Including engineering students

The recruitment and retention of engineering students is a challenging process. Few students are choosing engineering as a major upon entry to college and over half of those who begin engineering do not graduate with an engineering degree. Research has shown that the sense of belonging or being “included” is a major factor in the retention of engineering students. Among the factors of a student who is at risk of dropping out are low income, minority, first-generation college, commuter, campus social isolation, and poor social adjustment. Recognizing the need for students to be included, the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Arizona State University has taken several steps to break down the walls of non-inclusiveness. A strong infrastructure for student support is contained in the Office of Student Affairs and Special Programs. Within this structure are special programs for recruiting and retaining female, ethnic minority and freshmen students. These programs and their impact on retention are discussed, with special attention paid to commuter students. An evaluation of the “inclusive” programs and plans for future endeavors are given