Manhattan College Engineering Scholarship Initiative (MCESI)

Manhattan University, Bronx NY

Investigators

Abstract

The Manhattan College Engineering Scholarship Initiative will provide scholarships to a total of twelve (six in each of two cohorts) academically qualified and financially needy students to pursue accredited four-year undergraduate degree programs in Civil and Mechanical Engineering. Nationwide, there is a need to increase the numbers of students in the field of engineering especially from women and minority groups. Manhattan College recognizes this need and is committed to helping diversify the engineering workforce and produce opportunities for students with financial needs. The students will be selected from existing summer outreach programs at Manhattan College. These programs, some running continuously for over 30 years, specifically encourage high school students who are either female and/or considered underrepresented minorities and most of whom reside in low-income neighborhoods and qualify for financial aid. The selection process will ensure that the program will attract qualified women and underrepresented minority students with documented financial needs. The students will be selected to meet academic eligibility criteria and support activities and programs will be instituted to ensure student retention and success. The support system will include preparatory and annual workshops, living-learning communities, and mentorship (peer, professional, and academic). The proposed project will interact with the ACE (Architecture, Construction, and Engineering) Mentorship Program, where the scholarship students will have the opportunity to serve as junior mentors to high school students, while they themselves concurrently receive professional mentorship from industry leaders. Optional activities, such as study-abroad program and undergraduate research, will enrich the students' college experience and inspire them to consider pursuing graduate degrees, in addition to careers in engineering industry. A strong external-evaluation program will inquire into the effects of individual co-curricular and extra-curricular activities on student retention and eventual success of each student, by comparing scholarship students with a comparable general student population. The benefits and challenges of each activity will be enumerated, along with resources required in each case. The results of this part of the study will help educators and administrators identify activities where they may utilize their resources most efficiently.