The pursuit of underrepresented and underserved graduate students who attend Predominantly White Institutions to pursue disciplines and careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). Despite the increase in the number of underrepresented minorities in graduate school, underrepresented and underserved graduate students in STEM disciplines are encountering experiences that directly affect their graduate matriculation. This study took a case study approach to investigate the Virginia Tech George Washington Carver Assistantship Program's impact on supporting underrepresented and underserved graduate students in STEM disciplines and to assess further the extent to which their participation in this support program influences their academic and career success. Given the substantial financial resources allocated to the program and the annual student enrollment, a comprehensive case study needed to be conducted to gain deeper insight into the Carver program and the stakeholders that engaged with the program to enhance future programming and sustainability. It was essential to assess the Carver program's effectiveness in promoting student success and addressing the factors that impact underrepresented and underserved graduate students in STEM fields. Triangulation is used in this study to inform and strengthen the research findings from past program scholars, current scholars, and faculty. The Carver program is not generalizable to other programs, students, and faculty because the experiences are specific to the participants in this study. The findings illustrate that the evolution program's evolution cultivates a culturally engaging culture and climate to foster graduate student success. / Doctor of Philosophy / This study explores how a Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences institutional program, the George Washington Carver Assistantship Program, supports underrepresented and underserved graduate students in STEM disciplines. Despite an increase in the number of underrepresented minorities entering graduate school, these student populations faced challenges that impacted their graduate matriculation. This study utilized a case study approach to examine the impact of the Carver program on students' academic and career success. By taking a deeper look into the experiences of past program scholars, current program scholars, and faculty members, this study aims to gain deeper insight into the program's effectiveness on student success beyond supporting students through funding. While the study findings shed light on how the Carver program creates a supportive environment for graduate students, it is important to emphasize that the Carver program does not apply to all programs, students, and faculty. The experiences are specific to the participants in this study. This study highlighted that the Carver program has successfully supported students toward reaching student success by establishing a culturally engaging campus environment. Recommendations for future work in this study are to utilize a systems thinking approach to examine the program more broadly and investigate the systems in place that allow the program to function and be sustainable.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/119188 |
| Date | 30 May 2024 |
| Creators | Johnson, Kellie Victoria |
| Contributors | Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education, Drape, Tiffany A., Thorpe, Chevon, Robbins, Claire Kathleen, English, Chastity Katrina Warren |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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