HARSTVILLE, SC (courtesy coker.edu) — Coker College was recently granted additional funding (approximately $682,000) from the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (NSF S-STEM) program to add a second cohort to the college’s 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.

Coker is currently serving as the lead institution on a research project involving three additional colleges, using a five-year $4.4 million dollar grant from the NSF S-STEM program. The grant provides scholarship aid averaging $6,000 per year for each of the recipient’s four years in college. Coker currently has 18 SSB scholars participating in its 2018 (class of 2022) cohort and now with the additional funding, the college will be able to add as many as 18 SSB scholars to a 2019 (class of 2023) cohort.

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

Joseph Flaherty, Ph.D., professor of biology and director of undergraduate research at Coker College, is the principal investigator for the project, with Tracy Parkinson, Ph.D., vice president for strategic partnerships at Coker, serving as co-principal investigator. The program is also supported by a number of key faculty personnel and offices across all of the participating institutions. “The enhanced financial aid for students, while important, is not the only feature of the project,” says Flaherty. “The enhanced programmatic elements combined with a robust student-centered focus will certainly strengthen all partnering institutions as we better prepare our students for entry into scientific careers.”

In addition to the four-year scholarships, SSB participants will 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 will be examined.

Flaherty says, “Just the idea that we’re carrying out a scientific study to try to figure out the key factors that influence a student’s decision to not only succeed in college, but to persist in their chosen major and use that degree to become a professional in the biological sciences is very exciting and will enhance our understanding of these important contributors to student success.”

All four colleges participating in the 2018 program belong to the Yes We Must Coalition, which strives to increase low-income and underrepresented students’ college-degree attainment at small, independent, nonprofit colleges and universities: Coker College (Hartsville, SC), College of Saint Elizabeth (Morristown, NJ), Ferrum College (Ferrum, VA), and Mercy College (Dobbs Ferry, NY).

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 2019 cohort (entering Coker in the fall of 2019 and graduating in 2023) can apply here.

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ANDERSON, SC (courtesy andersonuniversity.edu) — Anderson University has formalized a partnership with Greenville Technical College that will allow GTC students to more easily transfer and complete their studies at AU.

Officials from both schools signed an agreement that puts in place the Anderson University Bridge Program, which is intended for Greenville Technical College students who complete an associate degree and who wish to transfer to Anderson to complete a bachelor’s program.

“This agreement represents an incredible opportunity for college students in our region,” said Dr. Evans P. Whitaker, President of Anderson University. “We are so appreciative of our friends at Greenville Technical College, and we look forward to welcoming their students into the AU family.”

Under the agreement, Bridge students enrolled in Greenville Technical College’s Associate of Art, Associate of Science and designated Applied Science degrees will sign an intent to transfer to AU. If they meet the minimum GPA requirement of 2.50 and earn an associate degree, they will be accepted for transfer to AU and will receive advising and academic support that will ensure a successful transition from the two-year college to the four-year university. Merit and transfer scholarships will be available for those who qualify.

Articulation agreements have also been signed for the Supply Chain Management, Marketing and Management programs. The agreements allow graduates of these Greenville Technical College programs earning a 2.50 GPA to transfer 60 -62 credit hours, depending upon the program, of GTC credit to Anderson University in order to complete a Bachelor of Business Administration.

“We are pleased to work more closely with Anderson University in order to improve academic opportunities in the Upstate,” said Dr. Jermaine Whirl, vice president for learning and workforce development at Greenville Technical College. “Together we can provide strong paths to bachelor’s degrees and give students the support they need at both levels to succeed and graduate.”

Furman Associate Professor of Chemistry Karen Buchmueller

The latest NSF award of $253,411 will be housed at Georgia Institute of Technology and will support the national endeavors of the Chemistry Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Leadership Group (LG).

This award is preceded by two other NSF grants: 1) a $340,000 grant to Furman to support faculty and students in the REU program, and 2) a $156,858 grant to Furman for the purchase of a bioimaging system. All told, Buchmueller’s name is associated with about $750,000 from NSF in the last 12 months.

Buchmueller, who is one of three investigators on the most recent grant, has been part of the LG for five years, serving as chair in 2016. Advocating for the greater Chemistry NSF REU community, the LG is comprised of 9 faculty members, most of those hailing from comprehensive, doctoral-granting research institutions.

The group uses platforms like websites, symposia and workshops, which are focused on sharing best practices for REU principle investigators and Site Directors, so that undergraduates—including those at Furman—can have meaningful and productive research experiences.

Part of the LG’s work is also aimed at broadening participation and inclusivity in chemistry as a discipline. To that end, the group is heavily involved in efforts to attract to the field underrepresented minorities (Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Pacific Islanders), veterans, community college students, first-generation college students and persons with disabilities.

Said Furman Associate Provost for Integrative Science John Wheeler, “This achievement once again represents Furman’s long-standing national recognition and contributions as a leader in undergraduate research, including service to those schools in receipt of NSF undergraduate research funding in chemistry spanning two decades.”

About her latest success, Buchmueller won’t take all the credit. “Furman has had a strong presence in the Leadership Group for many years, as Drs. Moses Lee and Tim Hanks both preceded me as members of the LG. I am very proud of the work that I have done as part of this group and what this group has done for the Chemistry REU community. We ultimately are focused on the undergraduate student,” she said.

For more information, contact Karen Buchmueller, Furman University Department of Chemistry, at 864-294-2683, and karen.buchmueller@furman.edu.