With the expansion of Hewlett Packard (HP) - MESA Center that includes:
1) expansion of the services of the MESA Center, which include the development of individual academic plans, peer tutoring, participation in Academic Excellence Workshops that feature study skills and time management, and a faculty mentoring program in which instructors work with small groups of students in laboratories;
2) a “bridge-in” program which exposes high school and college freshman students to and prepares them for the STEM fields and uses contextual learning to address their developmental needs;
3) a “bridge-out” program that provides students with cooperative education internships in industries and
assistance for a successful transfer to four-year universities in the STEM fields.
The project uses a holistic approach to STEM education through immersing students in a culture and environment that addresses their different learning styles and academic needs. It identifies every conceivable variable that may serve as a barrier and impediment to academic success and provides an intervention to address those obstacles. In the six months in the academic year 2006-07, six faculty mentors and eight student tutors worked in the MESA center to help students. Approximately 100 students participated in mentoring and 150 students received tutoring. The summer 2007 bridge-in program offered pre-college mathematics courses to a cohort of 22 incoming STEM students to prepare them to advance to college-level courses. The College intends to expand the project by including all STEM majors, in addition to the six initially targeted disciplines. The College also plans to improve the summer “bridge-in” program by enrolling more students and providing better services.