University of Arkansas - Daily Headlines

FOR RELEASE: Wednesday, May 17, 2000

College Of Engineering Receives $100,000 Endowment From Hearst Foundation

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.- The University of Arkansas College of Engineering has received a $100,000 endowment from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation to support the college's innovative Women In Engineering (WIN) program. WIN supports female freshman and sophomore engineering students by providing a mentoring and social support network during the vulnerable first semesters. The grant is the second $100,000 endowment awarded by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation to the UA College of Engineering for the recruitment and retention of minority and women engineering students.

"We are grateful to the Hearst Foundation for their continued support of our college," said Otto J. Loewer, Dean of Engineering. "We believe the WIN program can make a significant difference in our ability to reach out to women engineering students and increase their participation in the engineering profession."

The program has made a significant impact in its short history. Since the WIN program was established, the percentage of women receiving an engineering degree at the U of A has tripled, increasing from six percent in 1991 to 18 percent in 1999.

WIN was created in the early 1990s by Melissa S. Tooley while she was the William Randolph Hearst Ph.D. Fellow in Engineering at the U of A. Currently an assistant professor of civil engineering, Dr. Tooley serves as director of the UA Mack-Blackwell National Rural Transportation Study Center and faculty coordinator for the WIN program.

The WIN program is basic in design: Give UA women engineering students a support system. "Engineering has traditionally been a male-dominated profession," Tooley explained. "By giving the women support as students, they will be better prepared to become practicing professionals, having learned from the experiences of female upperclassmen who have already 'made it.' By providing this support network, it is our hope that the women who enroll in the UA College of Engineering will be more likely to stay in the program and graduate with engineering degrees."

WIN involves a broad spectrum of the UA female engineering student body. A Ph.D. candidate who also holds the William Randolph Hearst Ph.D. Fellowship in Engineering serves as program coordinator. Responsible for the overall success of the program, she works directly with the dean of engineering and the faculty and staff in the seven engineering academic departments.

Each department appoints a mentor coordinator, an upperclassman who is responsible for recruiting mentors from their department - juniors, seniors and graduate students who have attended the U of A throughout their undergraduate study - and matching them with the participating freshman and sophomore students.

The department mentors provide one-on-one guidance to the WIN participants during class registration, introduce them to individuals in their respective departments, assist them in finding existing tutoring services and involve them in university and community activities. The new students benefit from the mentors' experiences in engineering classes, professional organizations and general campus life.

Stacy Goad Williams, the current William Randolph Hearst Fellow and WIN program coordinator, is pursuing a Ph.D. in civil engineering with research emphasis in transportation materials. Williams has been working with WIN since the program's infancy, starting as a mentor while she was a civil engineering undergraduate student.

The WIN program is open to female freshman or sophomore engineering students. Upperclassmen can also participate if they transferred into engineering from another college or are transfer students from other universities.

The William Randolph Hearst Foundation was founded in 1945 by the noted publisher and philanthropist. The charitable goals of the Hearst Foundation still reflect the philanthropic interest of William Randolph Hearst by providing grants in the areas of education, health, human services, and culture.

Hedy Lamarr, the 1940s actress who was known for her line "Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid," invented a sophisticated and unique anti-jamming device for use against Nazi radar. Grace Murray Hopper, a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy, developed the first computer compiler in 1952 and originated the concept that computer programs could be written in English. Generally unheralded, women have played a vital role in the engineering profession for many decades. From bulletproof vests to windshield wipers, women have made some of the most significant engineering advances in modern history.

If current trends are any indication, the stage is set for even more significant contributions by women engineers. According to the Digest of Education Statistics, the percentage of women earning a bachelor's degree in engineering doubled between 1971 and 1996 from eight percent to 16 percent nationally. The number of women pursuing graduate degrees in engineering rose dramatically during the same time frame. While only one percent of master's degrees went to women in 1971, that number jumped to 17 percent in 1996 and the number of women receiving a doctorate degree rose more than 12 percent.

University of Arkansas statistics reflect the national trend. The number of women receiving a bachelor's degree in engineering more than doubled between 1978 and 1996, and the number of women receiving a master's degree in engineering quadrupled.

Since establishing the Women in Engineering (WIN) program in the early 1990s, the number of women receiving an engineering degree from the U of A has jumped dramatically. While the percentage of women enrolled in the college between 1991 and 1998 stayed consistent, the percentage of women graduating with a bachelor's degree in engineering tripled during the same time period.

From pioneering the field of environmental engineering to inventing the vacuum method of food canning, women engineers have played a key role in shaping today's world. Programs like WIN help assure that future generations will continue to benefit from the creativity women bring to the design table.

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Contact:

Melissa Tooley, Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center, (479) 575-3203, mst1@engr.uark.edu

Susan N. Vanneman, College of Engineering, (479) 575-7455 , snv@engr.uark.edu

Mary-Ann Bloss, College of Engineering, (479) 575-6016 , mab4@engr.uark.edu