Leaving Washington State University might have been the best thing to ever happen to Aldo Barletta. After struggling in several courses as a bioengineering major, Mr. Barletta made the 300-mile drive back to his parents’ home in Arlington, Wash. He switched his focus to mechanical engineering, and began taking classes at nearby Everett Community College.
His odds of meeting his original goal of getting a bachelor’s were long — fewer than one in seven community-college students who hope to earn a four-year degree actually do so within six years. But Mr. Barletta, who was 20 at the time, thrived — his parents were happy to have him back, and he was inspired by his older classmates. He earned an associate degree in just a year.
As he began to eye a return to Washington State, he was surprised to learn that the university was coming to him. In 2012, Washington State began offering some bachelor’s degrees at Everett University Center — a building right on the community college’s campus.
Around the country, community colleges and universities are teaming up to improve the dismal rates of bachelor’s-degree completion for community-college students who aim to get B.A.s. They’re doing so by removing roadblocks and making the transfer steps easier so that fewer students stall out and abandon their goal.
Bringing the university to the community college — through centers like the one at Everett — is just one such strategy. Others include encouraging collaboration between university and community-college faculty members; guaranteeing admission to a four-year university when a student enters a community college; and automatically signing students up for coordinated course advising by both the community college and the university.
Fueling the efforts is an increasing awareness of the importance of transfer students to four-year colleges and universities, especially less-selective ones. At the University of Texas at Arlington, roughly 60 percent of each year’s new students are transfers. At Washington State, nearly 80 percent of students earn some transfer credits before they graduate.
“The student bodies of today include an enormous number of transfers,” says Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program. “Universities need to focus on their experience and success just as much as they do on the freshman experience.”
University Centers
One of the challenges for community-college students is simple logistics — they typically need to relocate to a university setting to earn a bachelor’s degree. For two-year college students, many of whom are low-income, the first in their families to attend college, or raising their own families, that relocation can quash hopes for a bachelor’s degree.
Seven universities now offer 27 bachelor’s degrees at Everett University Center, which means Everett Community College students can stick around and pick up four-year degrees in programs such as business, nursing, and communications without changing their commute and within a familiar setting. Mr. Barletta continued to live at home while finishing his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering through Washington State’s Everett program. He now works at an engineering firm in his hometown.
“I got to sleep in as much as I needed, and I could stay late at night at the college, knowing that it wouldn’t be a real trek to get back home,” says Mr. Barletta. “It was a really good situation.”
Joe Graber, chairman of Everett Community College’s engineering department, says the college has more than doubled the number of engineering courses it offers to meet demand from students who start at Everett and hope to continue on the same campus at Washington State. Meanwhile, the program’s transfer profile has shifted — formerly about 60 percent of Everett’s engineering graduates went on to the University of Washington, in Seattle. Now 60 percent are choosing Washington State’s Everett program, and avoiding what can be a grueling 30-mile, 90-minute commute to the UW campus.
Those who finish through Washington State’s Everett program find a welcoming local job market. Boeing’s main plant is in Everett, and a number of nearby suppliers are also hiring engineers.
“It’s really rewarding to have a student who comes here with eighth-grade math skills, and might spend four years with us to get to point where they can transfer, and then spends two more years here at WSU,” Mr. Graber says. “Then they go out and find a job.”
Guaranteed Admission
Roughly 1,000 new students at five community colleges in Texas will start the 2017 fall semester with a nice boost of confidence — they will have already been admitted to Texas A&M University’s College of Engineering.
At two Blinn College campuses near A&M’s College Station campus, and four additional community colleges in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas, and Houston, the students will be admitted to the community college and A&M Engineering at the same time. The engineering “academies” allow the students to spend the first two years at the community college, and then finish their degrees at A&M. Even while at the community college, the students will take one course each semester from a visiting A&M instructor. They’ll also make regular bus trips to College Station for campus tours, a football game, and an engineering career fair; A&M hopes to reduce the “transfer shock” some community-college students encounter during their first semester at a university.
