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           Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is absolutely critical for the U.S. to lead the world in high technology innovation. So, with the backing of the National Science Foundation (NSF), emerged the Research Science Vision Program (RSVP) at Purchase College, State University Of New York in Fall 2005. The goal for RSVP is to promote excellence by:

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Strategy One:

  • Community College Science Expansion Initiative
    Community colleges are the entry point into higher education for most first generation college students, minorities and low-income students. They represent a special opportunity for expanding the number of S&E graduates. This program will increase enrollment of STEM students at Purchase College by offering joint matriculation at the three partner community colleges. Students will receive a full range of programs (advising, peer mentors, research opportunities, internships, career counseling, scholarships) while they study at the community college after and if they transfer to Purchase. The RSVP program began with the recruitment of 15 new community college students. All of these students participated in the 2006 Summer Research Program June 5-July 7 at Purchase College. For the fall of 2006 we began recruiting at Orange County Community College and Westchester Community College.

  • Faculty Seminar Series
    Faculty from Purchase College’s Natural Sciences Division have made several visits to each of the three community colleges. The faculty presented seminars on their research as well as a power point presentation about the RSVP Program. Each of the seminars was attended by 10-30 students. These visits, together with the student visits are partly responsible for the initial recruitment success we have had for the Program.

 

VISITING AND RECRUITING AT THE FOLLOWING COLLABORATING COMMUNITY COLLEGES:

  • DUTCHESS COMMUNITY COLLEGE (DCC)

  • ORANGE COMMUNITY COUNTY COLLEGE (OCC)

  • ROCKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE (RCC)

  • SULLIVAN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE (SCCC)

  • WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE (WCC)

 

 

Strategy Two:

  •   Programs to Foster Innovative Pedagogy in Introductory STEM Courses
    As part of the RSVP Program  a series of Pedagogy Workshops will be held .   Two Pedagogy Workshops were held during the Spring’06 Semester, and another in the fall. The first one was sponsored by Benjamin Cummings (Strategies for Success) and held on March 11, at Kingsborough Community College.  Ten  faculty from the four institutions attended.  Topics included “Utilizing Technology to Promote Active Learning in a Large Enrollment Course”, and “Peer-Led Team Learning: A Proven Method for Increasing Student Performance.”  The second was held as a follow-up at Purchase College on April 8, and attended by 13 faculty. Each faculty member brought their favorite biology or chemistry lab and made a presentation to the group. The Fall Pedagogy Workshop was held on  November 4, 2006.  It was titled “Teaching strategies in STEM fields.” Close to 15 faculty attended this workshop.   Response to the Workshops has been phenomenal. One community faculty commented that “we should pay you for attending this workshop, I am so excited about what I learned here today.”     STEM faculty members at the partner institutions are committed to improving the learning outcomes of students enrolled in the introductory STEM courses.

The Pedagogy participants and presenters at the April 8th, 2006 event
 

Strategy Three: Programs to Improve Retention of Science Students

  • Academic Monitoring and Support:

    The  Office of Science Student Support Services (OSSS) was created. Staffed by a Coordinator  and an student administrative assistant. The office provides academic monitoring and support for the community college students and our own Purchase College Natural Sciences students.    Currently we have 15 tutors working,  three at the  community colleges and twelve tutors working at Purchase College. The tutors at the community colleges are supervised by the RSVP Coordinator (faculty member) at the community college.

    The  Office of Science Student Support Services (OSSS) is located in The School of Natural Science, room 3029. The office Administrator, Theresa James and office assistant Junie Bertrand coordinates the tutoring and mentoring at the community colleges and at Purchase College.
     

  • In Spring 2006 a tutoring center, Einstein's Corner, was created at Purchase College. Einstein Corner is staffed by faculty and students from 4-8 PM Monday thru Thursday, and 2-4 PM on Friday. Over one hundred students have been tutored thus far. Einstein's corner is located in the School of Natural Sciences, room 3046.

  • Each semester, RSVP students, coordinators, and faculty receives an RSVP newsletter.