Changing Minds:
The Meyerhoff Scholarship
Program at UMBC
LaMont F. Toliver
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Duke University School of Nursing:
Institutionalizing success on campus: Understanding what works.”
January 19, 2011
OUTLINE
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University Profile
Program Overview
Before and After
What we have learned
Strategies of Retention
Final Thoughts
Acknowledgments
Q&A
University Profile
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Midsize public university - Founded in 1966
Fall 2010 Enrollment: 12,870
Undergraduates: 9,947 and Graduates
2,923
Faculty: 480 Full-time, 250 Part-time
Staff: 1,128
Full-time enrollment: 9,656 Part-time
enrollment: 3,214
Minority enrollment (Black 16.5%, Asian
21.2%, Hispanic 4%
Average SAT (M & V), top quartile: 1362
41% of students in STEM fields
Program Mission
To provide the necessary academic
advising, social and moral support,
encouragement, and enrichment
experiences that enable a diverse group of
undergraduate students to succeed in the
STEM fields, prepare them for terminal
degrees in these areas, and prepare them
to address and combat the
underrepresentation in the STEM fields.
Program Components
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Recruitment
Financial Aid
Summer Bridge Program
Tutoring
Mentoring
Summer Research Internships
Faculty Involvement and Commitment
Peer Study Groups
Program Values
Sense of Community
Personal Advisement & Counseling
Factors that impede academic success
• Low expectations
• Academic and cultural isolation
• Motivation and performance
vulnerability in the face of negative
stereotypes
• Peers not supportive of academic
success
• Inadequate advising
• Lack of exposure to practical
applications
• Inadequate performance in critical
science courses
N o m in a tio n s
Program Growth
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
M1 M5 M10 M15 M20 M21 M22 M23
Nominations 60 353 921 1459 2235 2490 2311 2011
Applications 35 95 213 329 451 500 502 527
Cohort Size
19
32
41
45
69
Cohort
50
57
?
AY 10-11 Demographics (n=227)
120
African Am.
103
100
80
60
Caucasian
50
Asian
45
40
20
Hispanic
10
A
m
e
ri
c
an
In
d
ia
n
A
si
an
H
is
p
a
n
ic
A
fr
ic
a
n
A
m
.
0
C
au
ca
s
ia
n
American Indian
1
Totals
BEFORE MEYERHOFF
UMBC graduated fewer than 18
African-American STEM majors per
year
2. Typically, fewer than five of these
students graduated with a grade
point average above 3.0 (on a 1 to 4
scale)
3. Consistent with achievement levels
observed at other institutions.
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“IT TAKES AN ENTIRE UNIVERSITY. . .”
Administration
Faculty
Staff
ADMINISTRATION
Institutional
Commitment
Strategic
Planning
Financial
Support
Mission/
Vision
FACULTY
Advising/
Counseling
Recruitment
Mentoring
Research
Experience
STAFF
Soft
Skills
Program
Values
Community/
Support
Recruitment
INDICATORS OF SUCCESS
Similar grades and graduation rates.
But Meyerhoff students were twice
as likely to earn a STEM BS/BA
degree
2. 5.3 times more likely to enroll in
post-college graduate study
3. Meyerhoff students twice as likely to
earn STEM BS degrees as Asian,
Caucasian, and non-Meyerhoff
African-American students with
similar preparation and interests
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AFTER MEYERHOFF (I)
1. The average GPA of all African American STEM
graduates has increased from 2.70 in 1989 to
3.21 in 2005 (due primarily to the high
achievement of the Meyerhoff Scholars (average
graduating GPA = 3.42 ± 0.12)
2. The average GPA of Caucasian STEM graduates
has remained relatively unchanged (3.17 ± 0.05)
3. Simultaneous increase in STEM participation
among UMBC minority students who are not in
the Meyerhoff Program
4. UMBC is the only institution in the USM that does
not have an achievement gap. AA students are
retained and graduate at a higher rate than their
Asian and Caucasian counterparts.
AFTER MEYERHOFF (II)
5. The number of African-American
undergraduates majoring in STEM areas
has increased more than sevenfold since
1985 whereas overall African-American
enrollment increased 1.4-fold
6. Overall and S&E enrollments among
Latino students have also grown (three
and five fold, respectively) since 1985
7. The number of Caucasian S&E majors
also increased during this time period
(from 710 to 1287 students, 1.8-fold) at a
rate greater than that of total
undergraduate enrollment (from 7914 to
9406 students, 1.2-fold).
What We Have Learned?
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Students affiliated with learning communities are more
likely to be successful and take ownership of their
academic experience and success.
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A Bridge program should be more than just academic
classes, workshops, and lectures. A bridge program also
should help “demystify” the Academy and the
Professoriate (we fear that which we do not know).
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Every aspect of the program should be an integral part of
the fabric of the university. No program can stand alone
and have an expectation of success.
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All components of the program should lend itself to the
mission and purpose of the university – academic
success and personal growth.
 We can neither create nor sustain a successful program
with lukewarm enthusiasm from any major department or
personnel from the university.
Change in Campus Culture:
Inclusive Excellence
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From devaluing to valuing minority students
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“In the past, a student in your class who was Black
was likely not to do well. The Meyerhoff Program
changed that almost immediately. As soon as
Meyerhoff students started earning A’s…becoming
very insistent on going into research programs and
being successful, all of a sudden you couldn’t make
that assumption. Looking for success rather than
failure [in your Black students]. That’s a big change.
That’s a big institutional change. That happened in
my department and it happened throughout the
institution.”
(Biology Department Faculty Member)
FINALLY – SUCCESS DOES NOT JUST HAPPEN
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Faculty who risk more than others
think is safe
Staff who care more than others think
is wise
Administrators who dare more than
others think is practical
Students who dream more than others
think is possible
Acknowledgements
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Robert & Jane Meyerhoff
Freeman Hrabowski, PhD
UMBC Community
Meyerhoff Staff
Meyerhoff Scholars
CONTACT INFORMATION
LaMont F. Toliver
toliver@umbc.edu
410.455.3139 office
410.455.1281 fax
www.umbc.edu/meyerhoff