Purdue College of Engineering named a top school for Hispanic students
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Hispanic Business magazine has named Purdue University's College of Engineering the top engineering college outside the U.S. Southwest for Hispanic students and the second best in the nation.
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The magazine used data provided by Susan K. Fisher, director of PurdueÕs College of Engineering Graduate Programs.
Hispanic Business in this month's education diversity report cited the vitality of Purdue's chapter of the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers, the array of mentoring and tutoring programs offered by Purdue's Minority Engineering Program, and the growth of the university's Latino Cultural Center. The center just celebrated the grand opening of its new location that includes space for meetings and cultural events, a computer lab, a Latino-themed library, a kitchen, and indoor and outdoor recreational areas.
Since 2000 Purdue has doubled the number of minority students entering the freshman engineering program. The number of Hispanics enrolling as a percentage of the entire class has more than tripled in the same time span. Undergraduate and graduate Hispanic enrollments of 138 and 44, respectively, have both surpassed 2 percent of the engineering student body. The number of Hispanic engineering faculty members, 12, has increased by 140 percent.
"Purdue is dedicated to helping Latinos accomplish their ambitions through education, which is the key to breaking down economic and social barriers," said Purdue Provost Sally Mason. "Diversity is vital to the learning environment at Purdue. It is something we celebrate and something that benefits all of our students, faculty and staff."
Purdue bested engineering rankings leaders such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Purdue also came in ahead of institutions such as University of Texas at Austin, the University of New Mexico, University of Central Florida and the University of California at Irvine, each located in states with large established and growing Hispanic populations. The only university to top Purdue in the report was the University of Texas at El Paso, a community closely affiliated with Juarez, Mexico.
"Purdue has always been among the top engineering schools in the nation," said Leah H. Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. "This report underscores that we are also a leader in extending the benefits of a top-tier engineering education to the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population."
The Latino Cultural Center dedicated its new building Friday (Sept. 15) and is in the midst of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a series of events including salsa dancing, tailgating, films and poetry reading that all follow the theme "Honoring Indigenous Voices: We Are One."
"The center's facilities exist to create an environment for successful education as well as support for a culture that is both familiar and essential to the Purdue academic community," said Latino Cultural Center director Maricela Alvarado. "It is a warm place where all are welcome."
Isabella Vallejo, president of the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers at Purdue, said she chose to study industrial engineering because the program was rated high, and the university as a whole was welcoming. Society members, including Vallejo, visit high schools in the Midwest and as far away as Miami and Puerto Rico to recruit students into engineering while convincing them of the multiple benefits Purdue's programs offer.
"There are many places that I could have gone to college, but I knew that Purdue was committed to my growth," Vallejo said. "Purdue works to ensure we are prepared to succeed academically, socially and professionally."
Virginia Booth-Gleghorn, director of Purdue's Minority Engineering Program, said support for minority students begins before the freshman year with programs such as the Academic Boot Camp that puts dozens of incoming students through five weeks of intensive seminars.
Incoming freshman engineering, technology and science students live in the residence halls during the summer and complete previews of all first-semester academic courses. As teams, they complete an engineering project such as building a remote control car that can travel 70 mph.
"The program helps students adjust to the social and cultural differences between high school and college," said Booth-Gleghorn. "It also helps them understand differences in the way courses are taught at the university level, college learning styles, classroom size and ethnic mix."
The Minority Engineering Program holds multiday, on-campus workshops, seminars and sleepovers throughout the year for students as young as sixth grade. The programs and organizational membership is opened to all.
"These exposures to college life and to engineering academics empower young people to dream of a future they might otherwise not be able to envision," Booth-Gleghorn said. "Planting these seeds early is bearing fruit."
Writer: Jim Schenke, (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu
Sources: Sally Mason, (765) 494-9709, sfmason@purdue.edu
Leah H. Jamieson, (765) 494-5346, lhj@purdue.edu
Virginia Booth-Gleghorn, (765) 496-3974, vboothgl@purdue.edu
Isabella Vallejo, (765) 714-2624, ivallejo@purdue.edu
Maricela Alvarado, (765) 494-4530, alvaradm@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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