2010-11 Women’s Giving Circle Grants

Mentoring Pyramid for Female Engineers: $4,300

Through an expansion of the College of Engineering M&Ms (mentors/mentees) program, industry representatives and graduate students will mentor upper division engineering students, who will in turn mentor incoming first year female engineering students. This pyramid approach allows students to be both mentor and mentee, developing critical communication and leadership skills as they participate in a project designed to increase their confidence in completing an engineering degree at OSU. The mentoring pairs will be offered a variety of events to attend together and they will be encouraged to meet on a regular basis throughout the academic year. M&M will hold at least two events per term, alternating between social, academic, and career themes.

Volunteer With Kids Student Workshops and Volunteer Recruitment: $9,026

Many OSU students are interested in working with K-12 youth and in volunteering their time in the community, while at least 40 OSU youth programs need undergraduate student volunteers. Yet students often are unaware of these opportunities and may not get involved until late in their college careers. Volunteer With Kids will attempt to bridge this gap by facilitating communication between the two groups and ultimately connecting OSU students as youth program volunteers. To ensure that students are well prepared for this work, the project will support the development and facilitation of collaborative workshops that give students the skills and confidence necessary to provide high quality, safe, and engaging experiences for youth. Volunteer With Kids anticipates serving at least 600 OSU students annually.

Chemistry Foundations Learning Community: $7,000

The Chemistry Foundations Learning Community will address the high failure rate of the Chemistry 120 series, a key course series for OSU women seeking access to careers in allied health professions. By immersing students in a supportive network of relationships and OSU resources and by providing additional targeted academic support, the program aims to meet the goal of raising the pass rate for a cohort of 30 students to 95% (15% improvement over current) and to raise the retention rate for them to 92% (12% improvement over current rate for OSU). The Chemistry Foundations Learning Community will be comprised of three components: small-group tutoring, academic skills instruction, and individualized academic counseling. This new program will specifically target students who are known to face greater-than-average challenges in making the transition to college-level learning. Markers for such challenges include but are not limited to first-generation college attendance, low socio-economic status, and originating from rurally isolated areas of Oregon. This initiative is a hallmark of innovation, for this student population does not have access to this suite of services in any other form at OSU.

Women Supporting Women at Warm Springs: $12,000

The Warm Springs Higher Education Partnership is a collaboration among the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs (CTWS, Oregon’s largest Indian tribe), Central Oregon Community College, and Oregon State University–Corvallis and Cascades campuses. The CTWS approached OSU because only five of the 100+ employees at the Reservation's childcare center had been able to earn a degree (four were associate degrees). Most of these employees are single parents, foster parents, or guardian grandparents, and since all work full time and support families on minimum wage or less, university attendance — even part time — was nearly impossible. In a highly successful program, the partnership now offers university classes on the Reservation for individuals in poverty who are beyond the traditional age of college students. Data show that the program is improving students' attitude about higher education as well as that of their families and acquaintances on the Reservation. Follow-up interviews show increased competence and confidence among these far-from traditional students. The ultimate goal from increasing teachers' education levels is to improve the quality of instruction and care provided to the Tribes' children. The Women’s Giving Circle grant will cover tuition and fees for up to 30 childcare employees working toward their bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Science/Early Childhood Development and Education. All are women.

SisterScholars: $3,650

SisterScholars is an academically-focused, professional/personal development program for women, which actively supports peer-to-peer mentoring relationships. The Women's Center provides training in mentorship and offers speakers, workshops, and networking opportunities. Primary goals include providing support, encouraging personal/academic goals, and giving women a better understanding of themselves, other women, and their roles within the institution and the community. SisterScholars launched in fall 2009 and works in connection with another mentoring program for women and minority students in the field of engineering. It is an addition to the center's Women's Leadership Initiative.

Women in Business, Science, and Technology Symposium: $1,000

The University Honors College (UHC) funds an annual symposium centered on issues affecting women. Previous topics include gender equity in the workplace, women in higher education, and women in politics. The Women's Giving Circle grant will help the UHC host the 2010 Women in Business, Science, and Technology Symposium and expand its capacity to involve more participants. Student leaders attending the symposium will learn about issues affecting women, come to understand struggles in typically male-dominated fields, meet leaders in the OSU community, and receive guidance in areas like presentation skills, creating a personal brand, and enhancing their careers in technology and business. Participating students will gain the opportunity to network with leading women professionals and learn how to succeed in their chosen career fields.

Saturday Academy: $4,450

Saturday Academy provides academic enrichment opportunities for 5th-12th grade youth, offering classes, workshops, and apprenticeships. Saturday Academy courses engage youth in hands-on real world experiences in order to generate excitement and interest in science, engineering, and technology. During the 2008-09 year, Saturday Academy served approximately 590 students from 30 communities in Oregon. As a community-based nonprofit program with only one part-time staff member, Saturday Academy relies heavily on the support of volunteers and short-term contract instructors to operate. This project builds on previous successful efforts to develop a team of prepared, trained undergraduates to take a lead role in program operations and delivery throughout the year. Team members have gained valuable experience through managing daily program operations and serving as mentors for middle and high school students. The Women's Giving Circle grant will give undergraduates the opportunity to learn critical workplace and leadership skills for their future, and to make an impact on the science and technology workforce of tomorrow. It is a further goal this year to recruit both mentors and youth from traditionally underserved populations. This will be done through collaboration with other campus programs, such as 4-H Youth Development, that are well-connected to these underserved communities.

Student Success Center: $25,000

The Student Success Center will house a distinctive program serving both the general student population and student-athletes with an array of academic support and counseling services, learning laboratories, and proactive services for students. This $14 million facility presents a unique opportunity to expand access to academic support and integrate services for campus students with those provided to student-athletes. Within the Student Success Center is September Scholars, a program serving non-student-athletes identified in the admissions process. These students from rural and other underserved populations participate in an intensive summer orientation and take a study skills course in the fall term. Student Success Center programs aim to improve student retention, a focus area at Oregon State University.

Read about 2009-10 grant recipients
Read about 2008-09 grant recipients

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