Cheyney University Curriculum and Infrastructure Enhamcement in STEM

Eva, Sakkar Ara¹ 

[1] Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, PA (United States)

关键词: STEM;    Curricular Enhancement;   

DOI  :  10.2172/1172898
RP-ID  :  DOE-Cheyney--2013
PID  :  OSTI ID: 1172898

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

Cheyney University is the oldest historically Black educational institution in America. Initially established as a ???normal??? school emphasizing the matriculation of educators, Cheyney has become a comprehensive university, one of 14 state universities comprising the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). Cheyney University graduates still become teachers, but they also enter such fields as journalism, medicine, science, mathematics, law, communication and government. Cheyney University is a small state owned HBCU with very limited resource. At present the university has about a thousand students with 15% in STEM. The CUCIES II grant made significant contribution in saving the computer science program from being a discontinued program in the university. The grant enabled the university to hire a temporary faculty to teach in and update the computer science program. The program is enhanced with three tracks; cyber security, human computer interaction and general. The updated and enhanced computer science program will prepare professionals in the area of computer science with the knowledge, skills, and professional ethic needed for the current market. The new curriculum was developed for a professional profile that would focus on the technologies and techniques currently used in the industry. With faculty on board, the university worked with the department to bring back the computer science program from moratorium. Once in the path of being discontinued and loosing students, the program is now growing. Currently the student number has increased from 12 to 30. University is currently in the process of hiring a tenure track faculty in the computer science program. Another product of the grant is the proposal for introductory course in nanotechnology. The course is intended to generate interest in the nanotechnology field. The Natural and Applied Science department that houses all of the STEM programs in Cheyney University, is currently working to bring back environmental science program from moratorium. The university has been working to improve minority participation in STEM and made significant stride in terms of progressing students toward graduate programs and into professoriate track. This success is due to faculty mentors who work closely with students to guiding them through the application processes for research internship and graduate programs; it is also due to the university forming collaborative agreements with research intensive institutions, federal and state agencies and industry. The grant assisted in recruiting and retaining students in STEM by offering tuition scholarship, research scholarship and travel awards. Faculty professional development was supported by the grant by funding travel to conferences, meetings and webinar. As many HBCU Cheyney University is also trying to do more with less. As the STEM programs are inherently expensive, these are the ones that suffer more when resources are scarce. One of the goals of Cheyney University strategic plan is to strengthen STEM programs that is coherent with the critical skill need of Department of Energy. All of the Cheyney University STEM programs are now located in the new science building funded by Pennsylvania state.