How Does the Image of Engineering Affect Student Recruitment and Retention? A Perspective from the USA*

During the past decade, as the total number of bachelors degree earners in all fields increased by 16% in the USA, there was a 15% decline in the number of engineering bachelors degrees granted. Even with the phenomenal growth of new technology, increases in engineering enrolments have been modest. One significant challenge in recruiting students to study engineering is the negative image of the profession as a whole and the image of the engineer as a person in US society. A typical stereotype engineer fits the image of Dilbert, a cartoon character of a corporate engineer who is smart, honest, inflexible and dull. This contrasts to the image of a true renaissance engineer, Leonardo da Vinci, who was creative, literate, well rounded and exciting. This paper attempts to trace the image of an engineer throughout history and to describe how the modern day engineer is viewed in the USA. Some of the projects funded by various engineering societies and foundations in hopes of enhancing the image of engineering in the USA are also included in the paper.