# U-RISE at California State University San Marcos

> **NIH NIH T34** · CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS · 2021 · $718,886

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 As a young, rapidly growing campus in North San Diego County, California State University San Marcos
(CSUSM) is well-positioned to prepare motivated students from underrepresented (UR) groups for graduate
studies and research careers. A large proportion of CSUSM students is Hispanic (47%), which exceeds the
non-Hispanic White population (26%). The campus is both a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian
American, Native American and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI). In addition, 54% are from
families in which they will be the first to complete a college degree and 48% are Pell Grant recipients. Thus,
CSUSM is home to a rapidly growing diverse student body, many of whom are low income and/or the first in
their family to attend college.
 We’ve specifically developed our program to meet the needs of the student population at CSUSM. The
program will use evidence-based practices to achieve the following 8 objectives: 1) to prepare, recruit and
select U-RISE scholars who show significant promise for success; 2) to assure strong academic performance;
3) to enhance quantitative and methodological skills; 4) to enhance scientific communication skills; 5) to
engage students in biomedical research; 6) to develop knowledge, skills and persistence necessary to succeed
in a doctoral program and beyond; 7) to expose students to a culturally validated pedagogy to increase
belonging and persistence; and 8) to prepare competitive applications for graduate school. A capstone project,
to prepare a graduate research fellowship proposal will utilize many of the skills learned by the scholars. The
program is two years in length. We propose to engage 20 undergraduate students in year 1 of the program, 22
in year 2, and 24 in years 3-5.
 Our major goals, informed by past success rates, are for 90% of CSUSM U-RISE Scholars to enter the
PhD pathway in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, and 65% to enter PhD programs. Taken as a whole,
the U-RISE at CSUSM Program, in concert with a highly supportive campus environment, will prepare students
from UR groups to be thoughtful scientists who have the knowledge, skills, research experience and character
that prepare them for doctoral studies in the biomedical and behavioral sciences and that allow them to
become future leaders in science and academia. By doing this we will help advance the goals of the National
Institutes of Health to diversify the research workforce. A more diverse research workforce will better address
the research needs of a diverse nation and thereby contribute to better health for all.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10136042
- **Project number:** 5T34GM136481-02
- **Recipient organization:** CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SAN MARCOS
- **Principal Investigator:** Denise Garcia
- **Activity code:** T34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $718,886
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-04-01 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10136042

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10136042, U-RISE at California State University San Marcos (5T34GM136481-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10136042. Licensed CC0.

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