Counselors at the community colleges and A&M work together to make sure students take courses that will transfer and apply toward their major. A&M estimates that the typical student can save $45,000 over his or her college career by starting at the academy rather than enrolling as a freshman at College Station. Savings include the cheaper tuition at community colleges, reduced travel, and the free housing that many community-college students enjoy by continuing to live with their parents.
“Our primary goal with the academies is to expand access to an A&M engineering degree, and to increase the affordability of the degree,” says Jackie Perez, director of the academies.
A&M has been adding academies since the program’s 2013 launch at Blinn’s Bryan campus; a seventh academy, at Alamo Colleges in San Antonio, will open in 2018. The academies are part of the A&M system’s “25 by 25” goal — increasing the number of engineering students on its campuses, including the community-college academies, from 18,169 at present to 25,000 by 2025. Most of the academies are supported by a five-year, $5-million grant from Chevron, which hopes to diversify its engineering work force. In the fall semesters of 2015 and 2016, more than 45 percent of the entering students at academies supported by Chevron were black or Hispanic.
Austin Community College will start its academy in the fall of 2017. The reduced cost of a bachelor’s degree is only one benefit, says David Fonken, the college’s dean of math and sciences.
“If you’re a parent, you can get the first two years of your engineering degree done without having to move and disrupt your family,” Mr. Fonken says. “Or if you’re in a family where no one has ever gone to college, it lets you stay in your own community while you make that transition to college.”
Clear ‘Maps’
The A&M academies solve a problem that many community-college students encounter: If you don’t know what four-year degree you plan to seek, and precisely where you will pursue it, odds are good that you will end up taking courses that don’t count toward your degree.
Mr. Wyner, of the Aspen Institute, says inadequate “program maps” — a listing of the course sequences and prerequisites that two-year students need to transfer into a four-year degree program — are one of the greatest hurdles faced by students transferring from community colleges.
“It can lead to damaging outcomes,” Mr. Wyner says. “Students take longer to graduate, they incur more debt — and they may not even graduate at all. There’s another year for life to get in the way.”
Tarrant County College, with six campuses in and around Fort Worth, has worked to overcome that problem with the University of Texas at Arlington, the most-common destination for Tarrant students who transfer.
Just four years ago, Tarrant County largely left it up to students to make sure they were taking courses that would be accepted by UT-Arlington and other universities. Too often that led to courses that wouldn’t transfer, says Jade Borne, the college’s associate vice chancellor for student success.
“It was a problem that we were hearing from our students over and over again,” Mr. Borne says.
In 2013, Tarrant County began requiring students to sit down with an academic adviser each semester. But even then students typically didn’t meet with a UT-Arlington adviser until their final year at Tarrant County, which meant many students were still arriving at the university and learning that some of their courses wouldn’t count.
This fall the two institutions started a program in which a student chooses a four-year degree when she enters the community college, and then, with the help of advisers from both Tarrant County and UT-Arlington, she maps out a course schedule that ensures all credits will transfer and count toward the degree. Incoming Tarrant County students who indicate that they want a four-year degree are automatically enrolled in the program, called UTA by TCC: The Transfer Pathway.
“The student still has the potential to take excess credit hours — this doesn’t stop them — but doing so will raise a flag,” says Vistasp M. Karbhari, UT-Arlington’s president. “The adviser will say, ‘Are you sure you want to take this class? It will increase your time to degree, and the cost.’ There’s constructive guidance given to the student from Day 1.”
The program also freezes UT-Arlington tuition for up to two years from the time the Tarrant County student signs up for the program.
Reducing the ‘Shock’
Transfer shock for community-college students can be especially acute at private colleges, where many students come from privileged backgrounds and attended high-performing high schools. Bucknell University brings in 30 students each summer for a six-week program, after the students have completed their first year at one of five community-college partners. The goal is to give the students a taste of Bucknell’s academic rigor and experience what it’s like to study at a rural liberal-arts college.
