How to Collaborate and Write a Successful URM STEM Program Proposal Barbara A. Fink, O.D., Ph.D. J. Tyler Cole, M.Ed. The Ohio LSAMP Alliance

Barbara A. Fink, O.D., Ph.D. J. Tyler Cole, M.Ed.

How to Collaborate and Write a Successful URM STEM Program Proposal Description of the LSAMP Program Decision to Apply for NSF Funding through LSAMP Program First Submission Responding to Reviewers’ Comments Resubmission of The Ohio LSAMP Alliance Proposal First Steps in Carrying Out Proposal

Description of the LSAMP Program Purpose Eligible Students Eligible Partners Types of Alliances Levels of Funding for New Alliances

LSAMP Program Purpose Increase the number of underrepresented minority students who complete quality degree programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)

Eligible Students URM: African-Americans, Alaskan Natives, Native Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Pacific Islanders Citizens or permanent residents of the US or its possessions STEM majors

Eligible Partners One or more graduate degree granting institutions President of provost of lead institution should serve as PI 2-4 year degree-granting institutions An institution may be a member in only one alliance President Michael Drake, OSU

Types of Alliances New Alliances – Have not received previous LSAMP Alliance funds – Commit to significantly increase in baccalaureate production in STEM within 5 years – Emphasis on pre-college, freshmen, and sophomore persistence – Not necessary to include community college partners – Not eligible for Bridge to the Doctorate support

Levels of Funding for New Alliances Annual award is based on how many STEM baccalaureate degrees awarded to URM annually by alliance – 500 degrees: $700,000 - $1 million – degrees: $500,000 - $700,000 – <300 degrees: $500,00 or less

Decision to Apply for NSF Funding through the LSAMP Program Discovery of NSF LSAMP Program Discussions with OSU Administration, Faculty, and Staff Discussions with Dr. A. James Hicks, Senior Program Director, LSAMP Discussion with and Visitations to Prospective Partners

Decision to Apply for NSF Funding through the LSAMP Program Joint Annual Meeting Models for The Ohio LSAMP Alliance Initial Thoughts on Programming Meetings with OSU Advisors

Discussion with OSU Administrators, Faculty, and Staff Previous LSAMP Alliance in 2003: Lessons Learned Other NSF Grants at OSU ODI Programs Undergraduate Research Office Programs in the College of Engineering College of Medicine Pipeline Programs Honors and Scholars Programs Courses in Study Skills

Lessons Learned The 2003 Ohio LSAMP Alliance was not an alliance: – Alliance partners did their own things in isolation from other members of the alliance. – There was no collaboration of efforts in recruitment or programming – There was insufficient sharing of information and resources

Lessons Learned 15 partners was unwieldy Funds were insufficient to provide the infrastructure and programming needed Data collection, tracking of students, and program evaluation were inadequate No plans were presented for institutionalization of programming

Lessons Learned Alliance office should be housed in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (not the Graduate School) A committed, enthusiastic, capable team of faculty and staff must be identified at all partners institutions to carry out recruitment, programming, and data collection A comprehensive, centralized data collection and evaluation plan must be in place from the start of the program

Lessons Learned Strict guidelines and requirements should be in place for selecting students to participate in undergraduate research (GPA, major, research experiences, reporting) Parallel programming should be established at each of the partner institutions in undergraduate research, summer bridge/early arrival, tutoring, and mentoring Changes in leadership occurred after grant was awarded (PI and program director left OSU)

Discussion with OSU Administrators, Faculty, and Staff Previous LSAMP Alliance in 2003: Lessons Learned Other NSF Grants at OSU ODI Programs Undergraduate Research Office Programs in the College of Engineering College of Medicine Pipeline Programs Honors and Scholars Programs Courses in Study Skills

