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The Freshman Experience Meets Log Cabins: The Freshman Retreat at the George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science

For Presentation at the American Society of Engineering Educators 2002 Conference Montreal, Canada

Nathan Campeau, Dean’s Fellow for Undergraduate Relations Rachelle S Heller, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Abstract

The multitude of opportunities available at The George Washington University, and in the city of Washington, DC itself, the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) can be a daunting experience for many new engineering students. This paper will investigate how the freshman retention programs have let students know about opportunities at SEAS and have fostered a dynamic community among students, faculty, administrators and staff.

Specifically, this paper will examine the effectiveness of one of these freshman programs, the Freshman Retreat. This paper will discuss and review the surveys and interviews from the retreat, both objective and subjective comments, as well as ancillary data such as survey data from graduating seniors surveys.

Recognition of the Problem

In 1998 several problems were identified in the undergraduate program. While the general retention to the engineering field was within the US norm, the retention rate lagged as compared to other schools within the University. SEAS was having difficulty retaining students, as a large number were transferring to other schools within GW and to other universities. This follows the national trend where more than half of all engineering students do not graduate as engineers, with freshmen comprising half of that number.1 For some students, transferring is the best option. Clearly, many students who start out in engineering find that their calling is elsewhere, and the first two years especially can be seen as a weeding out period as students find their niche. However, there was concern that SEAS was losing students who could be successful and happy in their curriculum if had received more attention or more information about the field. A Colorado study found that students lost to attrition were not academically different than students who remained in the engineering program.2

The retention problem reflected a greater problem at SEAS: a lack of a feeling of community. In the 2000 “SEAS Senior Exit Interview” barely half (53%) felt that the SEAS administration was committed to providing a good academic environment for their

1 Besterfield-Sacre, Mary, Cynthia J. Atman, and Larry J. Shuman. “Characteristics of Freshman Engineering Students: Models for Determining Student Attrition in Engineering,” Journal of Engineering Education, April 1997, pp. 139 – 149. 2 Ref. 1

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Heller, R., & Campeau, N. (2002, June), The Freshman Experience Meets Log Cabins: The Freshmen Retreat At The George Washington University School Of Engineering And Applied Science Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--11364