The NACME plan resulted from a two-day roundtable that included almost 40
engineering, science, and mathematics academic leaders. It focuses on the
country’s community colleges, where more than half of all underrepresented
science and engineering bachelor’s and master’s degree recipients began
their post-secondary careers. In the comprehensive action plan, NACME
identified three important steps:
* Adjust existing community college math curricula to allow students to
learn engineering-related skills and to advance to higher level math
courses; * Identify funding sources to implement curricula changes; * Launch
several pilot programs at leading community colleges.
“When it comes to the sciences and engineering in particular, the United
States is frankly falling far behind other nations and regions,” said Dr.
Irving Pressley McPhail, CEO and President of NACME. “We know about some of
the major hurdles students face in receiving engineering degrees – or even
being educated about and exposed to the industry – so we have identified
fairly easy, but far-reaching steps that community colleges can implement to
start to curb this competitive crisis.”
The roundtable, led by Dr. Paula Hudis, Director for Pathway and
Curriculum Development, ConnectEd, is the first step of a multi-year effort
by NACME to heighten awareness about new initiatives that can be launched to
put engineering at the forefront of students’ minds. The plan calls for a
greater focus on engineering-related projects in developmental math courses
and increased awareness of engineering professions to remedy two key hurdles
to underrepresented minorities in engineering.
In what NACME identifies as the “New American Dilemma,” fewer than 12
percent of engineering degrees are earned by minorities, despite much higher
underrepresented representation in the overall student populations at U.S.
colleges and universities. Currently, African Americans, American Indians,
and Latinos constitute 30 percent of the nation’s undergraduate students – a
number that is expected to grow to 32 percent in 2010 and 38 percent by
2025.
“We are suffering a competitiveness issue globally and yet we are denying
this huge population, either by benign neglect or at worst active
discrimination, opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics,” said Dr. McPhail. “Never mind how we got here; we must take
action today for these students, these groups, our nation and a global
economy. It makes sense for everyone to care about and remedy this crisis.”
The roundtable and report were funded by a grant from Lumina Foundation
for Education. A downloadable version of both the executive summary and the
full report, “Beyond the Dream: From Developmental Mathematics to
Engineering Careers for Underrepresented Minorities,” are available online
at
www.nacme.org/beyondthedream .
About NACME
Since 1974, the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME)
has provided leadership and support for the national effort to increase the
representation of successful African American, American Indian, and Latino
women and men in engineering and technology, math-, and science-based
careers. NACME has impacted the lives of more than 22,000 underrepresented
minority students who have received scholarship and support from NACME
totaling more than $120 million.
Stephenetta Harmon
Program Manager, Communications
National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME)
440 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 302
White Plains, New York 10601-1813
Ph: 914.539.4010 ext. 290
