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578 CRAWFORD ET AL.

link the quantity and quality of its STEM graduates As an innovator in STEM education programs, The
to the U.S. economy’s future health. If STEM attri- Louisiana State University (LSU) Office of Strategic
tion is not addressed, many fear that this continued Initiatives (OSI) was established in 2001 as an incu-
downslide in STEM disciplines will threaten the bator designed to, among other charges, dramatically
nation’s economic dominance in the global market- improve the STEM persistence rates of economically
place (9-11). To promote and ensure our continued disadvantaged, underrepresented minority (African
global competiveness, U.S. universities and colleges American, American Indian, Alaskan Native, Latino,
must seek and devise innovative solutions to cultivate and Native Pacific Islander), first-generation, and
our human resources and meet the needs of students women students (5,6,16-20), hereafter referred to as
who have historically been vulnerable in our educa- underrepresented (UR). Accordingly, the OSI men-
tion system (12-14). toring approach will provide other universities with
Undergraduate education is the primary access strategies that can be adopted and adapted for their
point for a large number of STEM professionals. own institutional contexts. One primary research
However, many obstacles, e.g., socioeconomic bar- question guides this inquiry: How can institutions
riers, have deterred numerous U.S. citizens from build effective systems for improving the success
achieving their goal of obtaining an undergraduate of students from underrepresented backgrounds in
education. Consequently, it comes as no surprise that STEM curricula at the undergraduate and graduate
state and federal policy makers have increased their levels?
scrutiny of undergraduate education. More specifi- While the OSI model’s impact on improving suc-
cally, graduation rates have begun to play an increased cess of UR groups in STEM has been thoroughly
role in state funding models for higher education examined through several external evaluations and
(15), even as the federal government has provided a propensity study of the most comprehensive pro-
incentives and funding for innovative education gram (21-23), this paper provides a brief overview
models through initiatives and legislation such as the of its efficacy in advancing understanding about an
American Competitiveness Initiative, the America important phenomenon in STEM education, namely
COMPETES Act, and the American Recovery and broadening the participation of UR groups (24,25).
Reinvestment Act. With the increased examination For this study, the evidence includes (a) an obser-
of undergraduate student persistence, colleges and vational study of OSI’s signature program, (b) an
universities are feeling greater pressure to improve analysis of student outcomes for participants in the
graduation rates. While this task may seem daunting, signature program, and (c) a brief summary of exter-
it is quite doable. nal evaluation outcomes.

LSU OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

MISSION: OSI assists in raising LSU’s standing among its peers, and enhances the diversity of the
student body (particularly at the graduate level) and the faculty (particularly in STEM).
HIGH COMM. UNDERGRADUATE GRAD
SCHOOL COLLEGE

NSF
DoED NIH NSF NSF NSF
LASAMP
Upward Bridges to the S-STEM LASAMP SMART REU Bridge to the
Bound BS Doctorate
Legacy Programs: HHMI Professors and NSF LA-STEM
Special Projects: ACT Prep Academy & Undergraduate Research Conference
Figure 1. The programs of the LSU Office of Strategic Initiatives.