Nazareth College has been awarded a $598,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to establish the Nazareth College Science and Mathematics Scholarship Program.  This program will provide support for promising but financially needy students pursuing undergraduate degree programs in biology, chemistry, and mathematics.

A total of 52 scholarships (up to $10,000 per year) over the four-year course of the program will be awarded to full-time students. The College is working with the Rochester City School District, local community colleges, and local and regional high schools to identify and recruit students with an interest in mathematics and science.

Students will benefit from small class sizes and personal attention, opportunities to engage in undergraduate research and industrial internships, faculty dedicated to research-based educational pedagogies, and a collaborative student support network comprised of faculty, academic staff, and student development personnel. This comprehensive approach will produce graduates ready to enter the workforce or graduate study programs as highly qualified, confident, and responsible professionals.

This scholarship program builds upon the established relationships with local schools, industry, and professional STEM organizations to address the local and national shortage of STEM workers. The strategies developed to recruit, financially support, and nurture students to degree obtainment will allow Nazareth College to institutionalize a comprehensive retention program that can be utilized beyond the grant period and can serve as a model of best practices for other institutions of higher education.

The program directors are Drs. Lynn O’Brien, Beverly Brown, and Matthew Koetz.