In an effort to grow the pipeline of Washington students who will graduate and enter high-demand STEM and health care fields, a public-private partnership was initiated in 2011 to support low- and middle-income students as they earn their bachelor’s degrees and enter the workforce.

Now serving its sixth cohort of students, the has helped more than 8,400 students attend the state’s universities and colleges. The 91̽»¨ has the largest number of scholarship recipients — 1,426 — and has seen more than 1,100 scholarship students graduate, also the largest number among the state’s higher-education institutions.

Additionally, 91̽»¨Bothell has enrolled 132 scholarship students and 91̽»¨Tacoma has enrolled 121 students over the program’s six years. In total, 1,679 students receiving the scholarship have attended the 91̽»¨across all three campuses.

“The Washington State Opportunity Scholarship represents a deep and abiding commitment by our state to high-quality education resolutions for all of our students, with needed attention to those from low- and middle-income backgrounds,” said Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of undergraduate academic affairs at the UW. “With the help of clear and dependable opportunities for STEM training, we increase the likelihood that we will generate opportunities for promising young scholars who are supported by an innovative environment that has become a hallmark of the state of Washington.”

The demographics of this year’s scholarship cohort reflect the growing diversity of the state as well as the UW’s commitment to diversity and access. According to the program’s to the legislature this month, 72 percent are first-generation college students, 73 percent are students of color and 60 percent of new scholars are female. This year’s 1,751 scholars come from 38 of Washington’s 39 counties.

As outlined in a recent , the scholarship program is unique for its public-private partnership design. Under the program, the state matches private donations dollar-for-dollar. By the end of this current school year, students will have received more than $50 million in scholarships. Microsoft is one of the founding partners of the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship, and a number of local companies and private contributions also support the program.

The need for graduates in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health care fields is only increasing. A recent report found that at current rates, the state’s colleges and universities will only be able to supply 27 percent of skilled STEM workers needed around the state by 2025.

As a result, the Washington State Opportunity Scholarship recently announced a move to serve 16,000 scholars by 2025. This program extension of four additional years also offers more support services for scholars, including industry mentorship and a peer leadership program that helps younger students learn in a small group setting.

Earlier this year, the 91̽»¨College of Engineering’s program from the Opportunity Expansion Fund, a related program established by the legislature to help Washington universities fund programming that supports students earning high-demand bachelor’s degrees in science, engineering, computer science or STEM education.

The College of Engineering’s program is one of three university initiatives across the state to receive funding from the Opportunity Expansion Fund, established by the legislature to help Washington universities fund programming that helps students earn high-demand bachelor’s degrees in science, engineering, computer science or STEM education.

The statute, which passed in 2011 along with the (WSOS) fund, allowed companies until 2015 to donate high-tech research and development tax credits to the expansion fund account. Microsoft, the only company to contribute to the expansion fund, donated a total of $6 million.

STARS offers eligible students an additional year of academic support, mentoring and funding to build learning skills and help them “catch up” before applying to engineering departments. Historically, only 33 percent of 91̽»¨students who hold Pell grants and intend to become engineers successfully complete those degrees — typically because of inadequate high school preparation.

“We’re providing extra support to help students who come from less privileged backgrounds learn some of the skills and prepare for the rigor in the curriculum that more affluent students get in high school,” said , the 91̽»¨College of Engineering’s Associate Dean for Diversity and Access.

“We really want students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds to become engineers because they bring a different perspective to problem-solving,” Riskin said.  “STARS students work hard and are really persistent in getting through college, which gives them the grit and determination you want on your team.”

STARS currently serves 32 incoming students each year, who spend an extra “redshirt” year at the 91̽»¨taking from basic algebra to calculus to chemistry and building learning and career skills.

The Opportunity Expansion funding will allow the College of Engineering to establish an expanded support program serving up to 125 additional students each year from economically disadvantaged backgrounds — including community college transfer students — throughout their tenure at the UW.

The expanded STARS initiative will offer supplemental instruction in the math, chemistry and physics courses that are part of the standard engineering curriculum, as well as culturally-aware advising, professional development and career services. With the one-time Opportunity Expansion funding, the College of Engineering estimates that more than 180 additional students from low-income backgrounds will successfully complete engineering degrees over the three-year period.

