S8 Program Overview

The S8 Program at Fayetteville State University (FSU) is funded by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) Program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.

 

About The Program

The S8 Program at FSU, in partnership with Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC), will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with documented financial need at FSU and FTCC. Over its six-year duration, the S8 Program will use its $2.5 million dollar grant money to fund scholarships to 40 unique full-time or part-time students who are pursuing associate and baccalaureate degrees in chemistry or material science. First-year and transfer students will receive a renewable, last-dollar scholarship up to $15,000 per academic year for full-time students and up to $7,500 for part-time students for four to six years. In addition to scholarships, the S8 Program will enhance a comprehensive academic and co- curricular ecosystem of student services and opportunities designed to meet the overarching program goal of increasing the number of students in the chemistry and material science program at FSU and the number of FTCC students earning associate degrees and transferring to FSU that are prepared to meet the demands of the STEM workforce and/or graduate school. Significantly, the focus on chemistry and material science is designed to meet the growing need for professionals with credentials in these disciplines and to provide opportunities for graduates to impact the economic and social diversity of North Carolina and the U.S.

Goals

The overall goal of the S8 Program is to increase STEM degree completion of low-income, high-achieving undergraduates with demonstrated financial need. Fostering clear pathways from high school recruitment to degree attainment in chemistry and material science, the specific goals of the S8 Program are to:

  • Identify, retain, and graduate students pursuing degrees in chemistry and material science;
  • Provide scholars with academic and personal and professional development opportunities to support student success; and
  • Prepare scholars for the workforce and/or post-undergraduate studies.