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MN Associates, Inc.

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September 23, 2022

MNA Goes To Montana!

Well, looks like the Big Sky Country and the Land of Shining Mountains is calling us.

We’ve got some news: the Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC) in Kalipspell, MT was just awarded the famed Track 1, NSF funded- S-STEM grant.

This 6-year NSF scholarship project will utilize an integrated approach to support 30 S-STEM scholars with three primary components: Scholarships, STEM identity and community building, and Mental health and wellness counseling. Scholarships will increase student solvency and decrease financial stress. The project will establish STEM learning communities with common first-year courses and a robust STEM colloquium along with one-on-one faculty mentoring. These components are expected to foster STEM identity and sense of belonging, both of which are predictors of persistence and retention. Students will also be connected to a mental health counselor for regular wellness coaching with the aim of increasing student resilience and sense of well-being. Through these co-curricular offerings the project holds potential to promote understanding of the connection between STEM identity, mental health, and persistence, retention, and resiliency in the pursuit of a STEM degree. Results of the project may also provide a model for local high schools and rural community colleges looking to foster student success through mental health support.

Award abstract: https://nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2220972&HistoricalAwards=false

The Treasure State, here we come!

Filed Under: News and Updates

Kavita Mittapalli

Kavita Mittapalli, Ph.D., is the CEO of MN Associates, Inc. She brings over 18 years of experience in conducting research and evaluation for various programs and initiatives. She started MNA while in grad school at George Mason University (VA). An agriculture graduate turned applied sociologist and a mixed methodologist by training, Kavita brings her extensive qualitative and quantitative research skills to the evaluation work she does.

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