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The First2 Network is a coalition of individuals from multiple universities, K-12 schools, industry, and government organizations from a rural eastern U.S. state who collaborate to ensure that rural, first-generation undergraduate students are prepared and motivated to persist in their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) major. Since its inception in 2018, this National Science Foundation-funded project has utilized student summer immersive experiences for incoming freshmen and Networked Improvement Communities to produce replicable best practices, campus student clubs, student ambassador programs, institutional teams, statewide conferences, and many other methods, all for the purpose of promoting student STEM persistence across the state. This study employs social network analysis to explore the structure, growth, and impact of the connections across this Network over the five years of its existence. Social network analysis metrics indicate that the Network grew both in size and connectivity until 2022 when policy changes led to more institutional localization for the purpose of sustainability. Students have formed robust connections with other Network members throughout the course of the project, leading to a higher STEM persistence rate among students in the Network than average at their university. Faculty from different universities across the state have made connections, which has increased productivity as a result of network membership. The available data suggests that the Network has had a positive impact on both student retention and faculty collaboration, which should be sustained and have a positive impact on STEM persistence throughout the state in years to come. 

This project presents a longitudinal analysis of leadership retention and network resilience within the First2 Network, a statewide STEM education initiative in West Virginia. Data between the years 2018 and 2023 was analyzed for this study. By integrating survival analysis and social network analysis, the study explores how individual network position and organizational affiliation influence continued engagement in leadership roles. Using Kaplan-Meier estimates and a time-varying Cox Proportional-Hazards model, the analysis captures both long-term retention probabilities and the dynamic impact of evolving centrality metrics. In parallel, structural comparisons of leadership networks from the beginning and end of the study period reveal key shifts in organizational participation and influence distribution. Over time, the network transitioned from a more distributed structure to one that is increasingly centralized and reliant on a few key individuals. The results suggest that a core group of leaders have been retained throughout the study period and that leadership transitions have altered the network’s structural integrity and collaborative diversity. Having leaders from a mix of different organizations and sharing leadership responsibilities is important for keeping the network strong and able to work together effectively. 

Prior to Spring 2024, STEM students at Shepherd did not have a space of their own.  With funds from the First2 Network, the office of the Shepherd University President, and Shepherd University Facilities, a non-functional computer lab was renovated for student use.  This talk will focus on the development process and how having access to the space affects student’s sense of belonging.  The First2 Network is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under Award Numbers:  HRD-183-4586, WV Higher Energy Policy Commission; HRD-1834595, Green Bank Observatory; HRD-183-4575, Fairmont State University; HRD-1834595, High Rocks Educational Corporation; HRD-183-4569, West Virginia University. 

ASHLEA KRASNANSKY, Dept of Mathematics, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, 25755, and RIMSHA KINGSON, Dept of Psychology, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, 25755. Utilizing PDSA Cycles in Event Planning for Student Success: An Analysis of Marshall University's Donuts with the Deans Events.   The utilization of the improvement science Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle framework allows for the scientific analysis of event effectiveness and goal attainment for their optimization. This article focuses on disseminating the quantitative analyses paired with an extensive literature review from the implementation of PDSA cycles for a biannual, intervallic Donuts with the Deans social event held on Marshall University’s campus for the 2024 year. The event aimed to connect first-generation and rural STEM students with deans from their respective colleges in a neutral environment. At each event, student feedback was primarily recorded using digital surveys to gather information related to attendee demographics and background, social comfortability, and reception to event characteristics. First2 Network student leaders acted as conversation catalysts to help direct peers to the digital location of the survey, nurture event conversation, and distribute incentives among attendees. Preliminary analysis suggests that the horizontalization of relationship and communication hierarchies in the higher education realm empowers student voice, encourages participation within critical decision-making processes on campus, develops a more robust social capital, and fosters a sense of belonging within the STEM community. Furthermore, this paper discusses the benefits of social constructivism and student partnership in event development and facilitation. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under collaborative award Nos. HRD-1834586, 1834595, 1834601, 1834575, 1834569. 

Fairmont State University’s College of Science and Technology has hosted a variety of events aimed at removing the barriers between students and faculty. Two events in particular targeted incoming freshmen – a bridge program and the SciTech Social.     In August 2023 and 2024, a bridge program was held for a select group of first-generation and underrepresented incoming freshmen. The students were invited to move onto campus early, and over the course of three days engaged in activities aimed to prepare them for the semester, including workshops on study skills and networking with college faculty. Survey data indicated that after the program, students felt more comfortable interacting with faculty, were more knowledgeable of academic resources, and had a higher sense of belonging at college and in STEM.     Since the Fall 2022, the college has implemented the “SciTech Social”, a picnic during the first week of the fall semester aiming to promote early student-faculty interactions for all incoming freshmen. During the event, students and faculty mingled over lunch, used BINGO cards to encourage conversations, and explored STEM clubs at informational tables. The event has grown annually, with increasing participation and positive feedback from attendees. Survey data suggested that students who attend are more likely to engage with faculty throughout the semester, attend office hours and tutoring sessions, and participate in student organizations. These early opportunities for student-faculty involvement help students feel less intimidated by their professors, which may significantly impact the likelihood of student academic success and persistence in STEM majors.     

