Collaborative Research: Northwest Engineering Talent Expansion Partnership

在华盛顿州，两所主要州立大学(华盛顿大学和华盛顿州立大学)的工程学院和四所社区学院(西雅图中央社区学院、亚基马山谷社区学院、高线社区学院和哥伦比亚盆地学院)与该州的其他机构成立了西北工程人才扩展伙伴关系(NW-ETEP)。该项目的总体目标是在未来五年内将华盛顿州获得本科工程学学位的学生总数增加10%。具体地说，在未来五年中，国家工程教育计划将1)将该州获得工程学学位的少数族裔人数增加100%；2)将该州获得工程学学位的女性人数增加20%；3)制定和实施一项全州战略，以充分利用该州所有工程学课程的能力。每个社区学院都在共同制定支持计划，明确侧重于支持有转学意向的工程学专业代表人数不足的学生。这些努力包括一支由现有教师和学生服务提供商组成的综合团队，一名现场协调员，以及从学术支持到专业/职业探索再到转移援助/支持的各种服务。在大学，努力的重点是通过最大限度地利用大量已经对进入这些机构的工程感兴趣的妇女利用现有服务来留住妇女。在州一级，该团队正在实施一项全面的战略，以提高高中生、家长、教师和辅导顾问对在该州获得工程学学位的所有选择以及学生现有的所有支持的认识。

In the State of Washington, the engineering schools at the two major state universities (University of Washington and Washington State University) and four community colleges (Seattle Central Community College, Yakima Valley Community College, Highline Community College, and Columbia Basin College) along with other institutions in the State have formed the Northwest Engineering Talent Expansion Partnership (NW-ETEP). The overall project goal is to increase by ten percent the total number of students in the State of Washington that earn an undergraduate engineering degree over the next five years. Specifically, over the next five years, the NW-ETEP will 1) increase the number of underrepresented minorities that earn engineering degrees in the State by 100%; 2) increase the number of women that earn engineering degrees in the State by 20%, and 3) develop and implement a statewide strategy to fully utilize the capacity of all the State's engineering programs. Support programs are being jointly developed at each community college with an explicit focus on supporting underrepresented students in engineering with the intent to transfer. These efforts include a comprehensive team comprised of existing faculty and student services providers, an on-site coordinator, and services ranging from academic support to major/career exploration to transfer assistance/support. At the universities, efforts are focusing on increasing the retention of women by maximizing the use of existing services by the large population of women already interested in engineering that enter these institutions. And at the state-level, the team is implementing a comprehensive strategy to increase awareness among high school students, parents, teachers, and guidance counselors of all the options to earn engineering degrees in the state and all the existing support available to students.