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What is Title V-SOS

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
TITLE V STEM OPERATION SUCCESS ABSTRACT

ED Grant P031S200028

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) is an expanding regional university, committed to preparing students for the careers of today and tomorrow. TAMUCC is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI). The current TAMUCC student undergraduate enrollment is 9,797 with a target population of 4,703 high-need Hispanic students. This project for Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions Program is titled STEM Operation Success (SOS) and will identify, recruit, and prepare eligible science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), high-need undergraduate students, through component one the Collegiate STEM Institute (CSI) utilizing a proven bridge concept for academic support and personal financial education boot camps. Various high-impact practices will also be provided including a sense of belonging activities and career development. These services will increase not only retention but will help students reach their future goals. The second component will use a 1-day mini-boot camp and workshops in the community/university settings for the STEM student’s Spanish-speaking families to increase their financial education so they can better assist their students. This style of interaction will be very engaging and hands-on to increase learning. This component will focus at the beginning on financial aid and student loan debt but progress through higher levels of financial success. All project participants and families will gain financial skills that can be utilized throughout life and will increase university persistence through graduation. The third component will address embedding financial education into regular faculty courses. Faculty support this concept and are eager to develop an integrated financial education pathway that can be replicated. Component 3 will also upgrade computer labs and student spaces for the financial success modules.

Competitive Preference Priority 1 Initiative: Career advising for STEM students and assessment through O*Net Interest Profiler online, Virtual Job Shadowing online program, and internships for project participants will increase participants' plan for graduation. These services will be provided during the CSI for a small cohort of special population Hispanic STEM students majoring in computer science.

https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined/

Competitive Preference Priority 2 Initiative: Personal Financial Education Boot Camps provides personal financial education instruction for TAMUCC high-need students and families, connecting them with staff and community mentors. Participants will be taught how to optimally utilize an online platform called iGrad (http://schools.igrad.com/), which can be accessed through a variety of devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptop PCs, and desktop PCs. The iGrad platform provides users with personal financial education instruction tailored to their personal circumstances and predispositions, on a wide range of topics to help increase present and future financial success. What Works Clearinghouse: Using Technology to Support Postsecondary Student Learning: A Practice Guide for College and University Administrators, Advisors, and Faculty (Dabbagh, et. al., 2019)

https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/wwc-using-tech-postsecondary-summary.pdf