First-generation college students face considerable obstacles to college success, including a lack of role models in the family, a lack of familial mentoring and support, a lack of familiarity with the college climate, and, generally, lower socioeconomic status. For the most part, first-generation students carry an invisible minority mark. As such, they may share with other minority statuses a sense of “otherness” from the mainstream college student, and consequent obstacles to self-confidence and -efficacy, weaker academic achievement, uncertainty of future plans in their majors, and a weaker sense of being part of the (student) community in their major. Engineering students are not an exception, and successful achievement of an undergraduate degree in engineering may hinge on finding an inclusive and welcoming climate as well as nurturing professors and students. The current study focuses on first-generation engineering students at a public university in the MidAtlantic. The data are drawn from a baseline survey about the climate for diversity and inclusion administered to all college students in the Fall of 2016. Suggested supports for first-generation students are discussed in the paper’s conclusions.
Professor of Sociology, Chair of Sociology and Anthropology Department and IRB Chair, Rowan University. Co-p.i. of RED NSF RevED project at Rowan University. ֵEditor-in-chief, Contemporary Jewry.
Dr. Ralph Dusseau is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Dr. Dusseau is also serving as the Associate Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Dusseau was an Assistant and Associate Professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan from 1985 to 1995. Dr. Dusseau was the Founding Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University from 1995 to 2008.
Beena Sukumaran has been on the faculty at Rowan University since 1998 and is currently Vice President of Research and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She served as Department Head for 7 years. Under her leadership, the Civil and Environmental Engineering Program saw considerable growth in student and faculty numbers. Her area of expertise is in micro-geomechanics and has published over 100 peer reviewed conference and journal papers including several papers on engineering education and the unique undergraduate curriculum at Rowan University, especially the Engineering Clinics. She has been involved in various outreach activities to recruit more women and minorities into engineering and is Program Chair Elect of the Women in Engineering Division of ASEE. She is the recipient of the 2011 New Jersey Section of ASCE Educator of the Year award as well as the 2013 Distinguished Engineering Award from the New Jersey Alliance for Action.
Dr. Stephanie Farrell is Professor and Founding Department Head of Experiential Engineering Education at Rowan University (USA). Prior to 2016 she was a faculty member in Chemical Engineering at Rowan.
Tiago Forin is a PhD candidate in Engineering Education and researcher at Purdue University affiliated with XRoads Research Group, the Global Engineering Program and the Office of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Effectiveness. He received a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Florida State University and a Master's degree in environmental engineering from Purdue University.
Stephanie is a Ph.D. candidate studying postsecondary and higher education. She uses organizational theory to explore systems and structures that contribute to the oppression and symbolic violence of minoritized, underrepresented, and underserved students.
Kauser Jahan, is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University. She received her B.S.C.E. from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, an MSCE from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Her passion as an educator and mentor has been recognized by many professional organizations over the years. She is the recipient of the Gloucester County Women of Achievement Award, Lindback Foundation Teaching Award, the NJ ASCE Educator of the Year award, the Gary J. Hunter Excellence in Mentoring Award, the ASEE Environmental Engineering Division Meritorious Service Award, the ASEE Women in Engineering Division Sharon A. Keillor Award and the WEPAN Women in Engineering Initiative Award. She has been instrumental in establishing the Attracting Women into Engineering, the Engineers on Wheels and Engineering Clinics for Teachers programs at Rowan University. She has served as the Institutional Representative and Advisory Board Chair for the Women's Professional Network at Rowan University for six years and currently is an advisory board member of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Council on Education (ACE) Office of Women in Higher Education (OWHE). She received a Fulbright award in 2015.
Dr. Sarah Bauer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rowan University. Dr. Bauer holds a doctorate degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. She is the recipient of numerous awards and scholarships as a graduate student and young professional. Her primary research interests are: water and wastewater treatment, renewable energy technologies, pollution prevention, and engineering education. Dr. Bauer is an active member of ASEE and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and currently serves as the Faculty Advisor for Rowan University’s Student Chapter of SWE.
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