Mission

The mission of the Developing Scholars Program is to:

• increase the number of intellectually curious first generation college students of any background and students of groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education who choose KSU.
• improve retention of such students by matching students with faculty mentors for the purpose of providing early opportunities for scholarly research.
• guide more of such students toward graduate or professional school.
• provide a more diverse community of workers for the twenty-first century.

Goals

The goals of the Developing Scholars Program include:

• Identify, recruit, motivate, and enable more first generation college students of any background and students of groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education to obtain a Bachelor's degree from Kansas State University
• Increase K-State faculty involvement and understanding of the needs and richness of diverse perspectives that such students bring to the university environment
• Improve academic success and create opportunity for such students at Kansas State University
• Foster development of a community of student researchers by providing educational enrichment activities and ways for students to interact, network, socialize, and collaborate with each other and with the larger academic community
• Nurture a strong work ethic, intellectual curiosity, community problem-solving, and enjoyment in the act of learning
• Continue to improve the retention and graduation rates of such populations at Kansas State University
• Increase the numbers of such students who transfer to Kansas State University from community colleges and who graduate
• Establish a "pathway of progress" to provide opportunities for such students to pursue diverse academic interests and to enter graduate programs, professional schools, or to find placement in their professional fields upon graduation
• Provide opportunities for faculty to interact with students from diverse cultural backgrounds who can bring fresh perspectives to the research environment
• Evaluate the impact and effectiveness of participation in the Developing Scholars Program for faculty and students
• Share with other institutions of higher learning what is learned