Those who attend the summer program, called Community College Scholars, are invited to apply for transfer admission to Bucknell after they complete their associate degree. In a typical year, half the program’s graduates enroll as undergraduates at Bucknell, and each one receives a scholarship that covers tuition (though not room and board).
Tom Conroy, who served in the U.S. Air Force for nearly a decade, went on to maintain track for a railroad in Philadelphia before an injury made the job difficult and prompted him to pursue a college degree. He was invited into Bucknell’s summer program in 2014 after earning all A’s at the Community College of Philadelphia.
“We lived in the dorms, ate together, went to class together,” Mr. Conroy says. “It reminded me of basic training.”
Mr. Conroy, 53, is now entering his final year at Bucknell and expects to graduate in December 2017. He hopes to earn a master’s degree in social work and eventually counsel returning veterans.
“It’s like going from the minor league to the big leagues, you know?” he says, describing the transition to Bucknell. “I’m not socializing too much. I don’t know how the kids do it.”
At LaGuardia Community College, in New York, the additional support is more informal and focused on helping students navigate the often complex admissions process required by elite institutions. At LaGuardia, a team of Manhattan moms who helped their own children get into selective colleges are sharing their expertise with low-income students seeking to transfer. Karen Dubinsky, the LaGuardia administrator who created the team of volunteers, dubbed the group “Pushy Moms.”
“That’s what my son would always say to me — ‘You’re too pushy, Mom,’” Ms. Dubinsky says. (Her son, Jack, is now a senior at Evergreen State College, in Washington.)
The Pushy Moms work mostly with ambitious students who are eager to get into highly selective colleges, but the volunteers will also assist LaGuardia’s transfer office in January. The office expects more than 1,000 students to seek help submitting transfer applications to four-year institutions in the City University of New York system before a February 1 deadline.
After CBS This Morning reported on the Pushy Moms in November, Ms. Dubinsky received about 100 emails requesting more information — from community colleges, nonprofits, and “lots of moms.” She’s now working with a student at Harvard Business School to explore creating a national platform. One possibility: Universities interested in the diverse students at community colleges might provide revenue to support the rollout of Pushy Moms.
“You start with what’s in front of you,” Ms. Dubinsky says. “Is this the answer to the massive transfer problem in this country? I don’t know … but it’s one answer.”
EVERETT, Wash. – Dec. 23, 2016 – This semester, Washington State University (WSU) Everett’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers was officially recognized as an affiliate chapter by the national non-profit.
Executive Director Karen Horting wrote to the members of WSU’s local undergraduate student organization: “Congratulations Washington State University North Puget Sound at Everett, welcome to the Society of Women Engineers!”
The club, whose mission is to promote and support women to achieve their full potential in their careers as engineers and leaders, was recently founded at WSU’s newest campus in Everett. LaRei Branham, Ryan Durkoop, Lyndi Richmond and Christina Jordan serves as officers for the club.
“This club provides immense support to our women engineering students,” WSU Everett chancellor Paul Pitre said. “Official recognition of our affiliate chapter is well-deserved by our students and will provide them with a stronger connection to an organization that can support them throughout their engineering careers.”
The club has already supported students through a variety of events promoting career paths for women engineers. WSU’s campus in Everett currently offers programs in mechanical, electrical and software engineering, though membership in student organizations like Society of Women Engineers is not limited to engineering students.
WSU Everett’s Society of Women Engineers club joins Region J of the organization, which includes Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
Dr. Ciera Graham, associate director of Student Services at WSU Everett, serves as the group’s adviser. Learn more about the WSU Everett Society of Women Engineers club online here.
EVERETT, Wash. – Dec. 8, 2016 – Washington State University (WSU) North Puget Sound at Everett mechanical engineering student Mitch Elder, who serves as president of the WSU Everett Mars Rover Team, made the following statement about astronaut and public servant John Glenn:
“John Glenn was one of America’s first space heroes. He will always stand apart as the first and oldest American to orbit Earth.
