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Inside Iowa State, a newspaper for faculty and staff, is published by the Office of University Relations.

Aug. 24, 2007

Iowa State, DMACC will partner to boost engineering enrollments

by Mike Krapfl, News Service

Iowa State and Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) will work together to boost the number of students earning engineering degrees.

A five-year, $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation will help the university and DMACC encourage students to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics through a Student Enrollment and Engagement through Connections program. The grant sends $1.5 million to Iowa State and $500,000 to DMACC.

An enrollment boost would be good for the schools and the country, according to a 2005 study by a National Academies committee (Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future) which said the country must find a way to produce more scientists and engineers.

"This National Science Foundation program is a tremendous opportunity for Iowa State University," said Elizabeth Hoffman, executive vice president and provost. "It will help Iowa State meet the national goal of recruiting and retaining new engineering students. And, it will help Iowa State reach its goals of strengthening undergraduate education, increasing experiential learning opportunities and partnering with community colleges to facilitate student success."

Why partner with a community college?

Community colleges are a good place to reach students who might have an interest in science and technology, said Frankie Santos Laanan, co-director of Iowa State's Office of Community College Research and Policy and an associate professor of educational leadership and policy studies.

Laanan said a National Science Foundation report found that 40 percent of all students who graduated in 1999-2000 with bachelor's or master's degrees in engineering had attended a community college. He said 22 percent of those same engineering graduates had an associate's degree.

"This National Science Foundation program will make a bold statement that students who choose not to start at Iowa State from high school can begin a pre-engineering curriculum at Des Moines Area Community College," he said. "This really ensures student success, transfer and, ultimately, the completion of an engineering degree."

Diane Rover, an associate dean in the College of Engineering and the leader of the research project at Iowa State, said the program's goal is to boost the number of ISU students earning a bachelor's degree in engineering by 120 per year, beginning in 2012. The project also calls for women to account for 20 percent of Iowa State's undergraduate engineering graduates and minorities for 10 percent. (Iowa State's 2005 class of undergraduate engineering graduates included 15 percent women and 9 percent minorities.)

"We want this to work," she said. "We want students to have educational and career opportunities made possible through engineering. We want parents, teachers and other mentors to encourage today's youth to study science and engineering and become tomorrow's leaders addressing energy, health and many other issues."

How will it work?

At DMACC, the project is expected to boost student enrollment in science and technology. And that is expected to increase the number of transfers to the College of Engineering. To accomplish their goals, Iowa State and DMACC will:

  • Enhance the engineering learning communities at Iowa State and make some programs available to community college students. DMACC will create its own learning communities that complement Iowa State programs.
  • Redesign the first-year curriculum for engineering students and make some courses available to community college students via distance education technology. The new design would feature projects that show students the breadth of engineering work.
  • Develop and enhance advising and mentoring programs for pre-college, community college and university students.
  • Establish a recruiting and outreach network across the state with the help of alumni, ISU Extension and DMACC. The network would help students, parents and teachers understand the benefits of an engineering education and career, including job opportunities with companies in Iowa and around the world. The average starting salary for engineers is $54,200.
  • Evaluate the project and make improvements.
  • Share success stories and best practices with other universities and community colleges.

Quote

"This National Science Foundation program will make a bold statement that students who choose not to start at Iowa State from high school can begin a pre-engineering curriculum at Des Moines Area Community College. This really ensures student success, transfer and, ultimately, the completion of an engineering degree."

Frankie Santos Laanan, co-director of Iowa State's Office of Community College Research and Policy