Making a difference: How to recruit more community college women and underrepresented minority students into engineering and computer science

Through an NSF STEP grant (# 0856834), a Research I university is collaborating with five nonmetropolitan community colleges, some of which are minority institutions, to encourage more students to study engineering and computer science, to make their transfer easier, and to support the students after they have transferred. The first step is to get the high school or community college students" attention and to have them consider engineering and computer science. Most of these students have never met an engineer and have never been visited by someone from auniversity. Something more is needed than just "talking engineering" to students who are invited to come and to listen to some university folks. To get the community college students" attention, a captive audience (meeting with a mathematics or science class) and "intrusive advising" is needed and effective. This paper describes the impact of information and recruitment visits by university professors, staff, and students on high school and community college students at non-metropolitan community colleges and their visits to the university campus. "Intrusive advising" will be discussed and illustrated. Of particular interest will be the female and underrepresented minority students who are reached through this program.