Designing and Implementing a program to support undergraduate women in STEM

The data clearly show that supporting undergraduate women in STEM majors is beneficial to their success. Often, such programs are shared after they have been in place for several years, which is helpful, but may not illuminate challenges and successes during development. We present a project currently in year 2 to showcase early efforts to design and implement a support program. Building a plane while flying can be stressful, but also informative and fruitful. Our story will include early decisions, from the initial ask to the current program form, and touch on the interwoven aspects of philosophy and implementation. We will discuss efforts to align program evaluation with changing outcomes associated with program growth and changes. We will also discuss moving to a virtual space to continue engaging our scholars and greater community during the pandemic. Our donor-funded program is housed in the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics, and our team consists of one program coordinator and three faculty leaders. Scholars enter the program as cohorts of ten, and each year we accept at least ten scholars, with the intent to reach capacity of thirty scholars in year three. Acceptance numbers vary a bit due to possible attrition, which we experienced in our first year. Currently in our second year, we have increased our program offerings to include events open to the university and local community. We are refining our communication plans and have successfully leveraged many on-campus partners. The program has a three-year structure, where each year has an overarching goal. We also created a pre-year for interested students to investigate and gauge interest in applying to the program. Important aspects of our program include mentoring, building community, providing professional development, and supporting career investigation. Our intention is to foster lifelong resilience and retention in STEM.