The Engineering Concepts Institute: the Foundation of a Comprehensive Minority Student Development Program at the Famu-fsu College of Engineering

This research was supported by a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship for Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education (1998) and by the So utheastern University and College Coalition for Engineering Education (SUCCEED), under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. 1 Matthew Ohland, University of Florida, Chemical Engineering—SUCCEED, Box 116134, Gainesville, FL 32667, [email protected] 2 Guili Zhang, University of Florida, Chemical Engineering—SUCCEED, Box 116134, Gainesville, FL 32667, [email protected] 3 Frederick Foreman, Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street , Tallahassee, FL 32310-6046. 4 Flozell Haynes, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, 2525 Pottsdamer Street, Tallahassee, FL 32310-6046, [email protected] Abstract  Bridge programs have sought to improve the transition and retention of minority students for over two decades. Even those that have been successful have faced a difficult challenge due to the cost-intensive nature of such programs. The purpose of this paper is to recount the success of one such bridge program, the Engineering Concepts Institute, and the rest of the comprehensive minority student development that follows it, serving students of Florida A&M University matriculating to the Florida A&M University—Florida State University College of Engineering. A significant improvement in six-year graduation rates is observed for cohorts from 1987-1992 (χ, α=0.05). It is hoped that the strategic partnership between Ohland and Zhang, who are using a longitudinal database compiled by the SUCCEED Coalition to study engineering programs, and Foreman and Haynes, the program’s coordinators, will yield the evidence needed to seek alternative funding sources from industrial sponsors, foundations, and even participating students and their parents. This evidence is critical when budget cuts threaten to shut down this valuable program.