Discussion with OSU Administrators, Faculty, and Staff Previous LSAMP Alliance in 2003: Lessons Learned Other NSF Grants at OSU ODI Programs Undergraduate Research Office Programs in the College of Engineering College of Medicine Pipeline Programs Honors and Scholars Programs Courses in Study Skills

Discussion with OSU Administrators, Faculty, and Staff Previous LSAMP Alliance in 2003: Lessons Learned Other NSF Grants at OSU ODI Programs Undergraduate Research Office Programs in the College of Engineering College of Medicine Pipeline Programs Honors and Scholars Programs Courses in Study Skills

Discussion with OSU Administrators, Faculty, and Staff Previous LSAMP Alliance in 2003: Lessons Learned Other NSF Grants at OSU ODI Programs Undergraduate Research Office Programs in the College of Engineering College of Medicine Pipeline Programs Honors and Scholars Programs Courses in Study Skills

Discussion with OSU Administrators, Faculty, and Staff Previous LSAMP Alliance in 2003: Lessons Learned Other NSF Grants at OSU ODI Programs Undergraduate Research Office Programs in the College of Engineering College of Medicine Pipeline Programs Honors and Scholars Programs Courses in Study Skills

Discussion with OSU Administrators, Faculty, and Staff Previous LSAMP Alliance in 2003: Lessons Learned Other NSF Grants at OSU ODI Programs Undergraduate Research Office Programs in the College of Engineering College of Medicine Pipeline Programs Honors and Scholars Programs Courses in Study Skills

Discussion with OSU Administrators, Faculty, and Staff Previous LSAMP Alliance in 2003: Lessons Learned Other NSF Grants at OSU ODI Programs Undergraduate Research Office Programs in the College of Engineering College of Medicine Pipeline Programs Honors and Scholars Programs Courses in Study Skills

Decision to Apply for NSF Funding through the LSAMP Program Discovery of NSF LSAMP Program Discussions with OSU Administration, Faculty, and Staff Discussions with Dr. A. James Hicks, Senior Program Director, LSAMP Discussion with and Visitations to Prospective Partners

Advice from Dr. A. James Hicks Visit to OSU, April 13-14, 2011 Advice on Consultants and Contacts JAM Contacts for other LSAMP alliances Resources – Revitalizing the Nation’s Talent Pool in STEM (2006) – LSAMP Literature – NSF Literature

Advice from Dr. A. James Hicks Institutions that Make Up an Alliance – Number – Types – Cross state lines? – Community colleges? – New alliance? – Governance – Division of funding among alliance partners

Advice from Dr. A. James Hicks Types of Programs – Tinto Model: academic and social integration – Disciplinary Socialization – Stipends, not scholarships – Undergraduate research is mandatory – Eliminate leakage in gate-keeping courses – Must not be pipeline programs to health professions – Prepare students for graduate school

Advice from Dr. A. James Hicks Logic Model – Inputs activities outputs impact Evaluation Plan Accurate enrollment and graduation data STEM CIP codes for LSAMP

Decision to Apply for NSF Funding through the LSAMP Program Discovery of NSF LSAMP Program Discussions with OSU Administration, Faculty, and Staff Discussions with Dr. A. James Hicks, Senior Program Director, LSAMP Discussion with and Visitations to Prospective Partners

Discussions with Partners Who should the partners be? Visited many Ohio institutions, gave presentations about LSAMP, listened to ideas Synthesized information gathered from visits: – Programming already in place – How partners might use funds – Identification of committed, capable people – Identification of 2 individuals from each institution for LSAMP Steering Committee

Decision to Apply for NSF Funding through the LSAMP Program Joint Annual Meeting Models for The Ohio LSAMP Alliance Initial Thoughts on Programming Meetings with OSU Advisors

Joint Annual Meeting 2011, 2012, Washington, D.C. Keynotes, breakout sessions, posters “Evaluation 101: Basics for Principal Investigators”

Decision to Apply for NSF Funding through the LSAMP Program Joint Annual Meeting Models for The Ohio LSAMP Alliance Initial Thoughts on Programming Meetings with OSU Advisors

