Journal of STEM Education Volume 9 • Issue 3 & 4 July-December 2008 5 A Pre-Engineering Program for the Under-Represented, Low-Income and/or First Generation College Students to Pursue Higher Education Central Michigan University Wright State University Kumar Yelamarthi P. Ruby Mawasha Abstract This paper summarizes the findings of a twenty year old pre- engineering program that is aimed at improving both the recruitment and retention of under-represented students pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The Wright Science Technology and Engineering Preparatory Program (STEPP) was initiated in 1988 for under-represented, low-income, first-generation college students interested in pursuing higher education. The effectiveness of the program over time is measured from the survey responses from students, average high school grade point average, retention rates of students returning from previous year, student enrollment in colleges, and percentage of students committed to STEM disciplines. This program serves as a model and a STEM approach valuable in preparing students for higher education. ing Preparatory Program (STEPP) for under- represented groups in 1988. The Wright STEPP provides inner-city students from Dayton Public Schools (DPS) a summer academic enrichment as a preparation to college. The primary goals of Wright STEPP are to: (1) demonstrate to stu- dents, the importance of graduating from STEM disciplines; (2) enhance the students’ math skills as a preparation to college; (3) increase minority student enrollment in STEM programs; and (4) increase the retention rates. Additional goals of the projects are to: (a) reinforce stu- dents’ self-confidence in STEM disciplines; (b) enhance students’ problem solving skills; and (c) provide diagnostic testing in mathematics to determine students’ respective weak areas before they enroll in college. The participants in Wright STEPP program are under-represented students in the 7 th through 10 th grade from Dayton Public Schools (DPS). Every year, forty students from the 7 th grade are admitted into the program, with a minor replacement in higher grades. Overall, 160 students (40 from each grade 7 th - 10 th ) at- tend this four-week program that operates on WSU campus. With rewards being crucial for enhancing the intrinsic gratification and motiva- tion for students [13], students upon successful completion of the four-year summer program are awarded a full-tuition scholarship to attend WSU and pursue a bachelor’s degree of their choice. Program Overview The criteria for the admission into the pro- gram is: (i) students must attend DPS, (ii) students must have demonstrated interest in college prep math/science curriculum, (iii) the family must meet federal poverty income guide- lines and/or meet the first-generation college requirement (neither parent has a four year baccalaureate degree), and (iv) students must have a 3.0 minimum grade point average (GPA). There is no cost associated for the qualified students to participate in Wright STEPP. WSU and corporate sponsors pays student expenses Introduction Ethnic minorities, especially African Ameri- cans, remain under-represented in a number of occupations, including those which are identi- fied as high-technology areas. Engineering is one such area where African Americans and other minorities (defined here as Hispanics and Native Americans) have been tradition- ally under-represented [1]. In the United States, only 12.6% of all the first professional degrees awarded in 2001 are to under-represented minorities [2]. Also, 15.7% of the bachelor de- grees awarded in science and engineering are to under-represented minorities [2]. In addition, the dropout rates for students from under- represented minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields are substantially higher than other groups [3-9]. This demonstrates a need for greater efforts to train students in STEM fields. Many colleges, such as the University of Maryland Baltimore County [10], University of Akron [11], Bowling Green State University [12] and others now offer some form of a pre- engineering or math/science program to pro- mote the pursuit of undergraduate STEM edu- cation among under-represented groups. The primary goal of such programs is to increase the enrollment and retention of students from under-represented minorities that include Af- rican American, Hispanics, Native American and possibly Asian-Pacific. Other note-worthy goals of such projects include: (1) reinforce the self-confidence of under-represented stu- dents, (2) enhance students’ problem solving skills through hands-on learning approach, (3) increase awareness of the student to pursue a career in STEM disciplines, and (4) provide diagnostic testing in mathematics and find the focus areas that require additional efforts prior to enrollment in college. The College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) at Wright State University (WSU) is one such college that has identified this challenge early in time, and has initiated the Wright Science Technology and Engineer-