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The CSEMS Program at Purdue University Calumet

Overview/History of Program

The CSEM Scholars Program is administered in conjunction with the Ronald E. McNair Post- Baccalaureate Achievement Program (a program designed to prepare first generation college/low-income students and students from underrepresented areas of graduate education for graduate study.) Professor Harvey Abramowitz (Department of Engineering) serves as the CSEM Scholars Program PI with Professor Edward Pierson from the Department of Engineering and Roy Hamilton from the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program serving as co-PIs. Organizationally, the McNair Program is part of the Student Services unit of the University. The program is accorded departmental status with the Director as the Department Head. The project director has full responsibility for the program and reports directly to the Vice Chancellor for Student Services and Dean of Students.

Purdue University Calumet Demographics

Since the Purdue University Calumet student population is drawn from the Calumet Region, the socio-economic and educational characteristics of the region form their background. Hence, the following demographic data for this region was relevant in determining the types of services needed in order to ensure the successful completion of the CSEM Scholars Program.

The Calumet Region in which Purdue University Calumet serves is roughly made up of the urbanized portions of Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, rimming the southern shore of Lake Michigan. One of the most heavily industrialized areas in the United States, the Region is still the biggest steel producing area in the United States.

Historically, cities such as Gary (where a large percentage of the African American student population of Purdue University Calumet resides) evolved through the growth of industries such as U. S. Steel. These communities grew and prospered through the 1960s as a result of the economic benefits produced by steel manufacturing and processing. However, this period of prosperity suddenly ended in the late 1970s when the area experienced an economic recession. Many smaller steel mills went bankrupt and the larger ones began downsizing their plants. As a result, the area’s population lost much of its economic base as thousands of people abruptly found themselves without employment. For example, at its peak, U. S. Steel Corporation (which is located in Gary) employed over twenty-five thousand (25,000) workers. In recent years, this number has fallen to approximately seven thousand (7,000) workers. The population is largely blue-collar working class or low income. Another example was the demise of LTV in East Chicago, IN, which in the summer of 2002 filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors. Not only did over 5,000 persons find themselves without employment, but an additional 4,000 people found either their pension and/or health care affected by the mill’s closing. In the past couple of

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Hamilton, R., & Abramowitz, H. (2006, June), The Csems Program At Purdue University Calumet Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--402