2014 Top Supporters of HBCU ENGINEERING SCHOOLS 2014 State of the TOP
SUPPORTERS SURVEY
HBCUs as Leaders and Teachers in STEM Education
Whether they are in manufacturing, construction, financial services, geospatial technology, homeland security, automotive, information technology, transportation, aerospace, biotechnology, energy, healthcare, hospitality or retail, this year’s ranking employers in US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine’s Top Supporters of Historically Black College and University Engineering (HBCU) Programs survey offer students competitiveness in creative, informative, and realistic ways to shape their economic future. However widely employers might vary in addressing the needs and desires of HBCU students, they offer a range of support in accordance with pipeline development. Some offer internship and co-op opportunities. Others offer support for innovation in education and research, sponsorship for Capstone projects, industry-mentored projects, collaboration, or funds to conduct programs to attract middle and high school students to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Going by the comments from the 2013 survey as in others over a dozen years, HBCU engineering students and faculty want industry-mentored undergraduate projects. They also desire executive presence, educational assistance to help with retention, research support and program advice. They seek internships and co-op programs that provide job training with selections based on interests and not on GPA. Most importantly, they strive to address the needs industry and incorporate new technologies in course offerings.
For many of the deans the best services come in funding and in-kind support such as executive presence, materials, time, scholarships and equipment. At Howard University, one program allowed a corporation to “adopt” a group of students for an academic year—mentoring and helping them learn soft skills not taught in a classroom. At Southern University in Baton Rouge, the Boeing Company sponsored Capstone projects. Over a decade, the sponsorship helped students work on real world projects.
16 USBE&IT I SUMMER 2014 Similarly, P&G paid close attention to Tuskegee
University’s annual Business and Engineering Conference held each year. At the three-day retreat, students learned project management, fundraising, time management assessments, bringing a flavor of business to engineering and technology to business, enlightening students. “We are completing proposals for revised curricula in our engineering programs based on feedback from students, alumni, industry, and discussions among faculty about what changes could improve student learning,” said Hampton University’s Dean Sheppard. “The revisions make our program learning outcomes and curricula more relevant to where engineering is
“The AMIE partners and HBCU deans have developed a balanced scorecard for monitoring progress and establishing criteria for continuous improvement.”
headed and create a better learning experience.” In turn, employers have recruited mechanical electrical, and manufacturing engineers from HBCUs. They’ve also hired a diverse group of material scientists. Computer companies have focused on M.B.A.s, especially those with technical undergraduate degrees. For research at the Ph.D. level, they have hired scientists working on nanotechnology. Degrees most in demand for Lockheed Martin are information technology (IT) and engineering, combined with the soft skills necessary to integrate complex technology. The relationships with HBCUs include philanthropic donations, scholarships, curriculum development, fellowships, laboratory development, and K-12 outreach efforts. In addition,
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