An Overnight Visitation Program For Incoming Female Engineering Students
- Conference
- Location
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Louisville, Kentucky
- Publication Date
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June 20, 2010
- Start Date
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June 20, 2010
- End Date
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June 23, 2010
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Minorities in Engineering
- Page Count
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13
- Page Numbers
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15.174.1 - 15.174.13
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--16738
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/16738
- Download Count
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343
Paper Authors
Brenda Hart University of Louisville
Brenda G. Hart is Professor of Engineering Fundamentals and Director of Student Affairs at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering at the University of Louisville. Her research interests include recruitment and retention programs for females and underrepresented minorities as well as activities for first year engineering students.
Fashaad Crawford University of Louisville
Fashaad Crawford, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Higher Education Administration, in the Department of Educational Leadership, Foundations and Human Resources at the University of Louisville. Dr. Crawford also serves as the Faculty-in-Residence at U of L's Cultural Center. His research interests include college student achievement, equity, and the influences of intervention and reform on college student degree completion.
Katheryn McAnulty University of Louisville
Katheryn G. McAnulty, PhD, is Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions in the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies at the University of Louisville. Her research interests include recruitment and enrollment management of graduate students and underrepresented minorities withiin all areas of higher education.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
AN OVERNIGHT VISITATION PROGRAM FOR INCOMING FEMALE ENGINEERING STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE
Abstract
The United States continues to lag far behind other developed nations in producing professional engineers, including starkly low numbers of female engineers. This employment shortage is a national problem that must be addressed in a more strategically focused manner (Chubin, May, & Babco, 2005). Exposing more young women to educational opportunities and assisting their integration into the college environment is a vital step to recruiting more females into this field. This paper presents a program that invites incoming female engineering students to campus for an overnight visitation program before fall classes begin. The session provides information about how this low- cost activity has been embraced by the students and has served to recruit and retain young women for the engineering programs at the University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering.
Introduction
When analyzing the current enrollment and degree completion trends of higher education, one thing becomes evident - men no longer dominate the postsecondary landscape as they once did (Choy, 2002). In fact, between 1970 and 2001, women shifted from being the minority to the majority in the U.S. undergraduate population, increasing their representation from 42 percent to 56 percent of undergraduates (Choy, 2002; Freeman, 2004; as cited in Peter & Horn, 2005).
While women have increased their representation on college campuses, they continue to represent 60 percent or more of students with characteristics that place them at a disadvantage of succeeding in postsecondary education (Berkovitz & O’Quin, 2006; Landry, 2003; Peter & Horn, 2006). For example, women comprise 60 percent of college students in the lowest 25 percent income level, 62 percent of college students age 40 or older, 62 percent of students with children or dependents (among married or separated students), and 69 percent of single parents. These are characteristics associated with lower rates of persistence and completion in postsecondary education (Berkner, He, & Cataldi, 2002; Levin & Levin, 1991).
Moreover, exposure to and enrollment in higher education varies greatly by gender, especially when considering certain academic disciplines. Despite recent enrollment gains in aggregated or overall enrollment, women remain underrepresented in science and engineering (S&E) undergraduate programs compared to their male counterparts (National Science Foundation, 1999). Traditionally a male-dominated field, significantly fewer females choose engineering as an academic path, both at the national level (National Science, Foundation, 1999; National Center for Education Statistics, 2004) and the University of Louisville (Office of Institutional Research and Planning, 2010).
Hart, B., & Crawford, F., & McAnulty, K. (2010, June), An Overnight Visitation Program For Incoming Female Engineering Students Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--16738
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