FOCUS FELLOWS
Why Faculty?
Most everyone associated with engineering in higher education agrees that the chronically low number of women and minorities graduating from Ph.D. programs each year is a persistent problem. "You cannot increase the faculty overnight if you don't have the available pool from which to pull," says Eugene DeLoatch, dean of the School of Engineering at Morgan State University. Thankfully, many colleges of engineering, professional groups, and industry members have been working hard to up the ranks of women and minority doctoral graduates.
Still, increasing graduate enrollment is a long-term solution. What can colleges of engineering do now to increase the diversity of their staffs? "I think institutions just have to get real," says John Brooks Slaughter, president and CEO of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. "They can't do business as usual and expect that it is going to attract minority faculty members. It is not easy."
Whether small or large, public or private, colleges of engineering say increasing diversity among their faculty members is a major goal. Even those schools that have records others envy are struggling. "We have done much better in hiring women than we have in hiring minorities," says Narl Davidson, associate dean of engineering at Georgia Tech. "The number of women we have hired has continued to increase, and we are now over 10 percent." But it's a differnet story with African Americans and Hispanics. "We have pretty much plateaued at a pretty low level," says Davidson. "The competition is stiffer, and we need to ratchet it up a little."
— An excerpt from "Facing the Problem - Who's Missing in the Faculty Club" in ASEE Prism, October 2002, by Margaret Mannix
Why Georgia Tech?
Georgia Tech is a national leader in conducting scientific and technological research that improves life on a global scale. In 2001, the National Science Foundation ranked Georgia Tech second in the nation for overall volume of engineering research and development expenditures.
Building a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff enriches Georgia Tech and the society in which we live. In a global environment that thrives on innovation, diversity is also a competitive advantage, providing a broader, richer, more fertile environment for creative thinking and problem solving. Georgia Tech must continue to build a campus that understands that "diversity" reaches across racial and socioeconomic boundaries and embraces the life experiences of each individual. As an institution with global reach, Georgia Tech's notion of diversity should include cultural, ethnic, and intellectual dimensions. As a leading technological university that graduates large numbers of minority, women, and international students, we have an obligation to be one of the world's leaders in working with the professions represented by our academic interests in improving the numbers of minorities and women engaged in technological pursuits.
Why FOCUS?
Minority doctoral students who are one or two years away from graduation are encouraged to attend the program as a FOCUS Fellow and consider an academic career. In addition, the Fellows serve as outstanding role models for the high school and undergraduate students attending FOCUS. Postdoctoral candidates and researchers holding Ph.D. degrees are also eligible for the program. Individuals pursuing or holding degrees in engineering, computing, the sciences, mathematics, architecture, and management are invited.
During the FOCUS weekend, Fellows will have an opportunity to:
- Hear from a prominent academician about the importance of minorities pursuing a career in academia.
- Develop a curriculum vitae and personal statement.
- Learn about the qualifications necessary to obtain an academic position at a research institution.
- Visit the academic units and research laboratories according to teaching and research interest, and speak to key administrators and faculty within the unit.
- Learn from current faculty about how they have successfully progressed through their academic careers.
Why me?
FOCUS Fellows encourages minority doctoral students who are one or two years away from graduation or recent Ph.D. graduates to consider an academic career. The Fellows serve as outstanding role models for the high school and undergraduate students attending FOCUS.
Qualifications
Anyone meeting the following critieria may apply
- Ph.D. students within one year of degree completion
- Ph.D. graduates less than three years removed from degree completion, including but not limited to:
• Postdoctoral Fellows
• Research Scientists
• Research Engineers
• Technical Staff members
• Clinical Residents