Greer Foundation STEM Programs

Incoming first-year students at Moraine Valley Community College who are interested in pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have an opportunity to participate in the Greer Scholars Program, which seeks to diversify STEM careers by funding and supporting students who are underrepresented in these fields. Greer Foundation STEM Programs.

The Greer Foundation, which champions organizations committed to helping people improve their lives, chose Moraine Valley as the first Chicago-area community college grantee to support a cohort of students as Greer Scholars. The foundation has been supporting students at universities in the Chicago area and on the East Coast for years; this was their first foray into the community college sphere. The Greer Scholars Program offers renewable scholarships of $2,500 to $3,000 to students who are selected to participate.

Program Development

In April 2023, Kristy McGreal, Executive Director of the Moraine Valley Foundation, met with Dr. Carl Greer and Lisa Sanchez, who is now the Executive Director of the Greer Foundation. At the initial meeting, McGreal shared all of the rich STEM resources at the college, including the work Dr. Paula DeAnda-Shah, mathematics professor and STEM Coordinator, does for STEM programming and the STEM Center. According to McGreal, the Greer Foundation was surprised to learn that much of what they ask their university partners to implement is already ingrained in community college operations. For example, Moraine Valley’s student success specialists assist students in underrepresented populations with being successful in college.

In June 2023, Moraine Valley pulled in more campus partners, including staff from the Student Success Center, Academic Affairs division, and STEM Center as well as two recent STEM graduates, to meet with the full Greer Foundation team. Students were also invited to the meeting. “We basically pitched what the Greer Scholars Program could look like at Moraine Valley . . . and they funded us right away,” stated McGreal. “It’s been a lot of work on their end to adjust their model to a community college, but they see the value of our students and how they are different from students at four-year institutions.”

Within a week of the June meeting, the Greer Foundation committed to supporting 20 students through a one-year contract. The level of support was dependent on the students’ financial situation. Students who obtained a partial Pell Grant received a $3,000 Greer scholarship for the year; students with a full Pell Grant received a $2,500 Greer scholarship. Moraine Valley opened program applications over the summer, and in August 2023, welcomed 17 Greer Scholars, many of whom were first-generation Black, Latinx, or Native American college students.

Success and Involvement

The scholarships allow Greer Scholars to succeed academically and become more involved on campus. DeAnda-Shah noted that “some chose not to work or worked reduced hours and/or made purchases that supported their education.” Some scholars had “stellar academic performance”; some took on leadership roles in campus clubs; some participated in sports, music ensembles, and math competitions; and some were offered positions as learning assistants by their first-semester faculty.

One scholar said in an anonymous end-of-year survey,

Without the financial support from Greer, I would be burdening my parents with financial stress and would have worked through the semester along with school. With the financial support, I was able to focus on my classes and attempt to achieve the best I can academically.

Three Components for Student Success

In addition to financial support, DeAnda-Shah and Elizabeth Barrera, a Student Success Specialist, work closely with students on the program’s three pillars—community, cross-disciplinary STEM experiences, and support—all of which contribute to students’ academic, social, and professional success.

Community

DeAnda-Shah and Barrera bring participating students together at least once a month for Greer Scholar-specific events that can be educational, social, or teambuilding. These required sessions cover a variety of topics and build community among the cohort members. They are encouraged to socialize, form study groups, share reflections about their classroom and college experiences, and develop new skills together. “We build a sense of community right from the start,” said Barrera. “They are in a group of like-minded students who are all pursuing STEM interests.”

Cross-Disciplinary STEM Experiences

Scholars are offered a variety of STEM experiences and must select at least two to participate in each semester. The experiences help educate them on STEM opportunities and resources both in and outside of Moraine Valley, and encourage them to try new things.

