Hewlett Foundation/Northern Arizona University
Engineering Talent Pipeline
The Engineering Talent Pipeline (ETP) began in 2003 as a five-year collaborative project to significantly enhance enrollment and retention of engineering students. Populations that are presently under-represented in the ranks of engineering are a significant focus of these recruitment and retention efforts. College of Engineering and Natural Sciences is one of the nation’s leading producers of Native American engineering graduates. A founding and integral partner in the ETP is the College’s Multicultural Engineering Program. Significant ETP resources have been focused on sustaining and enhancing the Multicultural Engineering Program.
The Engineering Talent Pipeline project applied an “engineered” approached to meet its ends. The four-phase project included the following elements:
Phase I Planning, Structuring and Evaluating Best Practices
Phase II Pilot Projects/Trial Phase
Phase III Implementation Phase
Phase IV Implementation and Sustainability
An auxiliary goal of the ETP has been to revitalize and engage faculty and staff of the University toward recruitment and retention activities for the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences. The ETP has engaged upwards of 30 NAU faculty and staff across more than 30 separate but inter-related sub-projects. Participation in solicited sub-projects has been overwhelmingly from regular faculty within the five engineering departments of the college—Electrical, Civil and Environmental and Mechanical Engineering; Computer Science and Construction Management. However, participation has also included colleagues from NAU’s Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP), the College of Education, and Academic Support Services.
The NAU Engineering Talent Pipeline project is one of nine projects funded through the Hewlett Foundation Engineering Schools of the West Initiative (ESWI). We have collaborated extensively with out ESWI partners to share project outcomes, collectively develop initiatives, assess the impact and sustain the activities of nine award schools, even as Hewlett Foundation support draws to a close in 2008.
