2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Faculty Development Symposium: Building a Community for Early-Career Engineering Hispanic Faculty’s Success and Advancement

Presented at Faculty Development Division (FDD) Technical Session 2

In the landscape of engineering academia, the underrepresentation of Latinx/Hispanic professors is a significant challenge, as highlighted by the ASEE report, "Engineering by the Numbers," which revealed that only 3.6% of faculty appointments in engineering are held by Latinx/Hispanic individuals. While many programs emphasize increasing the Latinx/Hispanic pipeline into engineering doctoral programs and academic careers, there remains a distinct gap in addressing the unique challenges and experiences faced by Latinx/Hispanic faculty members.

To bridge this gap, a non-profit organization has taken a proactive step by introducing the Faculty Development Symposium (FDS). This symposium serves as a vital platform for building a diverse community of engineering faculty, offering support, and fostering opportunities for collaboration. FDS equips participants with the skills and resources necessary to navigate the complex terrain of earning tenure and promotion, while also facilitating valuable networking interactions. Participants not only connect with tenured faculty role models representing diverse disciplines but also engage with early-career colleagues from across the nation.

This paper delves into the comprehensive design, development, and implementation of FDS across the years, shedding light on its evolution and the strategies employed. Furthermore, it provides a detailed analysis of the results and evaluation findings, highlighting the profound impact FDS has had on fostering diversity and excellence in engineering academia.

Authors

Dr. Dayna Lee Martínez Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Inc. [biography]

Dayna is a Senior Director of Research & Impact at the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), where she leads a team of professionals who specialize in data-driven design and implementation of programs and services to empower pre-college students, parents, graduate students, and faculty members in STEM fields, with a particular focus on advancing Hispanic representation and success. With over 15 years of experience in creating data collection tools, analysis methodologies, and effectively presenting results, she dedicates herself to promoting Hispanic excellence in STEM.

She joined SHPE's staff in 2021, after serving as a faculty member at Northeastern University and a post-doctoral fellow at the James A. Hailey Veterans Hospital and the HSyE Institute. Holding a PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of South Florida and a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Cornell University, Dayna is deeply passionate about increasing Hispanic representation and success in STEM. Leveraging her analytical skills and data-driven approach, she is committed to creating and evaluating impactful programs and services for the Hispanic STEM community.
Dr. Kimberly D Douglas P.E. Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Inc. [biography]

Over 25 years of experience as an engineering educator and administrator developing and funding programs for increasing the persistence and degree completion rates of STEM students. Particular expertise in creating mutually beneficial partnerships and pro
Andrea D. Beattie Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Inc. [biography]

Andrea D. Beattie is a graduate from Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Political Science in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Currently she serves as Manager, Research and Innovation at SHPE. In this role, she assists the organization with research, program evaluation, and data analytics.
Ms. Esther Gonzalez [biography]

Esther González is a PhD candidate in the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California (USC). Her research domains are organization behavior and diversity management. Her research is multidisciplinary and applies methods and fields in public policy, management, political science, and sociology.
Upon completion of her Bachelors of Arts degree in International Development Studies at UCLA, she began a successful career in banking and finance at Bank of America, Merrill Lynch. She has completed various post baccalaureate certifications through UCLA Anderson and the Harvard Business School; most recently, she completed her MPA at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and MBA at Cornell Tech.
She has published in multiple academic journals including ASEE, ROPPA, and APPAM. Additionally, her scholarly work has been featured in Forbes magazine. She believes that research can inform diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and programs to one day have a workforce that is representative of the society it aims to serve.

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