RAPID
CITY, SD (Jan. 13, 2020) — First-generation students at South
Dakota Mines will now
have additional support through the recently established SD-FIRST
Program, funded by a $998,819 grant through the National Science Foundation S-STEM
program. In addition to
the NSF grant, a private donor with a tremendous commitment to helping
first-generation women students has provided significant support to the
SD-FIRST program to impact even more students.
The new SD-FIRST Program will
provide support in academic, social and economic areas with the goal of helping
first-generation students find success and ultimately graduate with a STEM degree
from South Dakota Mines. The program is designed to give students the tools to
better understand and navigate a college culture, have greater involvement in
campus life, and achieve higher retention and graduation rates to allow more
first-generation students to enter STEM fields. Students accepted to the
program will have access to special programming including faculty and student
mentors, workshops, special events, assistance with internships, co-ops and
research opportunities and more. The program also aims to alleviate student financial
burden by providing participants scholarships of up to $5,000 per year for four
years based on financial need.
“First-generation
students should be proud to be here at Mines, and we want to ensure that they have
everything they need to be successful,” says Cassandra Birrenkott, associate
professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
First-generation
students are defined as being the first in their families to earn a bachelor’s
degree. Birrenkott says that a college degree can open the door to many other
opportunities for first-generation students, especially in the STEM fields.
“Because
their families didn’t have that college experience, the support systems of
first-generation students may not be able to offer the same advice on how to
navigate a college setting.” says Birrenkott, who was a first-generation
herself and graduated from South Dakota Mines in 2007.
That
advice might include things as simple as taking advantage of faculty office
hours to things as complicated as filling out the FAFSA form to qualify for federal
loans, grants and other assistance. “First-generation students often feel
intimidated and can get lost in the intricacies of the complicated higher
education process,” she says.
The
issue of helping first-generation students is of particular interest to South
Dakota Mines, where one-third of incoming students are first-generation, which
is above the national average.
First-generation
students are particularly vulnerable to leaving college without a degree. They
are more than twice as likely to drop out within three years than students
whose parents have a bachelor’s degree. At Mines, the current five-year graduation
rate for first first-generation students is roughly half of that for the
general student population.
“We
believe that giving students the proper tools and creating an environment where
they can be successful will help propel first-generation student on our campus,”
Birrenkott says.
The
first eligible cohort of students will begin in fall 2021 and will be followed
throughout their undergraduate career. Another cohort will be accepted into the
program fall of 2022. “This award will go a really long way in helping students
on the South Dakota Mines campus, and our team is excited to see the impact
this program will make” she says.