2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse S-STEM Program

Presented at College Industry Partnerships Division (CIP) Technical Session 2

Studies show that recruiting and retaining a diverse student body, especially in engineering programs, is difficult. Students of color, women, and students who are Pell-eligible tend to avoid and drop out of engineering and other STEM workforce pathways. There are many issues with a mismatch of expectations and a lack of a supportive culture that figure into the common problems of recruiting and training a diverse student body in engineering. This paper examines the recruitment and retention strategies of a program, embedded within the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Texas Tech University, that aims to recruit and retain a diverse scholar cohort. The project entitled “Tech Intrapreneurs Program” is funded by the National Science Foundation with additional scholarship funding from a prominent semiconductor company. This program recruits a diverse student body through the departmental advisor, outreach to diversity-focused organizations, and through faculty mentoring connections. Additionally, the program retains students by leveraging practices that have been shown, in the literature, to support a diverse student body. Namely, the program provides individual mentoring from faculty and industry experts, financial support through scholarships, and intentional community-building activities. The program provides help for students through a strategic review of the student’s academic progress and grades. This paper highlights specific examples of all these strategies in action and discusses both successes and challenges in this area.

Authors

Dr. Tim Dallas Texas Tech University [biography]

Tim Dallas is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas Tech University. Dr. Dallas' research includes MEMS, solar energy, and educational technologies for deployment to under-served regions of the world.
Dr. Heather Greenhalgh-Spencer Texas Tech University [biography]

Heather Greenhalgh-Spencer, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas Tech University, as well as the Associate Chair of the department. Her research emerges at the intersection of Educational Technology, Pedagogical Innovation, Personalized Learning, Diversity and Equity Issues, and Global Studies. Greenhalgh-Spencer explores practices of using technology and pedagogical innovation to create engaged learning in both formal and informal learning spaces, and in both national and global contexts. She explores diversity and equity issues in the STEM pipeline, and also researches embodied and transdisciplinary learning practices that increase engagement for underrepresented populations in STEM courses. Greenhalgh-Spencer also researches blended / personalized learning (BL/PL) and the ways that BL/PL can create diverse pathways and increased opportunities for all students.
Dr. Kelli M. Frias http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-6295-6823 American University [biography]

Kellilynn M. Frias received her Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Kogod School of Business at American University. Her research interests include marketing strategy, business-to-business rel

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