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The Meyerhoff Way: How the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program Helps Black Students Succeed in the Sciences

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Abstract

The Meyerhoff Scholarship Program (MSP) is widely recognized for its comprehensive approach of integrating students into the science community. The supports provided by the program aim to develop students, primarily Blacks, into scientists by offering them academic, social, and professional opportunities to achieve their academic and career goals. The current study allowed for a rich understanding of the perceptions of current Meyerhoff students and Meyerhoff alumni about how the program works. Three groups of MSP students were included in the study: (1) new Meyerhoff students participating in Summer Bridge (n = 45), (2) currently enrolled Meyerhoff students (n = 92), and (3) graduates of the MSP who were currently enrolled in STEM graduate studies or had completed an advanced STEM degree (n = 19). Students described the importance of several key aspects of the MSP: financial support, the Summer Bridge Program, formation of Meyerhoff identity, belonging to the Meyerhoff family, and developing networks—all of which serve to integrate students both academically and socially.

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Notes

  1. See Bridglall and Gordon (2004) for a detailed description of the program.

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Acknowledgments

This project is supported by Grant Number 5R01GM075278-3 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the official views of NIGMS or the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA

    Kathy Stolle-McAllister, Mariano R. Sto. Domingo & Amy Carrillo

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  1. Kathy Stolle-McAllister
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  2. Mariano R. Sto. Domingo
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  3. Amy Carrillo
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Correspondence to Kathy Stolle-McAllister.

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Stolle-McAllister, K., Sto. Domingo, M.R. & Carrillo, A. The Meyerhoff Way: How the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program Helps Black Students Succeed in the Sciences. J Sci Educ Technol 20, 5–16 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-010-9228-5

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