September 10, 2007
Purdue engineering ranked among best for Hispanic students
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - |
The College of Engineering was ranked second in the Top 10 list of Best Schools for Hispanics in the field of engineering behind the University of Texas at El Paso. Following Purdue were the University of Florida, University of California-Irvine, University of New Mexico, University of Texas, University of Central Florida, University of Oklahoma, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Florida Atlantic University.
The Purdue College of Engineering was cited for the number of Latino faculty hired last year and its increased enrollment of Hispanics into its graduate engineering programs. In 2006, 13 percent of the new engineering faculty hires were Hispanic. In the past year, the number of graduate school engineering applications from Hispanic students increased, and more than 65 percent of those applicants were admitted, according the magazine.
In the same issue, the magazine featured Purdue President France A. Córdova on its cover and included a profile story. Córdova received recognition this year from Latino Leaders magazine, making its "101: The List of the Most Influential Leaders in the Latino Community." In 1997 she was chosen one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics by Hispanic Business magazine, which also recognized her with the Hispanic Achievement Award in Science and Technology.
"We are proud to be ranked so highly by the Hispanic Business magazine," said Leah Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering. "We have a strong history of diversity in engineering at Purdue and are very pleased to be recognized in this fashion."
Purdue this year welcomed 56 Hispanic engineering freshman students, representing the largest class since records were first kept in 1974.
Support for minority students begins before their freshman year with K-12 outreach programs and academic success programs such as the Academic Boot Camp that puts dozens of incoming students through five weeks of intensive training, said Virginia Booth-Gleghorn, director of Purdue's Minority Engineering Program. She also credits the college's relationships with other Purdue organizations, like the Latino Cultural Center, in attracting Hispanic students.
"We've had very positive results from our Academic Boot Camp," Booth-Gleghorn said. "We've recruited pretty aggressively in the Hispanic community. In 2003 the first Latino Graduate Student Organization was formed, and it has assisted in recruitment of undergraduate and graduate students.
"Our collaborative efforts make a major difference by creating a welcoming environment where these students can succeed."
She also credits the college's relationships with other diversity initiatives, such as the Women in Engineering Program, with Purdue's ability to attract Hispanic students.
The magazine also ranked schools in the fields of law, business and medicine. The rankings are based on the percentage of Hispanic students and faculty at the college, student services, retention rate and reputation. Purdue engineering was second in the same rankings last year.
The College of Engineering is made up of 11 schools and departments: aeronautics and astronautics, agricultural and biological, biomedical, chemical, civil, electrical and computer, engineering education, industrial, materials, mechanical, and nuclear. The college includes the divisions of engineering professional education, construction engineering and management, and environmental and ecological engineering. Also, the college houses programs such as Engineering Projects for Community Service, the Minority Engineering Program, the Women in Engineering Program and the Indiana Space Grant Consortium.
Writer: Clyde Hughes, (765) 494-2073, jchughes@purdue.edu
Sources: Leah Jamieson, (765) 494-5346, lhj@purdue.edu
Virginia Booth-Gleghorn (765) 494-3974, vboothgl@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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