“I remember photos of the Mercury Seven astronauts and video of Friendship 7 and being so energized by our nation’s trek into space. It was incredible to actually see him go into space in 1998 on a Discovery mission.
“He fully committed and pushed himself to achieve the impossible. That kind of drive motivates me to do better every day.
“He inspired generations of explorers, including me and the engineering students on our Mars Rover Team.
“The space race has reignited in the private sector, and one of their products will even bear his name. His loss will leave one of the largest voids the aerospace community has ever known.”
Elder is a senior mechanical engineering student at Washington State University from Everett. He is the president of the WSU Everett Engineering Club and Mars Rover Team.
EVERETT, Wash. – Dec. 7, 2016 – Today, Washington State University (WSU) announced that Lynne K. Varner is joining the leadership team at WSU North Puget Sound at Everett.
As associate vice chancellor, Varner will focus on our fast-growing campus in the following areas: strengthening student pathways, particularly among underserved student populations; marketing and communications in support of student recruitment and retention; and community engagement throughout the region to boost public and private support.
Varner has been with WSU since 2014 leading in marketing and communications. Prior to that, she was an award-winning journalist who worked for the Seattle Times, The Washington Post and United Press International. During her news career, Varner was nominated twice for a Pulitzer Prize, journalism’s highest honor. She was one of 18 journalists worldwide awarded a John S. Knight fellowship to study race, healthcare and politics at Stanford University. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park.
“Lynne is a credible voice on public education,” WSU North Puget Sound at Everett chancellor Paul Pitre said. She has served on a number of boards and coalitions that intersect with WSU’s mission, including most recently the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Board of Trustees.
“I look forward to leveraging Lynne’s unique skills and community relationships to help WSU North Puget Sound at Everett advance its mission serving students throughout the western Washington area,” Pitre said.
EVERETT, Wash. – Dec. 2, 2016 – A trio of new Everett University Center (EUC) hires will assist in student outreach, support and recruitment.
Holly Longman is the new associate director of Student Services for Washington State University (WSU) and EUC. Her focus will be on recruiting students for EUC programs, helping them to identify financial aid opportunities and assisting students in the application and transfer processes.
Anna McLeod will serve as the new academic coordinator for the WSU Everett Hospitality Business Management and Data Analytics programs.
Brandon Buckingham, who worked at EUC while earning his Bachelor degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Central Washington University, will serve full-time as the new program manager and will be stationed at the front desk in Gray Wolf Hall.
“Holly, Anna and Brandon each bring incredible talent working directly with students to improve their educational experiences,” WSU North Puget Sound at Everett and EUC chancellor Paul Pitre said. “These three will help us grow our student body in Everett and provide those students the support they need graduate ready to enter the workforce.”
Longman holds degrees from Ohio University, including a Master in Education and Bachelor in Organizational Communication. She previously served as a career coach at the University of Washington and spent more than eight years as an academic adviser and program manager at Ohio State University. She is located in Gray Wolf Hall room 118.
McLeod holds a Master of Adult and Higher Education from Western Washington University and Bachelor of Applied Development Psychology and Children Studies from Eastern Washington University. She previously served as an academic adviser for Eastern Washington University and said she aims to provide helpful and empowering support to students who are on their educational journey. She is located in Gray Wolf Hall room 106.
All three will move with EUC faculty and staff to the new, state-of-the-art building on the east side of North Broadway before the 2017-18 academic year.
PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University is one of two research universities in the country offering a bachelor’s degree focused on data analysis and application, after recently receiving accreditation for the unique interdisciplinary degree.
“The new WSU bachelor of science in data analytics brings together experts from all across the university – from business to agriculture to education to STEM and more – to provide one of the broadest interdisciplinary programs in the nation,” said WSU president Kirk Schulz.
“Our program will transform the student learning experience and expand career opportunities for graduates,” he said. “It showcases another of WSU’s many contributions to the 21st century global economy.”