Models for The Ohio LSAMP Alliance One lead institution Two lead institutions Quads/Regional

Decision to Apply for NSF Funding through the LSAMP Program Joint Annual Meeting Models for The Ohio LSAMP Alliance Initial Thoughts on Programming Meetings with OSU Advisors

Alliance-Wide Activities: Governance, meetings Recruitment efforts Web site Data evaluation Workshops, conferences Faculty Development: Workshops on Mentoring Diversity Sensitivity Training NCBI Workshops MCC Workshops UCAT Workshops Academic and Social Integration: Summer Bridge/Early Arrival Living/Learning Communities First Year Courses Monitoring/Early Warning Tutoring Peer Study Groups Skills Building Workshops Community Outreach Cluster Courses Disciplinary Socialization: Mentoring Research Experience with Stipend Workshops Online Courses Conferences

Meeting with OSU Advisors Determine number of URM STEM graduates at Ohio institutions Decided not to partner with community colleges for first submission Decided on 7 institutions Developed objectives Discussions on how funds should be spent and division of budget

First Submission Partner Meetings Objectives and Logic Model Programming Other Partners/Letters of Support Budget Discussions Collection of Items The Grant Proposal

Objectives to create a partnership among alliance institutions, working with industry and community partners, that results in programming that is sustainable and collaborative; to heighten the awareness of opportunities in STEM disciplines and increase the recruitment of underrepresented minority students to STEM majors at partner institutions; to provide early and sustained programs to facilitate the critical transition from high school to college at each partner institution; to increase the retention of first- and second-year underrepresented minority students in STEM disciplines; to improve the disciplinary socialization of underrepresented minority students in STEM disciplines.

Programming Alliance-wide activities: – Annual Ohio LSAMP Alliance Conference – Web Site – Online Courses – Workshops in Undergraduate Research – Faculty Development Diversity Sensitivity Training Workshops Online Courses Mentoring and Diversity Handbook

Programming Alliance-Wide Activities: – Collaborative Mentoring – Tutoring Certification Program – Mentoring Certification Program – Collaborative Bridge Program – Faculty Mentoring for Freshmen and Sophomores – Brochures – Steering Committee Meetings – Data Evaluation and Sharing of Best Practices

Programming Activities at Each Institution – Advisement and counseling – Bridge/early arrival program – Peer mentoring – Faculty mentored undergraduate research Institutional programming was specific to the needs of each institution.

Other Partners/Letter of Support Industry Ohio STEM High Schools Ohio STEM Learning Network, Ohio College Access Network, STEM Equity Pipeline, Alumni Associations Individuals: Congressman Louis Stokes, Senator John Glenn, University Personnel

Budget Discussions InstitutionURM STEM graduates Central State University14 University of Cincinnati68 Cleveland State University16 Miami University27 The Ohio State University142 Wilberforce University21 Wright State University48 Total336

$700,000/year Funding Level Alliance-Wide Activities: $350,000 – Program manager – Data Evaluation Team – GTAs – Retention Counselor – Conference – Certification programs – Online courses and workshops – Etc…..

Funding for each Partner Institution: $350,000 BaseProgramming# StudentsTotal Central State U.$30,000$23,400$2,800$56,200 U. of Cincinnati$30,000$0$13,400$43,400 Cleveland State U.$30,000$13,400$3,200$46,600 Miami University$30,000$13,400$5,400$48,800 The Ohio State U.$30,000$0$28,400$58,400 Wilberforce U.$30,000$23,400$4,200$57,600 Wright State U.$30,000$13,400$9,600$53,000 $364,000

Collection of Items Letters of Support Name and contact information for Office of Sponsored Programs office Letter of Institutional Commitment NSF-formatted Biographical Sketches for provost and members of Steering Committee Current and Pending Support form for all key personnel Budget and Budget Justification

