University of Houston “WELCOME” Program Honored with WEPAN Women in Engineering Initiative Award

The WELCOME Program recognized at WEPAN Annual Conference as a comprehensive program that serves as model for other institutions.

Denver, July 23, 2008 –The Women in Engineering Initiative Award recognizes an outstanding project or initiative that serves as a model for other institutions. The award was presented June 10 at the WEPAN National Conference in St. Louis, Missouri.

WEPAN honors the University of Houston Women in Engineering Learning Community for Maximizing Excellence Program (The WELCOME Program) with the 2008 Women in Engineering Initiative Award. The program is directed by Dr. Julie Trenor, Director of Undergraduate Student Recruitment and Retention for the Cullen College of Engineering, at the University of Houston.

The WELCOME Program was established in fall 2005 with a grant from the Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium. While best practices from many successful WIE programs were considered in designing the program, the unique characteristics of this urban institution’s ethnically, culturally and socioeconomically diverse student body, as well as the fact that most students commute to campus necessitated adjustments and creative solutions.  Therefore, WELCOME  offers an alternative model for "non-traditional" institutions or those striving to maintain relevance with shifting population demographics.

Since its inception, WELCOME has achieved two notable successes in contributing to a more positive climate change for female engineering students.  It cultivated a sense of community on a commuter campus, with particular emphasis on easing the transition for first year students (when enrollment data show that female students are at particular risk for dropping out of engineering). Secondly, it fostered a culture of mentoring among students who generally had no prior experience as mentor or mentee.  

In the words of Rachel Jones, an engineering student at the University of Houston, “The relationships and support WELCOME has fostered has been essential to my success in engineering.  Thanks to the role models the program has provided me, I have made it this far and I am confident I will continue on to graduate.  This program is a great model for female retention, and deserves to be recognized for its contributions to the Cullen College of Engineering.”

About WEPAN

WEPAN, Women in Engineering ProActive Network, is the nation’s leading organization, and catalyst for transforming culture in engineering education to promote the success of all women.

WEPAN works to improve the education experience for aspiring women engineers by:

• Mobilizing diverse, inclusive, and collaborative stakeholders.
• Fostering diversity in engineering graduates, our innovators of tomorrow.
• Inspiring a network of advocates to empower and advance the education of women pursuing engineering and related disciplines.
• Translating research into practice and develops national models to attract and retain women in engineering.
• A nonprofit educational organization founded in 1990, WEPAN’s network includes:
• Over 175 women in engineering programs and initiatives at American colleges and universities serve 42,890 female engineering students
• Over 600 members, including Women in Engineering professionals, faculty, department chairs, and deans, leading campus-based initiatives to retain women in engineering
• 60 executives from corporate, government, and non-profit sectors
• WEPAN membership spans the nation and crosses international borders and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.