Marie Arnold, a rising STARS sophomore, was just accepted into the Department of Computer Science & Engineering. Though she had excelled and taken the most advanced classes in her high school, her first year at the 91̽»¨humbled her.

But the STARS program and support from peers and mentors built her back up, Arnold said, making her even stronger.

“I don’t think I would have been able to survive without STARS,” said Arnold.

“I came to college thinking I was a very smart person. I probably would have been too stubborn to ask for help, and too afraid to admit that I was lacking in certain areas. But STARS removes that stigma — you go to classes even if you think you already know it, you go to your tutoring just like everyone else and get the help you need,” Arnold said.

The path to becoming an engineer is challenging, and students need encouragement and support to succeed, said Mike Bragg, the Frank & Julie Jungers Dean of Engineering at the UW. STARS is just one of many designed to remove barriers that discourage women, underrepresented minorities and low-income students from pursuing engineering degrees and rewarding careers in the field.

“The 91̽»¨College of Engineering is deeply committed to attracting and graduating a student population that reflects the diversity of our community,” Bragg said. “This one-time WSOS funding will help level the playing field and ensure all students have the opportunity to become successful engineers.”

For more information about STARS, contact Riskin at riskin@uw.edu.

The 91̽»¨ in collaboration with Washington State University is developing an “academic redshirt” program that will bring dozens of low-income Washington state high school graduates to the two universities to study engineering in a five-year bachelor’s program.

The first year will help incoming freshmen acclimate to university-level courses and workload and prepare to major in an engineering discipline. The students will receive extra advising and a detailed course plan to help lay a strong foundation in engineering. At the UW, they will earn a spot in one of the school’s starting their second year.

“Engineering education needs to adapt to the tortoises, not just the hares,” said , 91̽»¨associate dean of engineering and program lead for the UW. “We’re talking about investing an extra year in what will hopefully be a 30-year engineering career.”

The initiative, called the Washington State Academic RedShirt in Engineering Program –STARS, for short – is funded by a awarded May 8. Eight other colleges and universities also will receive grants to help increase retention of undergraduates in engineering and computer sciences.

Under the five-year grant, the 91̽»¨and WSU will enroll 32 freshmen from Washington high schools each year for a total of 320 students after five years. Both universities will hire a person to oversee the program, and they hope to keep it running indefinitely. The first 64 students will begin this fall.

“More and more, we’re seeing students who are bright, but they’ve gone to a high school where the college preparation isn’t good,” said , a WSU associate dean of engineering and lead of the redshirt program at WSU.

The program specifically targets low-income, motivated high school students in Washington state who are eligible for federal Pell Grants – financial aid based on family income and the cost of attending a university – or go to high schools where a high percentage of the students are on free or reduced-price lunches. Such students usually have a lower retention rate at the university level and are more likely to struggle in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“Pell Grant students receive engineering degrees at significantly lower rates than non-Pell Grant students,” Riskin said. “This is unfortunate, because low-income students could most benefit from a lucrative engineering career.”

The , a summertime month-long intensive at the 91̽»¨for high school students, could be a feeder for this new program in the state.

The 91̽»¨will receive $970,000 over five years from the National Science Foundation to offer this program to incoming freshmen, and WSU will receive $700,000. Students in the 91̽»¨cohort will get at least $2,000 in additional assistance from the College of Engineering as well as funding from traditional scholarship sources. These students will live in an engineering residential community.

The National Science Foundation partnered with Intel Corp. and General Electric Co. to fund the nine institutions for a total of $10 million in a grant called Graduate 10K+. Other funded schools include Cornell University, Syracuse University and California State University Monterey Bay. The Washington program is modeled after the at University of Colorado Boulder, now headed into its fifth year.

The 91̽»¨will hire a full-time staff member to work with students in the five-year program. Dawn Wiggin and Scott Winter, associate directors in engineering’s student academic services, are collaborators.

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For more information, contact Riskin at riskin@uw.edu or 206-685-2313. She is traveling on Wednesday, May 8, but will be reachable by email.