Year 2 Report: Providing Aid for STEM Success at CSUB
Saved in:
| Title: | Year 2 Report: Providing Aid for STEM Success at CSUB |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jianjun Wang, California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB) |
| Source: | Grantee Submission. 2026. |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 27 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) |
| Contract Number: | 2321667 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Evaluative |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | STEM Education, Academic Achievement, Success, State Universities, Program Evaluation, Program Improvement, Program Effectiveness, Fidelity, Grade Point Average, At Risk Students, College Students, Student Recruitment, Demand Occupations, Accountability, Program Implementation, Scholarships, Graduation, Education Work Relationship |
| Geographic Terms: | California (Bakersfield) |
| Abstract: | This evaluation report documents the Year 2 progress of the "Providing Aid for STEM Success" (PASS) program at California State University, Bakersfield, an initiative funded by the National Science Foundation's S-STEM program. Transitioning from start-up to steady operations, the program now supports 34 scholars across two overlapping cohorts in eight NSF-eligible disciplines. Using a "Results-Based Accountability" (RBA) framework and a logic model, the evaluation assesses program fidelity, quality, and incremental improvement. Key findings indicate significant positive momentum, including: (1) Program Expansion: A 61.5% increase in program reach while maintaining a high academic profile, with the incoming 2025-26 cohort entering with a mean GPA of 3.35; (2) Proactive Risk Mitigation: A shift from reactive observation to early intervention through a new mentor-meeting certification system. This infrastructure enabled the program to identify at-risk scholars mid-term and apply "Scholarship Hold" statuses for structured support; (3) Pipeline Acceleration: Strategic recruitment of upper-division scholars--particularly in high-demand fields like computer science--has accelerated the graduation pipeline, with five scholars expected to complete degrees in 2026; and (4) Operational Equity: Analysis of the last-dollar scholarship model, which provides awards ranging from $3,121 to $15,000, confirms that academic performance remains high regardless of the award size. The report concludes by establishing four monitoring priorities for Year 3: tracking the lower-division to upper-division pipeline, evaluating at-risk scholar recovery, verifying continued regional workforce alignment, and ensuring ongoing financial aid equity. Overall, Year 2 evidence demonstrates that PASS has successfully "turned the curve" by building a robust, adaptive support ecosystem for low-income STEM students. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED678257 |
| Database: | ERIC |
Be the first to leave a comment!
