Phase II · Year 2 (2024–2025)

Year 2: Executive Summary

Building on Year 1, the program's second year delivered strong growth in enrollment, degree completion, infrastructure, and faculty scholarship.

235

graduate STEM enrollment (↑13%)

degrees awarded (↑28%)

HBCU-MD2 Scholars

$22,834

cost per degree

Phase II · Year 2

Year 2 by activity

Graduate STEM enrollment 208 → 235 (↑13%), far exceeding the 3% target; MSN enrollment more than doubled (21 → 43)
83 degrees awarded (↑28% over the 65 baseline)
34 HBCU-MD2 Scholars supported (up from 31)
Persistence 82.1% → 100%; retention 47.4% → 64.2%; graduation rate 34.7% → 36%
80% of scholars in research or clinical experiences; 100% in professional development; 9 MAT students received licensure-fee assistance
Cost per degree $22,834 — well under the $60,000 target
4th Student Research Symposium (51 presenters, 140 participants); Excellence in Teaching Conference (131 participants, focused on AI in education)

Bronco COE STRIDE Hub (the STEM Education Center) reached 40% — a $69.3M, 72,027 sq ft facility; beam-signing April 2025; opens Fall 2026
Grant-funded labs in heavy use: Bloomberg Global Trading Room (250+ students), Nursing Patient Safety Lab (212), Data Science Lab / ISL (110)
Six new Instructional Design & Technology (IDTE) courses developed; ELEM 653 revised
ERP-SAP certificate approved and now offered; Fintech concentration in planning
MS in Data Science proposal advanced to 75% — full proposal submitted to the UNC System
New software & data licenses: Bloomberg, VMock, RocketJudge, Dell Bright Cluster Manager, nursing simulation technology

237 intellectual contributions — 56 peer-reviewed articles, 173 conference presentations, 8 technical reports — far above the 50/year goal
8 faculty and 5 students received conference travel support
Dr. Kimberly Smith-Burton received the 2025 Wynton Hadley Award for teaching, leadership, and service

Led by PI and Project Director Dr. Kimberly Smith-Burton with the HBCU-MD2 STEM Advisory Board (COE, BCBE, CHST)
Independent external evaluation by Edstar Analytics
No changes in key personnel during Year 2

Looking ahead

Advance the Fintech and Instructional Technology concentrations; secure MS in Data Science approval
Launch faculty research mini-grants (minimum of five) — begins in Year 3
Progress toward Fall 2026 completion of the Bronco COE STRIDE Hub
Begin tracking graduate employment outcomes within one year of graduation
Continue HBCU-MD2 scholar recruitment and expand professional-development opportunities