Proposal Title: NSF Workshop for Development of Minority Faculty in Engineering Poposal Number: CTS-0450213 Principal Investigator: Robert Y. Ofoli
Institution: Michigan State University
Recent American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) data on the number of engineering faculty who are African-American, Hispanic or Native American (AAHNA) in Association of American Universities (AAU) institutions in the US shows significant under-representation, with members of this group constituting only 3.5% of the 8,400 engineering faculty at 53 AAU institutions that provided personnel data. Current demographics and population trends suggest an increasing need to infuse the engineering academy with AAHNA faculty members in significantly higher numbers than currently exists, in order to guarantee that the profession has enough manpower to continue to thrive and maintain its tradition of excellence. The lack of AAHNA faculty in engineering classrooms has several drawbacks. It robs engineering schools and colleges of essential diversity. It deprives aspiring AAHNA students of role models and mentors. It provides little or no encouragement to minority students who may otherwise opt for academia as a viable career path, which may result in further accentuating the problem by depriving the professorial pipeline of potential qualified minority candidates. It puts US engineering education at risk.
The proposed workshop is the first of a proactive series of intervention activities designed to: a) provide support and guidance to young AAHNA professors in engineering departments; b) recruit talented AAHNA candidates into academic positions in engineering and provide them with the essential preparation required to ensure their success and retention; and c) guarantee the availability of a diverse manpower to ensure maintenance of excellent engineering education in the United States. The workshop will provide targeted and essential programming for three groups of participants: aspiring faculty in chemical and mechanical engineering, new and untenured faculty in all engineering disciplines, and tenured associate professors in chemical and mechanical engineering aspiring to become full professors. This effort will provide a wealth of role models for minority students who have an interest in pursuing academic careers. It will help to diversify engineering classrooms across the country and benefit both majority and minority students in their academic pursuits.
