STEM student success | Working together to improve outcomes
STEM students face a complex path to a baccalaureate degree, especially when transferring between institutions. The STEM Transfer Partnerships initiative is designed to address this challenge by fostering intentional, strategic relationships between two-year and four-year colleges. CCRI provides structure, funding, and expert coaching for institutional teams to identify and remove structural barriers that prevent the success of STEM transfer students, especially those from low-income backgrounds. The current phase expands the teams to include students and more faculty and staff members from a broader range of STEM disciplines, creating a more inclusive, as well as student-centered, approach. By standardizing data reporting and analysis and meeting annually with institutional leadership, this community of practice focuses on building sustainable partnerships to drive institutional changes that promote greater access and success in STEM bachelor’s degree completion.
Learn more about the STEM Transfer Partnership Initiative from our data notes, presentations, and background:
Data Note 5 | The Power of Partnership: Building Strong STEM Transfer Connections
November 2024
This data note showcases each of the nine 2-year to 4-year institutional partnerships in a case study on three key areas: advising, recruitment and enrollment, and faculty and curriculum. The strategies model for other institutions how to work together to improve transfer and completion rates for low-income STEM students.
Data Note 4 | Progress in Improving STEM Transfer Partnership Pathways
February 2024
The fourth data note of the STEM Transfer Partnership series continues the discussion of enhancing low-income transfer student outcomes by modifying transfer processes and supports at two-year and four-year institutions. Our research team utilizes a framework proposed by Latham (2014) to evaluate the STP initiative and provide insights into the structural revisions in our STEM transfer partnerships to date and how they are tied to improved transfer pathways.
Data Note 3 | Learning from Students: How Teams Rethink Their STEM Transfer Process Through Student Input
August 2023
Institutional transformation requires student input for success. Collaborative efforts by community college and university partnerships to collect and utilize student data to enhance the STEM transfer pathway, prioritizing student engagement and clarifying information systems.
Data Note 2 | Complex Networks of Community: Transformative Partnerships Praxis for Equitable STEM Transfer
February 2023
This second data note within the STEM Transfer Partnership series critically examines the required changes that need to be implemented within the organizational structures of postsecondary institutions for STEM college transfer students.
Data Note 1 | Structuring STEM Transfer Partnership Success
August 2022
This first brief in the STEM Transfer Partnership series shares key components in cultural shifts from institutional siloing to interconnected systems centered on student success.
Through presentations at these state and national conferences and events, CCRI has effectively communicated the value of strong transfer partnerships in advancing STEM equity and transfer student success, advocating for their support and incentivization at both the institutional, state, and national levels.
National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) presentation, (March 2024), Centering Economic Equity in STEM: Challenges on the Road to Expanding Access to STEM Degrees
Central Washington University (CWU) Transfer Symposium Speaker, (April 2024), Transfer Partnerships: Working Together for Student Success
Joint Transfer Council Presentation, (November 1, 2023), STP 1.0 Project Outcomes
CWU Transfer Symposium KeyNote, (February 2023), Why Transfer Partnerships are Important for Equity
The Intercollege Relations Commission (ICRC) Presentation, (April 2022), STEM Transfer Partnership
Representing Washington state, CCRI Director was one of 200 higher education leaders invited by the U.S. Department of Education to attend the first-ever national summit, Raise the Bar Transfer Summit, (Nov. 8-10, 2023). Learn more from this interview about the summit, Narrowing the Education Gap
History of the STEM Transfer Partnerships Initiative
Phase 1.0: Building the Foundation
The STEM Transfer Partnerships initiative began with a mission to improve outcomes for low-income STEM transfer students in Washington state. In the first phase, nine pairs of two-year and four-year institutional programs engaged in a three-year project. With coaching, technical support, and stipends, faculty and staff teams collaborated to identify the specific barriers to transfer and completion at their institutions. Teams created action plans to retain and support low-income students through bachelor’s degree completion. This work was structured as a community of practice, where institutional pairs examined data, set goals for improvement, and analyzed catalysts they could leverage to strengthen their partnerships.
Phase 2.0: Continuing Our Momentum
Building on the successes of the first phase, we secured continued funding to launch STEM Transfer Partnerships 2.0 with the same nine institutional pairs. The scope is expanding, with teams adding additional members from more STEM fields and several teams adding new colleges to the initiative. In this phase, we are focused on formalizing critical drivers of successful transfer partnerships. This includes leveraging returning members as mentors and incorporating paid student team members to foster a more inclusive, student-centered approach. To ensure sustainability, we are standardizing data reporting and analysis, and teams are meeting with their institutional leadership twice annually to move plans forward. This phase provides continued financial and human support to strengthen enduring partnerships and enhance transfer pathways for STEM students from low-income backgrounds.