Pre-engineering Education Collaborative: Providing for the Education of American Indian Engineers

A Collaboration between:College of Menominee Nation – Lead Institution

UW-Madison, College of EngineeringUW-Platteville College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science

PEEC Principle Investigator MeetingMinneapolis, Minnesota

August 2 – 3, 2012

1Project Overview

2Project Accomplishments

3Economic Impact

PROJECT OVERVIEW

CMN – PEEC Collaborative

• CMN chose partners– University of Wisconsin – Madison

• Research – University of Wisconsin – Platteville

• Applied • On-line and local programs

• University of Wisconsin System

What is the need?

These programs exist because there is a recognized need for URM students in STEM related areas, but there is

DIRE need for Native American representation

Enrollment in Engineering 

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 Total

UW-Madison

Native American or Pacific Islander 11 15 19 20 10 75

Other Minority (African-American, Hispanic, more than one) 109 110 116 124 152 611

Non-Minority 2537 2489 2463 2619 2692 12800

Undisclosed 59 71 83 114 91 418

Total 2716 2685 2681 2877 2945 13904

UW-Platteville

Native American or Pacific Islander 2 4 4 5 1 16

Other Minority (African-American, Hispanic, more than one) 15 16 16 14 16 77

Non-Minority 1146 1121 1134 1084 1069 5554

Undisclosed 5 8 14 16 22 65

Total 1168 1149 1168 1119 1108 5712

 

Enrollment in Engineering as Percents 

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 Total

UW-Madison

Native American or Pacific Islander % of Total 0.4% 0.6% 0.7% 0.7% 0.3% 0.5%

Native American or Pacific Islander % of Minority 10% 14% 16% 16% 7% 12%

UW-Platteville

Native American or Pacific Islander % of Total 0.2% 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% 0.1% 0.3%

Native American or Pacific Islander % of Minority 13% 25% 25% 36% 6% 21%

 

Degrees 

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 Total

UW-Madison

Native American or Pacific Islander 1 2 2 5 2 12

Other Minority (African-American, Hispanic, more than one) 20 17 14 21 18 90

Non-Minority 524 614 516 524 511 2689

Undisclosed 0 0 0 1 14 15

Total 545 633 532 551 545 2806

UW-Platteville

Native American or Pacific Islander 0 1 0 3 0 4

Other Minority (African-American, Hispanic, more than one) 5 7 4 7 8 31

Non-Minority 275 304 316 300 290 1485

Undisclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total 280 312 320 310 298 1520

 

Project Objectives

• To build CMN’s capacity and infrastructure to sustain a Pre-engineering Associate Degree Program.

• To implement a pre-engineering program of distinction.

• By September 2015, to graduate at least 20 students from CMN’s pre-engineering program and transition to UW-Madison and UW-Platteville engineering programs.

Specific Aims - CMN• Hire new engineer faculty• Build and equip labs • Develop Engineering Program

– Curriculum committee– All courses must include language and culture– Curriculum equivalency with Madison and Platteville

• Recruit students for Engineering Program• Track student learning• Student retention and support

– Student Stipends– Supplemental Instruction– Institutional culture

Specific Aims – UW-Madison• Assist in curriculum development• Enhance articulation agreement by developing direct transfer

agreement• Engineering Faculty member(s) as key collaborators, as well as

administrators and staff• Establish comprehensive support programs that support and

sustain students transferring from CMN to CoE• Offer opportunities for students

– Campus visits– Summer research experiences

Specific Aims – UW-Platteville

• Assist in curriculum development• Establish Articulation Agreement and facilitate

transfer to UW-Platteville• CMN/Platteville Campus Adviser and Liaison• Explore Engineering Summer Program• Undergraduate Research Opportunities• Visiting Faculty and Distance course delivery• Path to Success for Students

PROJECT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

CMNCurriculum Committee Approval Process1. Program design2. Course development can begin3. Course approval by Assessment of Student

Learning Committee4. Course back to Curriculum Committee for a first

hearing5. Course approved at second hearing6. Course can be offered

CMN

• Pre-engineering program and courses approved by Curriculum Committee

• Hired engineering faculty– Mentoring and institutional socialization

• Built labs• Preliminary recruitment

– 3 students recruited to begin Engineering Program• Developed admissions process

CMN Academic & Social Support

• Supplemental Instruction• Discussion section

– Course content• Seminar

– Social and cultural issues • Concentrated mentoring by faculty

Specific work at partner institutions is dependent on work at CMN

UW - Madison• Enhanced ongoing relationships• Hosted introductory meeting

– Programmatic goals; faculty introduction and curriculum discussion • Involve key faculty and staff

– Math, physics, chemistry, and engineering• Heighten sensitivity and awareness of transfer students• Analyzed our staff model to support this program; moved from one

coordinator to “core-team”• Two students currently enrolled from CMN• Provided stipend support for one student participant in research lab• Existing articulation agreement and adding direct transfer

agreement

UW-Madison – Academic & Social Support• Orientation Sessions

– Summer Orientation, Advising and Registration

– Incoming Orientation– Department Orientation

• Campus Visits– Faculty visits– Student visits (with high

schools)• Data analysis

• Academic Support– Supplemental Instruction– Tutoring-by-Request– Pilot seminar for transfer

students• Outreach

– Develop Your Network Event

– Focus Group

UW - Platteville• Hosted 2nd faculty meeting for curriculum review• Provided stipends for 4 students to attend Explore

Engineering Summer Program • Hired Special Program Coordinator• Planning to offer Explore Engineering Summer

Program at CMN in summer 2013• Evaluated courses and drafted Articulation

Agreement for transfer• Involve key faculty and staff

UW-Platteville – Academic Social Support

• Hired special program coordinator with relevant connections to Menominee Nation community

• Established relationships with CMN faculty and staff

• Established relationships at Menominee Indian High School and surrounding schools

CMN PEEC Project Ongoing Collaborative Efforts

• Faculty and staff exchanges– Build relationships between institutions– Understand institutional cultures– Understand student needs

• Student visits – Campus visits– Engineering Expo

• Support activities in all campus communities• Work on a new model for attaining a degree

– Not one program at CMN and then another at transfer institution, but a learning continuum

• Complete transfer agreements

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Economic Impact• Enhance number of Native American Engineers• Transform the face of the engineering workforce• Professionals with cultural-specific knowledge• Enhance the standard of living in Native American

populations and reservation communities• Contribute to Native American institutions

– Contributions and endowments to CMN or other Native American institutions

Panel #2

MAKING COLLABORATIONS WORK

• Choose partners wisely• Common philosophy and objective of partners

– Focus is on student success• Regularly enhancing ongoing institutional

relationships• Recognized cultural gaps between TCU and

mainstream institutions • Mainstream institutions provide a wide-range of

opportunities and environments• Agreed to frank and honest discussions about all

aspects of the projects

ACADEMIC PROGRAM AND SUSTAINABILITY

• Partner commitment to long-term effort• Relationships between faculty will ensure that academic

programs remain in sync• Faculty retention

– CMN absorbs costs of faculty in newly established program• Mainstream institutions need to continuously add to their

committed faculty and staff• Continue to seek funds to support or endow program• Enhance on-line and distance-learning courses and

engineering degrees

STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

• Enhance student familiarity with engineering• Engage younger students and families through outreach

activities• Enhance student understanding of rigor and challenges to

successful engineering degree completion• Help students understand that lack of skills does not mean

lack of ability• Change the conversation – math and science are tools for

contributing to community • Academic support• Institutional sensitivity