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Session 3448

A Program for Attracting and Recruiting Underrepresented Students

Rafic Bachnak, Carryn Bellomo, and Korinne Resendez Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX 78412

Abstract

This paper describes a new program being implemented at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to improve the recruitment of underrepresented students. The program is designed to attract juniors in high schools to participate in summer workshops and a follow-up science and technology exhibit. Activities include field trips, hands-on experimentation, written and oral communications, and invited speakers. Faculty, students, professional organizations, and a number of manufacturing and processing industries are involved in the delivery of the program. The workshops are designed to introduce students to career opportunities, expose them to college life, involve them in hands-on educational activities, and encourage them to pursue careers in science and engineering technology. This paper describes the program and discusses the activities involved in its implementation.

Introduction

The current US workforce is comprised of 77% White, 4% Asian, and 19% Minority. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Science Foundation, however, among engineering professionals, 88% are White, 6% are Asian, and only 6% are minority [1]. To improve minority representation in engineering and engineering technology programs, institutions of higher education may use a number of approaches, such as the increase of visibility of the engineering profession, mentoring students, and academic support [2].

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (A&M-CC) is a comprehensive urban university located on the South Texas Gulf Coast. The University is committed to identifying, recruiting, and retaining students who have high potential for academic success, especially those from groups who have been historically underrepresented in higher education and science. The Hispanic population of the University (37%) lags far behind that of the surrounding areas (69%). It is, therefore, imperative that A&M-CC makes strong efforts to recruit and retain its Hispanic population despite the environmental odds of poverty, and inadequate educational preparation.

Strategies to recruit and retain students include hands-on approaches [3, 4], field trips [5, 6], summer workshops [7], and software training programs [8]. This paper describes a project that uses all these methods to attract underrepresented students to science and engineering through a program that includes presentations at high schools, invited

“Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Resendez, K., & Bellomo, C., & Bachnak, R. (2003, June), A Program For Attracting And Recruiting Underrepresented Students Paper presented at 2003 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--12606