Poster Abstracts

University of Kentucky

Using successful STEM diversity programs to move toward an institutional change at the University of Kentucky

The University of Kentucky (UK) strives to create a learning environment welcoming to all students. Diversity initiatives take place with numerous considerations including: race, class, sex, disabilities, language and religion. In this poster presentation, UK diversity initiatives, such as Robinson Scholars and Women in Engineering, connected to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics areas are highlighted.

The first class of Robinson Scholars was inducted in 1997. The UK Board of Trustees, which established the program in 1995, utilized the E.O. Robinson Trust to provide increased educational opportunities in Eastern Kentucky, where college attendance is historically low, compared to other regions of the state. The program is open to eighth graders from 29 Eastern Kentucky counties. Selection is based on each student’s academic potential, essays and interviews. It is also required that the parents of the selected students have not attained a college degree The family’s need for assistance with college-related expenses also is taken into consideration. The students can use the scholarship to attend UK or any of Kentucky’s community colleges.

Each year, concurrent with National Engineer's Week, the University of Kentucky holds a "Women in Engineering Career Day". Since its inauguration in 2001, an estimated two million girls nationwide have had a chance to experience engineering firsthand. In Lexington this year, the event hosted over 100 students, parents, teachers and counselors from schools across the state. The program was held on UK's campus and provides participants opportunities to learn more about the different engineering fields and to meet women engineers working in fields of electrical, mechanical, computer science and materials engineering. Engineering students introduce students to the field of engineering and encourage them to continue their study of math and science so they will be qualified to study engineering.

Beyond the two programs discussed above, we will also highlight other successful programs on campus such as the Minority Engineering Program, the Minority Health Scholars program and Rites of Passage, and the Girls in Science/Girls in Research programs. It is our belief that diversity efforts should change the institution, not just the students. Equity is more than access and numbers; it must include strategies to address persistence, resistance and disparities in graduation rates and academic success issues. Successful programs conduct ongoing assessments and make changes based upon findings. Emphasis must extend to training of faculty in issues of diversity. Success with overall institutional efforts can only be achieved when academic units are an integral part of the campus diversity strategies. It is indeed the case that “Every system is exquisitely designed to produce the results it gets. To change the results you have to change the system.” - Beth Cooney