Graduates will be trained to “speak the language” of both data science and one of eight domain specializations. WSU-educated data analysts will be prepared for employment in manufacturing, e-commerce, transportation, retail, healthcare, government, insurance, finance, education and environmental management.
The degree (https://data-analytics.wsu.edu/) is available on the Pullman and Everett campuses and will be expanded to the online Global Campus in the fall.
Investing in students, industry, the future
With the continual increase in data generation and capture, businesses across the Pacific Northwest and beyond have a growing need for skilled professionals who can apply sophisticated data science techniques to address specific industry needs. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, data-related employment opportunities are expected to rise dramatically over the next decade.
Additionally, the 2016 Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey found data analytics was the highest priority for two years in a row and almost 40 percent of information technology leaders are unable to meet their data workforce needs.
“We are excited about expanding opportunities for students and equipping WSU graduates to meet employer workforce needs both now and in the future,” said David Brown, director of the data analytics program and associate professor of crop and soil sciences.
The curriculum of the WSU degree includes hands-on experience managing and analyzing real industry datasets to solve problems, guide decision-making and make predictions. For example, students might comb through diverse public datasets to improve insurance models, assess real-time customer behavior to optimize supply chain management or design data-driven maintenance schedules that reduce equipment downtime.
Partnerships with industry leaders will provide critical insights into the rapid evolution of big data in the workplace.
Collaborative innovation
A truly interdisciplinary effort, the data analytics program supports WSU’s mission to extend knowledge through innovative educational programs.
“It’s been a collaborative effort from the beginning,” said Daryll DeWald, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the administrative home of the multifaceted degree. “With the support of the president and the provost, faculty (https://data-analytics.wsu.edu/faculty-in-data-analytics/) from disciplines as diverse as chemistry, economics, sociology and educational psychology worked hand-in-hand with statisticians and computer scientists to create an exceptional program.”
Academic responsibility for students is shared by the College of Arts and Sciences and the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture.
The university also received critical legislative financial support to expand the degree to the WSU North Puget Sound at Everett campus.
“We are immensely grateful to the state legislature for investing in WSU and helping us offer this valuable degree to more students for the 2016-17 academic year,” said Schulz.
WSU bachelor of science in data analytics specializations
All eight specializations are available on the Pullman campus (https://admission.wsu.edu/academics/fos/Public/field.castle?id=41808):
• Actuarial science
• Agricultural and environmental systems
• Business
• Computation
• Economics
• Life sciences
• Physical sciences
• Social sciences
Actuarial and business tracks are offered at WSU North Puget Sound at Everett (everett.wsu.edu/majorsdegrees/data_analytics/) and will be expanded to the Global Campus in the fall.
News media contact:
David J. Brown, WSU data analytics program director, 509-335-1859, dave.brown@wsu.edu
When Sno-Isle Libraries officials considered getting into TEDx, a key criteria was that the effort must be community-focused.
“The TEDx model allows us to both serve and partner with our communities,” said Sno-Isle Libraries Executive Director Jonalyn Woolf-Ivory. “These events are significant undertakings and we knew we’d need help. We are honored by the response from the creative and innovative organizations who have joined us.”
For the inaugural TEDxSnoIsleLibraries in 2015, 22 businesses and agencies joined Sno-Isle Libraries and the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation to bring forth 23 innovative and interesting community members with, as the TED mantra says, “Ideas Worth Spreading.”
“What we’ve found is that there are a lot of people who want to create connected communities and TEDxSnoIsleLibraries provides a venue for engagement,” said Ken Harvey, Sno-Isle Libraries Communications Director and TEDxSnoIsleLibraries licensee.
For the 2016 event, 12 more partners joined the original group bringing the total to 34 business and agencies contributing more than $120,000 in financial and in-kind support.
While tickets are sold out for the live audience presentation, the whole event can be viewed remotely in Jackson Center/Wilderness Room from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Paul Pitre, chancellor for WSU North Puget Sound at Everett, said, “Partnering with Sno-Isle Libraries makes sense for us. The TEDxSnoIsleLibraries event and WSU are both focused on the people and ideas that come from the communities we serve.”
