Mai-Gemu Johnson
916-558-2490 or
johnsom@scc.losrios.edu
Target population:
The target population is educationally and economically
disadvantaged students pursuing math, science, and engineering.
Goals:
To enable students to succeed in math, science, or engineering, and
to be ready to transfer to a four-year institution to receive a
Bachelors, Masters, or Doctorate degrees.
Description:
Each MESA applicant is required to meet certain criteria that
include educational and financial disadvantage and various academic
and program criteria. The program serves approximately 125 – 150
students annually. The MESA Center is open extended hours to allow
for maximum use by students. The hours are 8:00 am to 8:30 pm Monday
through Friday and 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturdays.
The MESA program functions in several feeder high schools and sends
many students to Sacramento City College to focus on careers in
math, science, and engineering. Each MESA student must complete
certain tasks and participate in a variety of activities annually.
Some of the activities include having an annual academic plan on
file, meeting with a MESA counselor (one of eight specialized MESA
counselors) once or twice a year to complete a counselor contact
form, completion of an Early Alert Program. The Early Alert Program
requires the student to obtain signature from each math, science,
engineering, and English instructor to provide feedback and show
grades halfway through the semester. Participants also attend
facilitated workshops weekly.
Much of the program is centered on providing support to the students
through one on one contact with program coordinators, peer
volunteers, and workshop facilitators. This contact takes place
through:
·
Study Center – The “Study Center” is the hub of all activities and
includes tutors for groups and individuals, facilitators (current
students and faculty members) for workshops and on-site field trips,
as well as other events and activities.
·
A 9-week MESA orientation course is mandatory for all MESA students.
The course includes the writing of a personal statement, the
development of an electronic portfolio, instruction on the use of
graphing calculators, an introduction to research component, mock
interviews, and a general program and college introduction.
·
The MESA program coordinators encourage MESA students to enroll in
the same classes and sections so they can form “Student Clusters”
which develops a stronger sense of community and facilitates the
formation of study groups. The MESA program coordinators work with
faculty to enable the formation of these “Student Clusters.”
·
Academic Excellence Workshops – Six to ten workshops are held
annually and involve students who form a small community to work
collaboratively to master the course material with the guidance of a
MESA facilitator. The facilitators work to reinforce concepts
learned in classes. Prior to the workshops, the facilitators meet
with faculty who review the topics discussed and the skills they are
learning. The facilitators then develop worksheets to reinforce this
information. The workshops are held twice a week, for two to four
hours weekly.
·
Faculty sponsored fieldtrips both on and off campus that include
topics such as employment recruiting, employment opportunities in
fields that use math and science skills, and an Academic Excellence
Boot Camp (see below). Past field trips have included HP, Intel, Cal
Trans, Industry speakers, UC, CSUs, as well as private institutions.
Additionally, the MESA coordinators assist students in securing
internships during the summers.
·
Bi-annually a three-day “Academic Excellence Boot Camp” provides
tutors to assist the students in brushing up on the skills they
learned during the previous semester.
Activities are provided to enable students to gain confidence and a
sense of mastery of the world around them. These activities include
an annual student leadership retreat hosted in Santa Cruz where 5-10
students attend for four-days of activities, and the BA Star program
that allow students to take part in advanced science research, and
summer research academies each year. Students who participate in
these activities are expected to take part in the mentoring of new
MESA student as well as work as Student Coordinators.
In order to allow MESA students to hone their leadership skills,
Student Coordinators help plan and run activities hosted by the:
·
American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Society of
Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE),
·
Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science
(SACNAS),
·
Society or Women Engineers (SWE),
·
National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE),
·
Society for the Advancement of Native American and Chicano Engineers
·
Other math, science, and engineering career conferences
·
A MESA scholars program – This program honors all students with a
3.0 – 4.0 GPA in math, science, and engineering. As students are
honored in consecutive semesters, they are given additional
recognition with stars, bags, gifts, etc.
·
A MESA transfer reception – This reception is for all Los Rios MESA
students who are transferring as well as those who have received a
scholarship.
Staffing:
The staffing at the MESA Center includes a Director, two temporary
(MESA students) clerks, tutors, facilitators, and instructional
assistants who coordinate the center at night and on Saturday.
Facilities, equipment, materials:
There are five IBM compatible computers in the center as well as one
Macintosh computer, two computers are in the in office. The
computers are loaded with a variety of computer programs including,
TASK COW, engineering programs, C++, and Auto-CAD.
Costs, funding source:
The MESA center is funded by a grant from the CCCCO for $81,500
annually.
Outreach and marketing:
The marketing for the MESA Center includes sending out letters to
all Sacramento City College students with a declared major in
science, math, or engineering. Additionally, a great deal of
marketing is via word of mouth from past or current students as well
as referrals from math, science, and engineering faculty.
Evidence of effectiveness:
The MESA program also operates in the high school encouraging
students to attend community and four-year colleges. 74% of Mesa
high school seniors attend college, compared to 49% of other
students. 20-25 Sacramento City College students transfer annually,
and 99% of CCC of MESA students will transfer to a four-year
college.
Suggestions for replication:
The MESA programs are fairly well structured and a RFA is available
through the Chancellor’s Office website at
www.cccco.edu . The only other
component for success that is mandatory is strong campus and
community support.