Five years of federal funding from the Title V Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Program will support a new project, “Graduating and Advancing New American Scholars (GANAS) – Career Pathways.”
The GANAS project aims to support Latinx, low-income, and underrepresented students by removing barriers that impede their success at UC Santa Cruz and preparing them for rewarding careers once they graduate. UC Santa Cruz is developing programs to help students remain in science and engineering majors, graduate on time, and secure post-college jobs that support their career objectives.
There are four main elements in the GANAS Project: redesigning two math courses that are preventing students from continuing in life sciences majors, providing additional instruction to help students in courses critical to their major, increasing career advising,and offering more career-based internships in California’s high-demand fields, and helping the campus successfully address practices or policies that are contributing to inequity.
Starting this year, UC Santa Cruz faculty, staff, and graduate student researchers will redesign the two-part calculus series Math 11A and 11B with a focus on active learning and problem-solving sessions to support inclusiveness and equity. The comprehensive overhaul is meant to increase course grades and passing rates and reduce achievement gaps. The plan is to offer a redesigned Math 11A in fall 2021 and Math 11B in fall 2022.
The campus this year will create a team of student leaders who will provide supplemental instruction to students who are struggling in courses critical to their major. In addition to helping students continue with their chosen major, the program will support students in developing their leadership skills.