That a library district would provide the catalyst for such an event is innovative. Sno-Isle Libraries received a 2016 Innovator award from the Urban Libraries Council, an organization for the nation’s largest public library systems.
Woolf-Ivory said TEDxSnoIsleLibraries may be innovative, but not out of step with the library district and values, purpose, core services and strategic focus.
“It’s critical to the purpose and values of the library district to make this event free for everyone, ensuring free and equal access to information and ideas,” Woolf-Ivory said. “Because at its essence, TEDx is a library without walls providing ideas worth spreading.”
For more information
- Susan Hempstead, Sno-Isle Libraries Strategic Relations Manager, 360-651-7013, shempstead@sno-isle.org
- Jim Hills, Sno-Isle Libraries Public Information Manager, 360-651-7050, jhills@sno-isle.org
PULLMAN, Wash. – Nov. 8, 2016 – The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication has announced the establishment of a new annual scholarship has been established through a generous donation and pledge. The award will begin as a four-year, $18,000 scholarship and will increase over time, ultimately growing to fully fund the cost of tuition and educational expenses for students majoring in Communication. The Fred N. Hogg Endowed Scholarship in Communication is designed to recognize one Murrow student each year who has served our country and demonstrated formidable academic success.
Funded by Fred’s widow Diane Hogg, his son and daughter-in-law Wade and Emily Hogg and Hogg Davis Inc., this scholarship is a pledge over time, increasing annually. The first award of its kind at Murrow, the initial endowment will increase annually and once fully funded, will be the first full-tuition scholarship offered to students at the college.
“I am truly excited about this award, which reflects the importance of our Murrow Veterans, students active in the ROTC or serving in the National Guard,” says Interim Dean Bruce Pinkleton. “From being active in the ROTC while a student at WSU, to his reports from London throughout World War II, Ed Murrow’s legacy encompasses the ideals of this unique scholarship.”
About Fred Hogg
Fredrick Neil Hogg graduated at the top of his class for his undergraduate degree from Washington State University and went on to complete his Master’s Degree in communication before leaving what is now the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication for Vietnam. An active member of the campus community, Fred was a leader amongst his peers in the communications department, a star tackle on the football field and an award-winning stage actor. Fred appreciated the university experience to its fullest, with a sense of pride and duty to Country, as a committed member of the ROTC.
Fred worked on-air and behind the scenes at both KUGR and KWSC under the direction of Robert Mott and Cal Watson. Mott and Watson used these stations as a beta test for what would later become National Public Radio. Fred was committed to his craft and played an active role in the success of the pioneering educational stations and concept. Fred served in leadership positions within Alpha Epsilon Rho, the national radio and TV honorary society. Fred was recognized for his contributions to the department his senior year with the Edward R. Murrow Award for Men, the department’s highest honor.
Although he did not pursue a career in broadcasting or radio, he always utilized his skills in the pursuit of giving. “Throughout his life, two things always stood out,” explains son Wade, who has been running the family business since his graduation from WSU in 1995. “The Palouse and Patriotism.”
About The Fred N. Hogg Endowed Scholarship in Communication
A pledge over time, the Fred N. Hogg Endowed Scholarship in Communication will begin distribution next year, with the first scholarship of about $18,000 for up to four years of academic study. The award will increase annually, and distributions from this fund will be used to provide a scholarship to cover the full cost of tuition and educational expenses for one undergraduate student majoring in Communication at The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. The award is renewable annually for up to four years.
Military veterans, students active in the ROTC or serving in the National Guard with a minimum GPA of 3.5 will receive primary consideration. If there are no applicants that meet the primary criteria, the scholarship gives secondary preference to a student with a minimum GPA of 3.5 who has directly transferred to the WSU Murrow College with an associate of arts or another transfer degree.
It is the ultimate goal for the Hogg family to grow the endowment and provide a full tuition scholarship to one deserving student per year.
