoring by external scientists, intrusive advising from faculty and support from peer mentors, and research or project-based learning experiences. The impact of these activities on enrollment and retention, graduation, and post-graduate placement rates are examined.

The SSB program generates new information about factors contributing to the persistence and success of biology students who need financial assistance. It contributes new information to the literature specific to students in need and will ultimately help increase graduation rates of STEM scholars while increasing their participation in a STEM-related graduate program or field of employment.

For more information about Coker’s SSB program, please contact Dr. Joseph Flaherty at jflaherty@coker.edu or 843-383-8079. Students interested in applying for Coker’s SSB 2020 cohort (entering Coker in the fall of 2020 and graduating in 2024) can apply here.

Photo: Coker SSB students at BASF headquarters in Durham, NC, 2019.