Page 18 - College Planning & Management, October 2018

STEM Equality
InnovatIve programs and a concerted effort by many colleges and unIversItIes are IncreasIng enrollment of women In stem programs and helpIng them to navIgate careers In tradItIonally male-domInated jobs.
By Stephen Ceasar
College and universities have long struggled to enroll and
graduate women in the science, technology, engineering, and
math fields (STEM), an issue that has led to innovative and
successful programs in recent years aimed at actively recruiting,
enrolling, and graduating women into the STEM workforce.
Despite these gains, women are still far outpaced by their male peers in the so-called “hard sciences” of engineering, computer science, and others. In 2016, women earned just 21 percent of engineering degrees (a three percent increase since 2006) and 19 percent of computer science degrees (a one percent decrease since 2006).
That disparity continues in the workforce, where women often enter the so- called “helping professions” within the larger STEM umbrella. According to a Pew Research Center report, women make up a majority of those working in health-
related occupations, for instance, but make up only 14 percent of engineer- ing jobs within the field. Women make up only eight percent of mechanical engineers and seven percent of sales engineers, the report found.
That disparity has prompted some colleges to reimagine their recruitment efforts and programs, crafting them in ways that work to dispel the notion that these fields and industries are un- welcoming for women. They are doing so by creating supportive communi- ties of peers, faculty, and staff, and by helping women leverage their skills and sensibilities into success in traditionally male-dominated arenas.
How the Pieces Fit Together
In sixth grade, Julianna Posey learned to knit. She took to it immedi- ately, reveling for hours in every pat- tern, obsessing over each new skill she learned and feeling proud of her com- plex designs.
The hobby continued into her se- nior year of high school, a time when she was constantly fretting about what she would study in college. One day her father asked her to help him change a fuel injector on their 1996 Chevy Sub- urban. He taught her how the pieces worked together and how to fix it. The work felt very familiar.
“It was just like knitting,” Posey says. “It took analysis and a step-by-step process to make it work. I was using my hands and my creativity.”
She found her calling.
A friend told her about the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Cen- ter for Women in Technology (UMBC, https://cwit.umbc.edu), which offers a Scholars Program aimed at nurturing a strong group of women in science through an inclusive environment, fi- nancial support, mentorship, and a sup- portive living-learning community.
UMBC offered a generous scholar- ship, removing a barrier to her attending,
18 WEBCPM.COM / OCTOBER 2018