The Grant Proposal: 15 pages Overview 2003 Ohio Science and Engineering Alliance Ohio’s Resources and Need for STEM Education Objectives Program Approach Organization Evaluation Plan

How to Collaborate and Write a Successful URM STEM Program Proposal Description of the LSAMP Program Decision to Apply for NSF Funding through LSAMP Program First Submission Responding to Reviewers’ Comments Resubmission of The Ohio LSAMP Alliance Proposal First Steps in Carrying Out Proposal

Reviewers’ Comments 5 Reviewers and Summary “Fair” to “very good” Reviewer 1 did not like the proposal at all and seemed to write the summary Dr. Hicks warned us that a negative decision was coming and wanted us to be committed to resubmitting the proposal before reading the comments.

Area of Concern #1 Numerical Goals (tables of baseline demographics, numbers involved in programs) – Put data tables from appendix into body – Estimate number of participants in each activity – Put summary of logic model in proposal Discussed program components to support each objective, along with specific outcomes/impacts – Add an external evaluator (wrote the evaluation section, included tables for logic model and evaluation plan)

Area of Concern #2 Budget Allocation (budget did not reflect emphases of proposal—students in first two years) – Allocate more funding to freshmen and sophomores – Partners agreed their funding would be exclusively for stipends – Eliminated many expenses (salaries, training, reduction in conference expenses, etc.) – Divided budget evenly among the 11 partners

Area of Concern #3 Programmatic Delivery (not described in enough detail) – More details provided – Task Forces to carry out alliance-wide programs Articulation Agreement and Credit Transfer Task Force Mathematics Curriculum Reform Task Force Cyber-Sharing Task Force Industry and Community Partner Task Force LSAMP Conference Task Force Ancillary Study Task Force

Area of Concern #4 Lack of Attention to Upperclassmen – Specifically mention LSAMP activities for upperclassmen – Increase funding for stipends for undergraduate research – Clearly mention activities directed toward professional development

Other Concerns from Reviews Lack of attention to pre-collegiate recruitment activities Sharing of results beyond The Ohio LSAMP alliance Institutionalization of LSAMP programming No inclusion of community colleges

Discussions with Partners Mathematics curriculum reform (bottleneck for progression in STEM fields) Supplemental instruction vs. tutoring Training of peer mentors and tutors Types of bridge programs

Resubmission of The Ohio LSAMP Alliance Proposal Must address reviewers’ concerns, partner concerns, and institutional change Added external evaluator Modified budget Modified objectives, included logic model Added 4 community colleges Included tables in body of proposal

September 15, 2013

Award Notification “We are pleased to notify you regarding a recent National Science Foundation (NSF) award made to Ohio State University with an intended total amount of $3,499, ”

First Steps Notification of Personnel – Steering Committee – Governing Board – External Evaluator – Other partners of The Ohio LSAMP Alliance Meet with Office of Sponsored Programs – Create subawards

First Steps Hire Program Coordinator Set Up Task Forces Develop Web Site Brochures and Logo Organize Kick-Off Event – Congressman Louis Stokes – Dr. Mae Jemison – Meeting of the Governing Board

First Steps Steering Committee Meeting Set Up Programming at Each Institution – Many started with summer bridge, 2014 Work on other Materials for The Ohio LSAMP Alliance – Mentoring and Diversity Handbook for faculty mentors – Peer Mentoring Handbook for peer mentors

First Steps Case Statement to seek additional funding Write IRB application for ancillary studies – Baseline survey – Surveys for Mathematics Curriculum Reform Task Force – Authorization agreement forms drafted for each partner – Amendments written as additional studies present

How to Collaborate and Write a Successful URM STEM Program Proposal Description of the LSAMP Program Decision to Apply for NSF Funding through LSAMP Program First Submission Responding to Reviewers’ Comments Resubmission of The Ohio LSAMP Alliance Proposal First Steps in Carrying Out Proposal