Some of the experiences include:

• Taking field trips to local universities, such as the University of Illinois Chicago’s Innovation Center for STEM activities and the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign’s Engineering Open House
• Touring Argonne National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary science and engineering research center
• Learning about STEM student research opportunities and experiment design
• Taking guided nature walks in the Forest Preserves of Cook County, and the Nature Study Area and Observatory on campus
• Exploring Moraine Valley’s STEM spaces (e.g., cadaver and culinary labs, plant and animal rooms)
• Participating in STEM competitions, computer-aided design programs, and coding activities
• Building professional skills (e.g., discussion panel participation, resume and interview preparation training, teambuilding)
• Volunteering at the college’s annual STEM Expo for 750 seventh grade students from district middle schools
• Networking with Moraine Valley STEM alumni

DeAnda-Shah, who also meets with each scholar at the start and end of each semester to discuss goal setting, commented that through these experiences, students gain insights into STEM careers and majors, understand intersections of STEM topics and skills, and engage with their peers.

Financial and Academic Support

The Greer Scholars support pillar plays a big part in giving students the freedom to get involved outside of their classes. The Greer Foundation initially wanted to make up the difference in the students’ tuition after financial aid and other scholarship were applied. However, college staff and faculty members advocated for students to get the Greer scholarship above and beyond other aid they received.

DeAnda-Shah shared,

We know from experience that many of our students maintain jobs. They feel they need to work part time or even have full-time jobs to be able to live and go to school. We wanted to alleviate some of that financial burden so they could dedicate more time to their classes and engage in more activities outside of their classes.

Feedback and Evaluation

Feedback from an end-of-year program evaluation was that students would not have been as involved without the additional financial support. That support follows Greer Scholars if they transfer to a four-year institution that has a Greer Scholars Program, where they will receive $5,000 per year toward earning their bachelor’s degree. Two Moraine Valley scholars have transferred to University of Illinois Chicago. Moraine Valley is the first school in the country from which a Greer Scholar has transferred to a participating university. The college is working with the Greer Foundation to track the academic progress of the students in each cohort.

Program participants also receive academic support by meeting monthly with Barrera to talk about how they’re doing and any issues they are experiencing. Students are required to maintain a 2.5 GPA with 12-plus credit hours each semester. When the second cohort of 17 scholars started in the fall 2024 semester, a new peer mentoring program was added to the support pillar. Mentoring pods include two second-year scholars and three first-year scholars who meet monthly to offer support to each other.

Greer Scholars Program Earns National DEI Award

The success of the Greer Scholars Program at Moraine Valley was further bolstered when it received a 2024 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from Insight Into Diversity magazine, higher education’s largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication. The award honors colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from underrepresented groups to enter STEM fields.

DeAnda-Shah remarked that the team is honored by the recognition and encouraged to learn that the work Moraine Valley is doing to support diverse STEM students is on par with other proactive initiatives at institutions across the country.

The partnership between the Greer Foundation and Moraine Valley’s Student Success Center; STEM Center; Foundation; and Science, Business, and Computer Technology subdivision has been a transformative experience for all of the faculty, staff, and students involved. Over the last year, it has been a privilege to get to know and support our Greer Scholars as they navigated college and rigorous coursework, explored possibilities, and participated in new STEM experiences.

The Greer Scholars Program was featured in the September 2024 issue of Insight Into Diversity along with the other award recipients, who were selected based on mentoring, teaching, research, and successful programs and initiatives.

Looking Ahead

At the end of the first year, the Greer Foundation met with Moraine Valley faculty and staff involved in the program to review the year and discuss each student’s progress. If a student was still a viable program candidate based on the guidelines, they could proceed to the next year and receive the same funding. Among the 17 first-year cohorts, 14 advanced to year two. Based upon the program’s success, the Greer Foundation approved up to 30 new students for the second cohort.

“It’s a wonderful program, and we’ve had great feedback from the students. I look forward to another year of supporting underrepresented students as they excel in STEM and make the most of their time at Moraine Valley,” Barrera said.

Lead image: Dr. Paula DeAnda-Shah (third from left), mathematics professor and STEM Coordinator, displays the Insight Into Diversity 2024 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award with several Greer Scholars from the programs’ first cohort.

Lead image: Greer Scholar works in lab at Moraine Valley Community College

Jessica Crotty is Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois.

Opinions expressed in Member Spotlight are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the League for Innovation in the Community College.

https://www.league.org/member-spotlight/moraine-valley-community-college-partnering-greer-foundation-increase