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Dynamics of Establishing and Sustaining a National Minority Engineering Programs Advisory Board Abstract

For nearly 12 years, our Minority Engineering Programs Office has sustained a national board of industry representatives who serve on our National Minority Engineering Programs Advisory Board. These representatives are from companies who actively recruit our undergraduate and graduate students to fill internships and co-operative education. They also hire our graduates as new full-time employees. Specific companies targeted for inclusion on our MEP advisory board are those who work tirelessly to diversify their company’s engineering workforce. The board members have demonstrated a willingness to maintain an on-going relationship with us by, among other things, allowing our MEP office to help facilitate company on-campus exposure and hiring, and by regularly providing financial support programs administered by our office.

This paper describes our strategy for recruiting members to our National Board, frequency and rationale for twice a year board meetings, priority MEP student-centered services provided to members of our board, and challenges associated with sustaining these relationships as corporate recruiting personnel change within these companies at a fairly regular rate. An additional attribute associated with our success is having our student chapter presidents of the National Society of Black Engineers, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, maintain permanent membership on this national advisory board. A portion of the paper explains how this inclusion provides added value to industry representatives who are active board participants. This paper includes specific information on three companies who have served continuously on our board, and which have provided continuous support to our programs.

Background on Our National Minority Engineering Programs Advisory Board

Our Director of Minority Engineering Programs was hired in 1995 with the specific charge to increase recruiting, enrollment, graduation and overall success of under-represented minority engineering students. The director moved quickly to establish a permanent advisory board of corporate representatives who routinely recruit our engineering students, and who are demonstrating a commitment to diversity in the work place. Invitations went out to over two dozen companies, with a small fraction responding. Working with a dozen companies, the director decided to hold advisory board meetings twice annually: In the fall in conjunction with the university-wide Minority Career Fair, and in the spring in conjunction with the College of Engineering Career Fair. Rationale for these two meeting times was that the companies targeted for inclusion on the National Minority Engineering Programs Advisory Board are likely to have a recruiting presence on campus at these two career fairs, and even if the preferred company administrator could not attend, she/he could send one of the company recruiting representatives to our meeting. At the first board meeting, members in attendance confirmed the logic and frequency for our meetings. Since they have a keen interest in direct access to our minority engineering students, we agreed to add to the board student presidents of our National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) chapters. With leaders of NSBE, SHPE and

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Mitchell, T., & Flannigan, III, J. F., & Wooten, R. M., & Pearson, E. P., & Daniel, A. (2007, June), The Dynamics Of Establishing And Sustaining A National Minority Engineering Programs Advisory Board Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2975