The Success in Engineering through Excellence and Diversity program, formerly known as the Minority Engineering Program or MEP, has received national recognition in a new book written by William Bowen and Derek Bok, former presidents of Princeton and Harvard universities, respectively.
A program that assists in the recruitment, retention, education and career placement of underrepresented minorities in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder, SEED was cited for its effectiveness in supporting students to achieve high academic marks in the Bowen and Bok book, "The Shape of the River" (Princeton University Press, 1998).
The 25-year-old program combines high expectations with community support to create a learning environment in which students can succeed. Academic excellence workshops for freshmen, the clustering of students in common classes to encourage collaboration and overcome ethnic isolation, and a resource center open 24 hours a day are some of the program's components.
The program has an average retention rate of 87 percent, which is nearly double the national retention rate of minorities in engineering.
Students who participate in the program also maintain a grade-point-average that is .5 points higher than that of minority engineering students who don't participate. Two hundred students are currently enrolled in the program, a 15 percent increase over last year.
The name of the program is being changed, effective Feb. 1, to more accurately reflect its mission to increase the diversity of the student body, while maintaining its focus on serving underrepresented minority populations.
"Our name has changed, but our commitment to excellence and service to underrepresented students has not," said program Director Germán R. Núñez G. "As the new millenium approaches, we will continue to play an important role in ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder's efforts to achieve a more diverse campus and a Total Learning Environment."
PHOTO: Students (from left to right) Mark Espinosa, Mike Diaz and Lynne Bryant work on computers donated by Lockheed Martin and Hewlett Packard to the Success in Engineering through Excellence and Diversity Resource Center.