West Virginia University (WVU) is a large R1 land grant institution with a multitude of STEM majors that include students from underrepresented demographics (e.g., rural, low-income/Pell grant eligible, first-generation, Hispanic, African American). Though first- and second-year instructors of STEM classes are expert teachers within their respective disciplines, the large enrollment nature of these classes limits ongoing career mentoring between instructors and their students. Likewise, STEM students are supported by dedicated disciplinary advisors, but these advisors meet with large numbers of advisees (40+) and may need to limit their discussions to academic scheduling and financial aid. To broaden connections between STEM students and faculty/staff and to provide ongoing career mentoring which in turn promotes STEM belonging (fit), career readiness, and persistence, a series of emails detailing STEM-focused opportunities of potential interest were sent to select underrepresented STEM students during each academic semester from fall 2022 to spring 2025. Opportunities include listings of paid summer undergraduate research at national labs and institutions and abstract submissions for institutional, statewide and national symposia. At several time points, a survey was sent to collect information from email recipients on their self-reported impressions and usefulness of the biweekly emails. The nature of this change work was captured by a Plan-Do-Study-Act. Its progression from basic to professional formatting will be discussed along with aggregate responses from the survey. 

   In West Virginia, the unemployment rate is 3.6% (2024) and the workforce participation rate is 55.1% (2024) suggesting 44.9% of work-eligible people are not participating in the workforce while another 3.6% are looking for work. We have identified attracting and retaining job-ready employees, inadequate communication and collaboration, and misperceptions among students and job seekers concerning the diverse career opportunities available in WV as challenges within the region. The ARC POWER grant project, “Building Connections to Grow Capacity: Breaking Down Regional Barriers in the STEM Workforce Pipeline” addresses these challenges and have proposed many opportunities to overcome these barriers making a connection between  industry, academics and educators, students and other jobseekers, and workforce entities to develop the STEM workforce in the service region of Fairmont State University (FSU) and Glenville State University (GSU) through a Regional Career Services and Workforce Development Collaborative. Several areas of the grant are likely of interest to educators in academia, including an emphasis on forming industry advisory boards to help build stronger relationships between academia and industry and also aid in refining curriculum and a focus on both student and industry engagement and instructor and industry engagement to create opportunities for job shadowing, internships and other opportunities between these groups.  This grant provides resources for fostering collaboration among people who might not normally interact, and this collaboration can produce an enormous impact on the STEM workforce in our region.     

EMILY HELTON, First2 Network, Fairmont State University, Fairmont, WV, 26554; MARY ELLEN SULLIVAN, First2 Network; ERICA HARVEY, First2 Network; and SUE ANN HEATHERLY, First2 Network. Taking Google Forms to the Next Level: Automating Improvement Science for First2 Network   How do we use automation in ways that free up time without sacrificing human interaction? By delegating routine tasks to Google Sheets Add-Ons and simple Google Apps Scripts. In this use case, the initial notification of a new request for coaching, sending meeting invites, and reminding coaches to follow up with their teams about potential stumbling blocks like IRB proposals or data collection have all been automated. Coaches and people requesting coaching interact with a single Google Form, which produces output viewable as a Google Sheet, and the rest of the process takes place in the background. The automated parts of the system remove busywork from the coaches and administrators, allowing them to focus on the substantial work of the Network.    This poster will highlight changes to the ticketing system, used by people proposing change ideas and the coaches who help them through the improvement science process. Whereas before an administrator had to handle requests for coaching, now emails are sent as soon as requests are received. Through a few online tools, the Google Form has bidirectional communication with the spreadsheet, allowing coaches to easily add new change ideas. Standardizing language makes it easier to find and share information throughout the Network. The ticketing system generates useful data without additional burdens on coaches or the people carrying out their change ideas.   Award Number: HRD-1834575; Principal Investigator: Erica Harvey; Fairmont State University. 

While many institutions are focusing on increasing STEM belonging for students, we argue that supporting faculty will increase STEM belonging and build social capital, which is vital for career growth and collaboration, creating stability for student success. Faculty at small and large institutions may struggle to find a community of STEM professionals where they feel they belong. Faculty members may struggle with the lack of connections to others in their field and miss out on support that helps them succeed in their careers. When faculty lack support, they may even leave an institution because of failure to get promotion or tenure. This in turn causes problems for students relying on the faculty for guidance and identity. We contend that the improvement science initiatives and other activities of the First2 Network, an NSF funded project, build connections in the STEM community in WV, help STEM students persist in their given field and build STEM belonging and social capital for the faculty members involved. Thus, providing a more stable environment for students to flourish. We surveyed faculty and found that the First2 Network had a positive influence on faculty members’ STEM Belonging, and on their development of social capital to further their academic careers. The faculty also provided examples of how their participation in improvement science work has contributed to their professional growth and benefited students at their institution.