WILLMAR - A couple dozen Ridgewater College students will benefit over the next four years from a National Science Foundation grant to several Minnesota colleges.
The $5 million grant was awarded to Ridgewater, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, St. Cloud Technical and Community College and St. Cloud State University for scholarships beginning this year.
In all, Ridgewater will receive nearly $343,000 for scholarships and support efforts this year and over the next three years. Students will study in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math.
Ridgewater science instructor Shawn Mueske said the $5 million grant is not common. About 1 percent of National Science Foundation grants are more than $4 million.
The program is called Academic Collaboration and Coordination model to Ensure Student Success in STEM. Mueske said the goal is recruitment and retention of students who qualify for federal Pell grants for financial aid.
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Mueske will monitor the students' progress for Ridgewater and forward information to an outside monitoring agency.
Each student must apply for the scholarship, provide letters of recommendation and write an essay about career goals.
Studies show that lower-income students can be less likely to go into STEM fields and they may be less likely to finish their degrees, Mueske said. The program will explore whether financial and academic assistance can change those trends.
Students in the program are eligible for up to $7,500 a year. If they maintain their grades and make progress toward a degree, they could receive scholarships for each year of community college and for another two years if they transfer to St. Cloud State.
"They could get a four-year STEM degree with no debt," Mueske said. "It's truly a life-changing opportunity."
Three students are taking a biology course taught by Mueske. All three are majoring in biology. With timers set on their experiments last week, they talked about the scholarships.
Mackenzie Moist, 19, of Willmar, plans to get an associate degree before transferring to the University of Minnesota Morris to pursue a career as a veterinarian.
With that transfer, she will lose her scholarship after the first two years, but it makes sense for her educational path, she said.
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The same goes for Brooke Wharem, 17, of Benson, who plans a transfer to UMM on her way to becoming an obstetrician-gynecologist.
The scholarships have been helpful, as they cover more than tuition, they said.
"It helps me with bills and other living expenses," Wharem said. "It gives us a little more freedom so you can not have to work quite so much."
Moist still has two jobs, but having the scholarship money "helps me stay sane." She continues to work to save money for her future education, she said.
Parker Schwinghammer, 19, a graduate of Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, is majoring in biology, too. With his scholarship, "I don't have to work during school," he said. "All my time can be spent on school." He's also on the basketball team, which requires six hours of study hall a week, so he often has no homework on weekends.
Schwinghammer plans to transfer to St. Cloud after Ridgewater, so he can retain his scholarship for four years. He said his possible career choices include chiropractic, physician's assistant or nursing. "There's a lot of things I can do with a biology degree," he said.
Isaac Cassman, a Willmar graduate studying engineering, is the fourth student in the program this year.
Over the four years of the program, Ridgewater will be able to award scholarships to more than 20 students seeking STEM degrees.
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Because the application process started a little late in the first year, Ridgewater chose four students in the first year. In the coming years, the college will award seven scholarships in fall 2019, six scholarships in fall 2020 and five in fall 2021, Mueske said.
