The NSF-funded ESTEEM (Enhancing Success in Transfer Education for Engineering Majors) program, led by Professor Susannah Scott, targets promising engineering transfer students, offering scholarship funding, outreach and academic counseling to help them move toward their degrees. The initiative builds on a previous, successful smaller-scale effort to reach out to third-year engineering undergraduates on campus and give them that critical push to complete their degrees. The scholarship funding is one of ESTEEM’s key components, meant to free up time the scholars would typically spend at their jobs so they can participate more fully in their academic lives. Regular consultation with faculty mentors and advisers is also required to take the guesswork out of deciding which classes to take next.

To keep ESTEEM scholars motivated and connected, the program involves regular informal get-togethers with students, faculty and advisers, as well as industry guests from the various sectors of engineering and technology. In addition to getting help navigating the often complicated path of academia, students may also meet their future colleagues or employers and grow their network as they consider future plans.

Read more about the ESTEEM program in The Current.