Solano Community College (SCC) was awarded a US Department of Education TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) STEM grant in the amount of $220,000 per year for five years to provide support services to 140 low-income, first-generation community college students who are pursuing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) based degrees or certificates.

“This grant will allow the College to provide enhanced support services to STEM students to help them stay in school, maintain a higher grade point average, and graduate and transfer to four-year universities at a higher rate. And the beauty of this grant is that it complements our recently awarded $622,715 National Science Foundation grant in which we offer 25 to 35 scholarships per year to STEM students. Along with our new Biomanufacturing baccalaureate degree, Solano is a welcome home to high-achieving STEM students,” said Stan Arterberry, SCC’s Interim Superintendent-President.

This grant project will be nested in the current Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program in place at the college and will supplement the program to create the MESA/TRIO program. MESA/TRIO will follow a model that provides academic support and a community environment that assists first generation, low-income students to pursue attainment of a STEM associate degree/certificate and/or transfer to a four-year university. Dr. Jose Ballesteros will manage the MESA/TRIO program.

The MESA/TRIO program will have the following objectives: 1) 80% of participants will persist or graduate and/or transfer, 2) 90% of participants will be in good academic standing and 3) 10% of new participants will graduate within four years and 25% of new participants will graduate and transfer to a four-year institution within four years. Support services will be provided to the participants, including academic counseling, career counseling, financial aid workshops, assistance with filling out the FAFSA, economic literacy workshops, tutoring, university visits, leadership training as well as development of non-cognitive factors and individualized counseling.

“I’d like to thank Dr. Jose Ballesteros, Professors Genele Rhoads and Chuck Spillner, Cynthia K. Garcia, Dean Peter Cammish, Pei-Lin Van’t Hul and others for putting the proposal together. This grant will elevate STEM education at Solano to a new level,” said Dr. Zhanjing “John” Yu, SCC Dean of Math and Science.

Solano Community College has 3,864 of 14,054 students declaring as STEM majors. A significant portion, 52%, of the STEM majors are eligible for the MESA/TRIO program.

For more information, please contact Cynthia Garcia at cynthia.garcia@solano.edu or 707-863-7866.