K-State Multicultural Engineering Program

History

Since its inception, the Multicultural Engineering Program's efforts at Kansas State University have been challenging and rewarding. Initiated in 1977, the MEP is currently in its 26th year of operation. The MEP was established as a crucial network for traditionally underrepresented engineering students.

More than 400 underrepresented minorities have earned B.S. degrees from K-State's College of Engineering. K-State's MEP has constantly undergone the necessary modifications in staff and programs to ensure that the traditionally underrepresented ethnic groups are academically prepared and professionally equipped to meet the demands of the future.

MEP's first director initiated the college's first formal minority recruitment program. Initial efforts focused on attracting high school minority groups traditionally underrepresented in engineering: African-Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic American students and establishing local chapters of student organizations such as the National Society of Black engineers (NSBE), American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).

MEP's second director expanded services to include the University Counseling Center and focused energies on recruitment programs. K-State's MEP developed a new retention program in the Fall 1990, under its third director. During his tenure, initiatives were developed which increased the minority students' early exposure to the University and the field of engineering with the implementation of Minority Engineering Enrichment Seminars. The creation of these latter initiatives were made possibly by grants from the ARCO Foundation.

Under the leadership of the next director, the MEP expanded to fully include the pre-college, college, and graduate arenas. She restructured the scholarship program, reconditioned the Minority Engineering Student Study Center, acquired computers and printers for the study center, and the MEP Office was remodeled. Her initiatives were made possible by a grant from the Phillips Petroleum company. She also designed a retention program aimed at assisting entering freshmen by developing the academic and crucial study skills necessary for the demands of engineering. Students are now exposed to the field of engineering through seminars, field trips, video tapes, guest lecturers, and a host of other relevant information which is shared with the students. This successful retention program was made possible by a grant from the Southwestern Bell Foundation.

In March 1996, Thirkelle Howard became the director of the Program, which has been renamed the Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP). Since Ms. Howard became director the number of underrepresented multicultural students enrolled in the Kansas State University College of Engineering has increased from 115 students to approximately 200 students. The retention rate has increased significantly, now more than one-third of the students are seniors. The graduation rate is higher than ever before.

With new grants, written by Ms. Howard and received from the Cargill Corporations, the MEP mentoring program has expanded remarkably. The new mentoring program for the Multicultural students includes e-mail mentors and mentors to visit KSU's MEP students. The mentors are matched with students based upon race/ethnicity, gender, and department major.

Through the combined efforts of its directors, support staff, university and industry representatives, and current leadership, the MEP shall continue to build, strengthen, design, and define the future direction of the College of Engineering's minority engineering education efforts. In the coming years, the MEP will continue to foster an environment of growth within the college and operate comprehensive programs for the recruitment, retention, and successful graduation of traditionally underrepresented engineering students.

In a similar vein, the College of Engineering will continue to provide resources to help students reach their optimum potential while at Kansas State University. This is possible because of the size of the student enrollment at Kansas State University, which has the ninth largest enrollment of any college of engineering in the United States.