Learn more about the Fred N. Hogg Endowed Scholarship in Communication here: https://murrow.wsu.edu/academics/scholarships-awards/fred-hogg-scholarship
News media contacts:
Camille Perezselsky, WSU Murrow College, 206-219-2406, c.perezselsky@wsu.edu
Corrie Wilder, WSU Murrow College, 516-660-8181, corrie.wilder@wsu.edu
EVERETT, Wash. – Nov. 7, 2016 – WSU Everett students took second place and won an $800 scholarship in a WSU Foundation video competition that asked students to answer the question, “Why WSU?”
“I love WSU because it provides us, as students, the opportunity to be involved in [the Mars rover] project and others like it,” WSU Everett mechanical engineering senior Mitch Elder said in the video. “Everything we do here at the Everett mechanical engineering program is entirely focused on making us the best qualified applicant for any job that we pursue after graduation.”
“This year, I’m the president of the Engineering Club and the project lead for the Mars rover team – the same Mars rover that took second place in the international University Rover Challenge in June. Our sponsors, including the WSU Foundation, played a vital role in our success,” Elder said. “Thanks to the WSU Foundation, companies like Electroimpact, Janicki Industries, Metal Supermarkets and Pacific Power Batteries were able to donate materials and funding to help us build the country’s best Mars rover and compete in Hanksville, Utah.”
The scholarship will be applied to the WSU Everett Engineering Club as they prepare to compete in next year’s University Rover Challenge. Donors can make a contribution to the WSU Everett Engineering Club online here. The video, which was edited by mechanical engineering senior Amna Kahn, can be seen below:
EVERETT, Wash. – Nov. 4, 2016 – On Thursday, WSU North Puget Sound at Everett held its first Women in Engineering networking event. Engineers from Boeing, SpaceX, Vulcan Aerospace and Puget Sound Energy engaged in a panel discussion before students spent time networking with employers from the region.
Christina Jordan, a junior in WSU Everett’s mechanical engineering program, said that she attended the networking event to meet with potential employers.
“Even though we come from different places, we all encounter the same challenges and obstacles,” Jordan said. The panelists discussed many of the challenges they have faced in their careers and shared with students their most important pieces of advice on how to succeed in the field.
Sarah Davis, an electrical engineer at Puget Sound Energy, shared that a mistake students make is graduating without any kind of community involvement, internship or research experience. “The summers before you graduate you want to make sure you try your best to get an internship,” Davis said.
The event is one of a series of opportunities for engineering students at WSU Everett to engage with the industry. Students engage with science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM) industry professionals in class, through student organizations like the Society of Women Engineers, WSU Everett Engineering Club (which built the international award-winning Mars rover) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Club, and through a multitude of hands-on projects that are sponsored by local businesses.
“Women are underrepresented in STEM fields, and sometimes it’s as simple as students not knowing there are real opportunities, not seeing other women succeeding in those fields, or not getting the mentorship they need to take the first steps toward a career in STEM,” said Paul Pitre, chancellor of WSU Everett. “It’s important to expose our students to women engineers who are not only in the workforce, but who are excelling and who are leaders in their chosen field.”
The event featured a keynote address by Crystal Donner, president and CEO of Perteet, who also serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Economic Alliance Snohomish County and on the WSU Everett Advisory Council.
“I stand in front of you today because of a journey of perseverance and happenstance. Perseverance is steadfast in spite of the difficulty and delay of initiating success. And happenstance is things that happen to you by chance or by luck,” Donner told student.
Donner was on the verge of dropping out of college but said her summer internship helped her fall in love with engineering. She said, “that was key for me to stay in engineering.”
Cassie Lee, director of aerospace applications at Vulcan Inc., advised students to take advantage of their status as students. “You have so much more access to information, and everyone in the industry remembers what it was like to be a student and cares about helping the next generation of engineers” Lee said.
Dozens of students from WSU, Everett Community College, Edmonds Community College and local high schools attended the event.
