A U.S. National Science Foundation Scholarship in Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (NSF S-STEM)-funded collaboration between Frederick Community College (FCC), Montgomery College (MC), and MSMU, C3STEM has provided financial, academic, social, and professional support to low-income, academically talented STEM transfer students since 2020. Through its high-touch support model, the program spearheaded efforts to strengthen college transfer pathways and break down barriers that community college transfer students face.
“I think it is really valuable to have a better understanding of what barriers there are to successfully transfer students and how to build those supports,” said Melanie Butler, Ph.D., current Assistant Dean for the Division of Continuing Studies at MSMU and lead of the C3STEM team. “I hope [C3STEM] was impactful to students from community college, to help them see different options they might have had, and to help them develop some of the skills and knowledge that you might need to successfully transfer to another institution.”
Originally directed by Rosie Bolen, Ph.D., before passing along to Butler in 2022, the program has since graduated 24 scholars with four-year degrees in STEM fields, including biology, biochemistry, chemistry, environmental science, mathematics, data science, computer science, cybersecurity, and neuroscience. Over 20% of participating scholars were community college transfers; the rest from an extension granted to native MSMU juniors and seniors in later years of the grant.
Community college transfer students face unique challenges in their transition from two-year to four-year institutions: having more in-person than online classes, navigating kids, family, or work obligations, or juggling newfound financial stresses of room and board. C3STEM sought to address these embedded barriers in its own program and at MSMU.
To address financial concerns, 60% of total NSF S-STEM funding was designated toward student scholarships, with each scholar receiving $10,000 per year. A large concern for financially at-risk community college transfer students is being able to find practical research experience, vital to a successful STEM career. C3STEM set aside funds especially for professional development activities and research stipends to assist those wishing for paid summer research initiatives.
Academic assistance was offered via the program’s curated curriculum, including pre- and post-transfer support, individualized advising before and after enrollment by community college and MSMU faculty, and academic and career development planning.
Scholars remained connected through cohort-building activities and a designated Canvas page where they could arrange meetings and complete reflection assignments. To keep involved, ample chances for curricular, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities like seminars, university-sponsored events, and student-led clubs were also shared.
“We have so many great student organizations, especially in STEM,” Butler emphasized. “I think those were a really great support for the students.”
She shares her pride in the students’ accomplishments and perseverance, giving credit to MSMU faculty for building strong relationships with their students, a sentiment shared across faculty surveys, focus group discussions, and scholar interviews. Individualized faculty advising emerged as a central mechanism supporting academic success and persistence, even for C3STEM alumni.
Some of these faculty, and C3STEM board members, were Christine McCauslin, Ph.D., dean of the School of Science, Mathematics & Technology; Isaac Mills, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Science; Athar Rafiq, retired assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science; and Jeff Simmons, Ph.D., executive director of strategic planning and institutional effectiveness.
Butler is particularly grateful to the community college partners for their time spent advertising the program and speaking with students: Sandy McCombe-Waller, associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of the School of Biological, Physical, and Health Sciences at FCC and Aubrey Smith, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biology at Montgomery College. This relationship is one Butler hopes continues for years to come:
“We’ve continued to work closely with FCC especially and I think there’ll be more programs like that coming out of that partnership.”
Research following the C3STEM program has already informed institutional practices at MSMU, acting as the backbone for the computational technology major which launched in Spring 2026. Future work and surveys will examine the longer-term career outcomes of C3STEM alumni and further assess the scalability of this model.
