Subgoal 2 Assure Recruitment and Retention of a High Quality, Diverse Student Body.

The outstanding reputation of the College and its faculty helps to attract and retain good students. Although recruitment has not been a major initiative of the College, ongoing efforts contribute towards this University goal. For instance, the College of Engineering is encouraging the production of recruitment material by offering to help fund such efforts. Some departments (Mining, Mechanical, Geological, for example) help recruit for their programs at high schools and junior colleges, arrange for instructors and facilities for the summer youth programs, and meet with prospective students. The construction of departmental and college WWW pages aids recruitment by allowing high school students to remotely access program information. Geological Engineering and Sciences recently completed an informational video to be used as a recruitment tool. Table 2 reveals that although undergraduate enrollment overall is down slightly (282 students) since 1988, it is much higher for some departments (Chemical, Civil and Environmental, and Geological Engineering and Sciences).

TABLE 2. College of Engineering Enrollment since 1988 (Fall Count).

Unit	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996
Chemical	278	299	373	449	499	461	455	490	498
Civil/Env.	446	491	581	752	859	805	796	803	797
Electrical	1,194	1,180	1,117	1,014	882	730	655	614	598
General	551	409	461	536	364	367	353	360	296
Geological	47	39	42	52	98	147	159	130	103
Mechanical	1,213	1,299	1,288	1,347	1,355	1,260	1,157	1,150	1,162
Metallurgy	160	171	171	194	210	197	184	153	130
Mining	12	14	14	21	44	48	42	35	36
Total	3,902	3,902	4,047	4,365	4,311	4,016	3,844	3,735	3,620

Despite some decline in enrollment, the number of Bachelors degrees granted by the College has increased from 686 in 1990/1 to 775 in 1995/6 with a peak of 841 in 1993/4 (Figure 1).

FIGURE 1. Bachelors Degrees Granted by the College of Engineering (Fiscal Years).

As shown below in Figure 2, the student-faculty ratio has decreased from 12.8 in 1988/9 to 10.7 in 1996/7.

FIGURE 2. Student-to-Faculty Ratio for Engineering SCH.

The decline in this ratio allows increased faculty-student interaction. However, this ratio is still one of the highest for Engineering Colleges. In addition, high total WSCH and WSCH per tenure-track faculty still makes student-faculty interactions difficult in some departments (see Table 3).

TABLE 3. Total WSCH by Department.

Four-year retention rates at Michigan Tech are comparable to peer institutions where engineering students comprise a large proportion of the student population [5.4A]. Learning Centers in Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Mechanics and Electrical Engineering help retain students and promote student success in the College of Engineering. To tap the new non-traditional student market and to address industry's demand for continuing education of their employees, the College is developing its off-campus degree programs and has shared in an initiative with Ford for the continuing education of its employees. The College recently graduated its first BS in Mechanical Engineering as an off-campus degree.

There are numerous threats to effective recruitment and retention efforts. One is the up-and-down nature of engineering employment trends, which greatly affects College and University recruitment and retention. Employment is now increasing as is enrollment of new students at MTU; however, the interest in engineering of high school students has declined since 1988. Increased competition from other Michigan engineering programs and MTU's remote location threatens to undermine recruitment efforts-including those efforts targeted towards individuals from underrepresented groups.

A major initiative of the College of Engineering is to increase diversity. In 1993, the College hired a half-time Associate Dean to aid in the recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented groups. The percentage of women enrolled in the College of Engineering increased from 16.5% in 1990 to 19.8% in 1996 (see Figure 3) and the retention and graduation rates of women equal those of men. These data suggest that the College has been able to attract and retain women. However, the percentage of women at comparable engineering schools is greater, sometimes as high as 22–25%, the College is concerned that MTU might soon fall behind in the percentage of women graduates.

FIGURE 3. Enrollment in the College of Engineering by Gender.

The percentage of students from underrepresented ethnic groups has increased slightly from 3.6% in 1988 to 4.2% in 1996. The small percentage of students from culturally diverse backgrounds and the negligible increase in the last eight years illustrates that the College of Engineering does not yet have a diverse student body.

Faculty are involved in Women in Engineering and Minorities in Engineering, two summer programs designed to enhance diversity. Faculty are also encouraged to attend University workshops and seminars designed to increase their insight into gender and minority relations. Student professional organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers, the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Engineers, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and departmental student professional organizations help retain and nurture students.

A major initiative of the University—and supported by the College—is to increase the number of women and minority faculty. The diversity of the faculty will help the University attract and retain students from underrepresented groups. These faculty act as role models and mentors and expose majority students to diversity. The College has increased the number of women faculty in tenure-track positions, but had less success recruiting faculty from underrepresented ethnic groups.

Subgoal 3 Provide an Environment that Enhances the Quality of Student Life.

Numerous professional organizations provide students with professional and social development outside the classroom. Department academies provide highly successful role models for students. The College financially supports organization such as Tau Bet Pi, the National Society of Black Engineers, and the Society of Women Engineers, which transcend departmental boundaries. Most departments provide strong support for the student societies associated with their disciplines.

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