It is hard to imagine now, but Nigel Davis was a quaking bundle of nerves heading into his freshman year at the University of Florida in 2015.
“I didn’t know many people, and I knew that engineering was a very rigorous major,” he said. “I remember just feeling apprehensive about what to expect in making the large leap from high school to college.”
Then he heard about STEPUP, a high-intensity summer readiness program for incoming UF Engineering freshmen. It was a game-changer.
“STEPUP made that leap feel much smaller. It was instrumental in shaping my academic journey and future career. The summer courses provided a crucial head start, easing my transition into a rigorous collegiate engineering curriculum,” noted Davis, a former Microsoft software engineer and current law school student at University of Pennsylvania.
Short for Successful Transition and Enhanced Preparation for Undergraduates program, STEPUP celebrated its 30th anniversary this summer, reveling in the success of more than 800 STEPUP alumni. The 30th class of about 50 incoming freshmen completed its stint in July, heading home after six weeks of college courses, candid conversations, early morning busses, wee-hours returns, team building and a deep dive into all things Gator Nation.
“The reason for STEPUP’s success is the community of people behind it.”
Pamela Dickrell, Ph.D., Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering’s associate dean of student affairs
“Students gain skills to perform undergraduate research, have math and science reviews to help them be successful in their fall courses, take a design course where they build prototypes as a team, and learn about engineering student organizations,” said Pamela Dickrell, Ph.D., Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering’s associate dean of student affairs. “With the help of STEPUP peer mentors, students have six weeks of guided knowledge about campus life, dorms, dining halls, libraries, makerspaces, recreational facilities, and the larger Gainesville community. This leads to increased professional development and retention of our first-year engineering students who participate in STEPUP.”
This year’s schedule included workshops in calculus, chemistry, physics, NVIDIA AI and research. The students toured JMJ Group Engineering, Pursuit Aerospace, Motorola, Ford, Chen Moore Associate, EAC and, of course, UF labs. They listened to STEPUP alumni, took engineering classes, earned credit hours and participated in the Women of Engineering speaker series.
“On Fridays, we loaded up the buses to see engineering in action,” said Stephen Roberts, director of the Office of Student Transition and Retention, which oversees STEPUP.
One of the changes within 30 years, Roberts said, was incorporating ala carte curriculum options for students. They are advised to pick options that allow them to grow.
“This is what professionals do,” Roberts said. “They self-assess. Where do I need to grow? Where do I need additional training? We’re trying to get them into that mindset from day one.”
Roberts took over the program on 2005 from his mentor, Jonathan Earle, Ph.D., who died in 2022 after serving as the College of Engineering’s associate dean until 2007. That same year, President George W. Bush presented Earle the National Science Foundation Presidential Award of Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring.
Earle came to UF from Jamaica “for the specific purpose of getting a Ph.D. and going back to Jamaica,” Roberts said. But while he was at UF, he noticed many underrepresented students were not making it through the Engineering program. They just couldn’t cut it, faculty would say,
“Dr. Earle said, ‘I refuse to believe that. I think with the proper transition, if the students put in the work, any student can become an engineer.’ And that’s why he created STEPUP. It was to facilitate the successful transition into the University of Florida,” Roberts said.
The program is now open to all incoming UF Engineering students. In 30 years, STEPUP has significantly increased student retention rates in Engineering, Roberts said.
“STEPUP’s framework developed crucial time-management and study skills that have served me well beyond college,” Davis said. “STEPUP didn’t just prepare me for college, it set the stage for my entire professional journey. Its holistic approach creates a powerful launchpad for aspiring engineers.”
Nine years after Davis stepped out of STEPUP – and 30 years since its inception – the program continues that holistic approach to enhance academic, emotional and cultural readiness.
“STEPUP was a fantastic experience,” said Lakeland resident and incoming freshman Landry Mooney, who attended this summer’s session. “I experienced many great things, including the corporate speaker series and the corporate tours. The different courses gave much insight into what the future at the University of Florida will hold.”
“The reason for STEPUP’s success is the community of people behind it,” added Dickrell. “The program has a strong group of supporters and alumni who believe in the mission of preparing engineering students for success at UF. The community of peers that students gain from participation provides a support structure, both academically and socially, from their time as students into their professional careers.”