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The University of Tennessee College of Engineering 114 Perkins Hall Knoxville, TN 37996-2012 |
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| Newsletter
of the UT College of Engineering |
The engineering profession continously strives to make progress towards increasing the numbers of minorities and women who enter the field. Professional organizations including the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), which chartered a UT chapter in 1980, and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), which was established nationally over 50 years ago, have provided the impetus to encourage women and minorities to enter the field of engineering. Recently, Dr. J. Wade Gilley, president of UT, gave faculty and staff a series of strategic directives in order to position the university as a leading national institution. One of the specific goals with which Gilley has challenged UT's academic and administrative leaders is to "ensure diversity is reflected in all that we do." "My perspective is to emphasize the importance of diversity for our university to everyone--faculty, staff and students--and to encourage and promote that philosophy as a vital part of all our programs," Gilley stated. What steps is the College of Engineering (COE) taking to achieve the goals set by Gilley? A look at the historical importance of diversity for both the college and the university offers an interesting background.
Dr. Bill Snyder, UT Chancellor from 1992 to 2000, and previous COE dean, has always been a proponent of diversity. Under Snyder's leadership, the university established the office of Diversity Resource and Educational Services, which combined responsibilities for establishing and encouraging the recruitment and retention of under-represented students. "My philosophy has always been to look at diversity as not a problem, but an opportunity," Snyder commented. "This is not something we have to do-it is the right thing to do-our students will leave the university to work in diverse environments. It is in their best interests to learn how to deal with others from different cultural backgrounds." The university established the African-American Achievers Scholarship in 1996 to increase the number of minority students admitted to the university. The COE also made progress towards increasing diversity with a unique scholarship program. "The establishment of the Minority Engineering Scholarship Program, which was developed over 27 years ago by then-Dean Peeples, was a very innovative approach," commented COE dean Dr. Jerry Stoneking. "African-American students were recruited through a partnership between the college and industry. The college strives to continously improve on this model and to be a recognized regional and national leader in the recruitment and graduation of African-American engineers." James Pippin took over the leadership of MESP in 1984. Although the initial focus of MESP was on minority students with scholarships through the cooperative engineering program, Pippin subsequently helped to expand the outreach to provide counseling, support and assistance to all UT African-American engineering students. In 1999, MESP was renamed the Diversity Engineering Scholarship Program (DESP) and was placed under the direction of the Office of Cooperative Engineering and Professional Practice (OCEPP). Walter Odom, director of the OCEPP, sees the diversity issue as one that is vitally important to the university's future. "UT's efforts to address diversity are in line with the rest of the country," Odom stated. "We are seeing the realization that people of color are looking for a level playing field. We organize our efforts in the co-op program to help all individuals become prepared for opportunity." Odom added that he is encouraged by the COE's commitment to the DESP. "I firmly believe that the DESP has the potential to grow and foster the kind of viability that helps us to compete with institutions such as MIT, Stanford and Purdue," Odom added. After the restructuring of MESP, Pippin was named director of Engineering Diversity Programs (EDP), which focuses specifically on pre-college programs in elementary, junior high and high schools. During the summer of 1997, the first "Introduction to Engineering" course, facilitated by Pippin, was held for high school juniors and seniors. The program will be offered again in August. "I work closely with the recruiting and retention of undergraduate students," Pippin commented. "I also serve as a co-adviser for most of the minority students and assist them in finding fellowships for graduate degrees. One of our most important goals is to increase the number of minority graduate students." Carolyne Thomas is a COE success story. Thomas, an African-American, was a participant in the cooperative engineering program holding a work assignment at the Federal Highway Administration in Sterling, Va. while studying for a degree in civil engineering. Thomas received her B.S. in civil and environmental engineering in 1993, and her M.S. in the same field from UT in 1994. Thomas joined the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Operations Office in 1995. She is currently a senior project manager for the Uranium Management Division at DOE. Thomas commented that her experience as a minority student at UT was positive. "I had great opportunities at UT," she added. "I was encouraged to move on to a graduate degree." Thomas is active in the National Society of Black Engineers and Blacks in Government. She is hopeful about the efforts being made to enhance diversity in both academic environments and the workplace. "I see that we are making positive strides towards more tolerance, where differences are accepted," she said. "Our office recently celebrated the Martin Luther King holiday, and I was pleased with the response to the events." |
