The college is one of 74 engineering programs around the country that received a bronze-level designation as part of ASEE’s national Diversity Recognition Program, which launched this year. Bronze was the only level designated during this inaugural award cycle.
Founded in 1893, ASEE is a nonprofit organization committed to furthering education in engineering and engineering technology. Its new program is the first national effort to publicly recognize engineering schools for their contributions to building a diverse workforce.
“This award from the ASEE is a great honor and it signifies that the Cullen College of Engineering is among the nation’s leaders in inclusive excellence,” said Joseph Tedesco , Elizabeth D. Rockwell Dean of the college. “We have a well-established tradition of encouraging diversity and inclusion at the college and our goal is to keep building our successes.”
Previously, the Program for Mastery in Engineering Studies (PROMES) at the Cullen College won two consecutive awards from INSIGHT Into Diversity, the largest and oldest U.S.-based diversity and inclusion magazine and website in higher education. PROMES, established in 1974, received a 2018 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award and Jerrod Henderson , director of PROMES, was honored with a 2017 Inspiring Leader in STEM Award.
In addition to PROMES, the Cullen College offers an array of outreach programs aimed at inspiring underrepresented groups to enter STEM fields. Two such programs – G.R.A.D.E. (Girls Reaching and Demonstrating Excellence) Camp and Girls Engineering the Future (sponsored by Chevron) – focus on encouraging young girls to pursue careers in engineering. The St. Elmo Brady STEM Academy , an innovative after-school program focuses on young, underrepresented male students.
Researchers at the Cullen College track the impact of these programs annually, reporting that a much higher percentage of the participants go on to study STEM fields in college when compared to their peers.