Facing the problem

ASEE Prism, Oct 2002 by Mannix, Margaret

Target advertisements. Place an ad in one of the ethnic-oriented engineering magazines. The American Indian Science and Engineering Society, NSBE, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the Society of Women Engineers all boast magazines. A quarter-page ad may run $1,200, but it will get a lot of bang for its buck. The subscribers "are very loyal members, and they really rely on the publication to identify where areas of opportunity are," says John Goodrich, director of advertising for the three latter magazines.

Hit the Internet Barry J. Farbrother, dean of Ohio Northern University's Thomas Jefferson Smull College of Engineering, recently discovered that advertising a faculty position electronically-posting the position on three higher education job sites-- wielded a plethora of minority candidates. (Farbrother turned to the Internet after a "very late resignation" by a faculty member, and he wanted to jump-start the interview process.) Of the three top candidates (out of a pool of 30), two are minorities. "In fact, the minority candidates are our first and second choices," says Farbrother, noting that many online applications come from overseas.

Consider the world. Sometimes the ideal candidate lies outside American borders. The only way we can make significant increases in the near term is to hire international faculty, says Haden. "A number of our Hispanic faculty are actually from Mexico or Latin America."

Polish your reputation. Make sure your own college offers a welcoming, hospitable atmosphere. "They [minority candidates] are not going to go where somebody says they are treated poorly," says Johnson. Davidson points to a study his college undertook a few years ago that looked at the climate for women in engineering. "We found some problems that we have solved." Davidson says, such as the feeling of isolation. Davidson has undertaken a similar study for minority engineering faculty and expects the results soon. Adds Fouke: "You certainly have to have a comfortable working environment because if you don't, the word gets out right away."

Think creatively. Dianne Dorland, dean of the College of Engineering at Rowan University, attributes Rowan's success in hiring female faculty members-26 percent of her tenure-track faculty are women-to the clinic-oriented nature of engineering at Rowan. Students get hands-on experience initiating, developing research, and completing projects. The vibrancy of the clinics, says Dorland, was what clinched many hires. "It works, it absolutely works. We have attracted faculty from significant institutions like Stanford and MIT," says Dorland. "I think our faculty and students can see an immediate benefit in terms of how we affect society, how we affect technology within our own area, how we affect our particular industries," says Dorland. "They want to have a more immediate impact, and I think that might be part of why we are successful in attracting and keeping good faculty."

Keep your eyes open. Fouke has been keeping tabs on three local women she has met recently who boast Ph.D.s in engineering. Her immediate goal: "I want them to teach one course," says Fouke. "I want to keep them lively and interested, Two to three years from now they might be interested in a faculty position. If we were all doing that, there is no telling what our faculties would look like in 10 years."