College of Science, Engineering & Technology Participates in National Diversity Initiative_
Minnesota State University[미네소타주립대 맨카토]
The College of Science, Engineering & Technology at Minnesota State University, Mankato was among 147 engineering schools nationwide, and the first in Minnesota, whose leaders recently signed an American Society for Engineering Education declaration that commits those schools to providing increased opportunity for women and other underrepresented demographic groups to pursue meaningful engineering careers.
Those signing the Aug. 27 declaration, primarily deans, vice presidents and faculty members from across the United States, committed their schools to:
Developing diversity plans for engineering programs
Creating at least one K-12 or community college “pipeline” activity aimed at increasing diversity
Developing partnerships between research-intensive engineering schools and non-doctorate granting engineering schools
Developing and implementing strategies to increase women and underrepresented minorities in faculty
Brian Martensen, dean of Minnesota State Mankato’s College of Science, Engineering & Technology signed on behalf of Minnesota State Mankato.
“Our college has a long tradition of increasing the representation of women and underrepresented groups in science and engineering through our summer camps and academic events on campus,” said Martensen. “Being part of this initiative allows us to engage with partner institutions and be a leading voice in the national conversation that extends engineering educational opportunities to the full array of talented students in our society.”
An example of one such initiative at Minnesota State Mankato is Latino Engineering & Academic Day, an annual event directed by the University’s Division of Institutional Diversity that in 2014 received a Diversity Exemplary Practices Award from the American Public Works Association.
“Institutional Diversity enjoys our current partnership with the College of Science, Engineering & Technology and looks to increase the number of underrepresented students in the sciences and new opportunities to partner,” said Henry Morris, dean of Institutional Diversity at Minnesota State Mankato.
The American Society for Engineering Education declaration was intended to make public each of the engineering schools’ commitment to diversity. It also was a show of support for the first-ever White House Demo Day, which was held Aug. 4 in Washington, D.C., to showcase entrepreneurs and innovators from around the country.
An online article written by Ronald Roach in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, quoted President Barack Obama as saying that “deans at America’s engineering schools are committing to recruit and retain more diverse student bodies, building the pipeline for the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs because this is something we are seeing again and again and again.”
Institutional Diversity at Minnesota State Mankato supports a multicultural educational experience for students, faculty, staff and the greater community by encouraging access, opportunity and success. Institutional Diversity supports students and builds leaders for a global society.
The College of Science, Engineering & Technology at Minnesota State Mankato includes nine programs that are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
