| According to the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), the national retention rate of engineering students is 68% and the national retention rate for underrepresented minority engineering students (African American, Latino, Native American and Pacific Islanders) is 37%. In response to the severity of retention issues concerning underrepresented minority students, colleges and universities across the United States have developed special programs known as minority engineering programs (MEP). MEPs are designed to provide academic support, personal counseling, social networking, career counseling and professional development as a means to improve retention. In order to provide a detailed description of the MEPs, the research method selected is a case study. This case study is an examination of the nature and impact of three MEPs in California. This study is also an analysis of the lack of participation by freshmen and sophomore students who qualify for these programs. Methodology included extensive surveys and interviews of students, faculty and staff, site visits, and examination of documents. Over 500 students were surveyed during lower division engineering courses. The qualifying students who gave permission for further interviews were provided with questions about their participation or nonparticipation and the reasons for their behavior. Faculty members were interviews about their knowledge and personal involvement with the minority engineering program on their campuses. Program directors were interviewed to discuss program design and implementation.;A categorical method was used to separate the different groups within the study. Of the 509 respondents, 132 were classified as qualifier/nonparticipant freshman and sophomore engineering students. The results demonstrated that a high percentage of the qualifier/nonparticipants are unaware of the programs and events on their campuses. During the interviews the students stated they are very interested in academic enrichment, social networking and professional development. The students also stated they feel the faculty should provide information on enrichment programs available on campus. Conversely, during the faculty interviews, they stated that it is not their responsibility to inform students and were unfamiliar with the minority engineering programs on their campuses. These results concurred with works of Raymond Landis and Elaine Seymour. |
