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LA-STEM PROGRAM: STEM SUCCESS MODEL 585

100%
90%

80%
70%
60%
50%

40%
30%
20%
10%

0%
LA-STEM Highly Selective Institutions Selective Institutions Moderately Selective Institutions
All Women Men African Americans

Figure 5. LA-STEM Research Scholars Programs six-year STEM graduation rate comparison.

one can reconcile the small difference in performance Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard Univer-
of minority students as attributable to attendance at sity, Rice University, Rochester University, Stanford
less rigorous high schools than their majority con- University, The Ohio State University, Tulane Uni-
temporaries. Figure 5 compares the six-year STEM versity, University of California-Davis, University of
graduation rates of the LA-STEM Program with Michigan, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wake
that of highly selective, selective, and moderately Forest University, Washington University, and the
selective institutions, as reported by the Center for University of Washington, to name a few (full list
the Institutional Data Exchange and Analysis at the provided in Table 2). Table 1 summarizes the cur-
University of Oklahoma (35). It is important to note rent placement of those students who graduated as
that the six-year STEM graduation rate does not LA-STEM Graduates, having successfully maintained
exclude those students who did not complete their the program requirements. Seventy-six percent of all
degrees as LA-STEM Graduates, which indicates that LA-STEM Graduates have completed or are pursuing
integration into the model at varying levels positively post-baccalaureate degrees. In this table, the current
impacts persistence significantly. We believe that the placement of those students who are still pursuing
Summer Bridge component and the first and second undergraduate degrees or those who participated
year Success Course experiences are important con- in the program for varying durations but did not
tributors to this phenomenon. graduate as LA-STEM scholars due to termination,
Since 2002, the LA-STEM Program has produced transition to a non-STEM major, or resignation is
23 total scholars (8 of whom are underrepresented also provided.
minorities and 13 are women) with doctorates. In
addition, 46 Scholars (including 12 underrepresented Why the Model Works
minorities and 19 women) are pursuing doctorate The LA-STEM Program has been very instrumen-
degrees in research-intensive graduate programs tal in increasing persistence in STEM and developing
across the country. Two are pursuing doctoral degrees students for post-baccalaureate degrees. Quantitative
(Table 1). These scholars are completing graduate and qualitative evaluation (21-23) results identify a
programs at institutions such as Columbia University, number of key reasons for these outcomes; however,