NEW ORLEANS — The University of New Orleans has received a $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant to create a Center for Equity and Diversity in Engineering. The new center aims to foster the educational and professional development of a diverse engineering talent pool at the public metropolitan research university.
“The United States has declined in global prominence in the areas of science and engineering, in part due to the existence of barriers that prevent access to and success in post-secondary STEM education,” said UNO President John Nicklow, a professor of civil engineering and the principal investigator on the grant. “For students from historically underrepresented groups, those barriers can often be insurmountable. This center will work to provide pathways for those students to address the need for a more diverse and inclusive engineering workforce in the region.”
The Center for Equity and Diversity in Engineering within UNO’s Dr. Robert A. Savoie College of Engineering will target four specific goals:
- Improve the diversity of UNO’s engineering enrollment to better reflect the metro area’s demographics;
- increase the first-year retention rate among historically underrepresented engineering students;
- improve the graduation rate of historically underrepresented engineering students; and
- increase the percentage of engineering graduates who are women.
The center will serve all engineering students and faculty but will give special focus to improving recruitment, retention, and degree completion of women and engineers from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic groups.
In order to achieve the center’s goals, the University plans to recruit a diverse engineering student body and faculty, implement effective and equitable academic support programs, and establish an engineering learning community that builds a culture of confidence, belonging and pride.