Establishing a Women in Engineering Program at an Urban University

As an urban institution, the University of Houston (UH) Cullen College of Engineering faces some unique retention challenges, particularly for female students, compared to many schools. The college’s student body is extremely diverse and is reflective of the Houston community. As of Fall 2005, undergraduate engineering student demographics consisted of 33% Caucasian, 24% Hispanic, 20% Asian, 12% International and 8% African American students. A large number of students are first-generation college students, and many are also the first generation in the ir family born in the United States. Nearly all (94%) UH students commute to campus from the metro-Houston area, and a large number of students transfer to the university from community or junior colleges. Most students work part or fulltime to pay for their education. The department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) is the largest engineering department in terms of student enrollment, but contains the smallest percentage of women (currently 16%). Historical enrollment data for this department reveal that approximately 60% of the female students who started a degree in ECE dropped out of engineering entirely, and nearly 65% of the "leavers" did so within the ir first two semesters. This paper reports on how the qualities attributed to our urban student body influence the efforts of a newly-established women in engineering program, called WELCOME (Women in Engineering Learning Community for Maximizing Excellence). In addition, we report the results from the Longitudinal Assessment of Engineering Self-Efficacy created by the Assessing Women in Engineering Project, which was administered to a sample of female engineering students at UH. Background and Context The University of Houston (UH) is an urban university located in the fourthlargest city in the United States. The university’s student body boasts a rich diversity; in fact, UH is the most ethnically diverse research institution in the country (US News and World Report, 2006). As of Fall 2005, 52% of the 1,533 engineering undergraduates at UH reported belonging to an ethnic minority group (24% Hispanic, 20% Asian, and 8% African American students). The remainder of the students classified themselves as Caucasian (33%) or International students (12%), while 3% did not report ethnicity. The UH Cullen College of Engineering (CCE) faces some rather unique recruitment and retention challenges, particularly for female students. To better understand these challenges, one must understand our students. A large number of students are first-generation college students, and many are also the first generation in their family born in the United States. Nearly all (94%) UH students commute to campus from the metro-Houston area, and a large number of students transfer to the university from community or junior colleges.