Success of Women Engineers at Bucknell Draws $400,000 Luce Grant

By DE Editors

Bucknell University (Lewisburg, PA) reports more than an 80 percent retention rate among women engineering majors, who comprise 27 percent of the college. The high retention rate is one of the reasons Bucknell won a five-year, $400,000 grant for 20 scholarships for women through the Clare Boothe Luce Program of the Henry Luce Foundation.

According to James Orbison, dean of Bucknell’s College of Engineering, the national average is 17 percent.

Bucknell’s Office of Admissions will match the grant with $1.2 million in scholarships,  which will be awarded based on merit. Typically, said Orbison, scholarships funded through Luce grants are awarded to college juniors and seniors, but the Bucknell scholarships will be given to first-year students.

“Attrition predominantly occurs in the first three semesters,” Orbison said, “and the Luce scholarships will help us better attract and retain the very best women engineering students.”

Research shows that women look for university programs that are supportive of students,  and they are more likely to choose a course of study where they can make a difference, said Karen Marosi, associate dean of engineering at Bucknell. Women also are drawn to the engineering programs at Bucknell because of the framework of the liberal arts university, which affords more cultural opportunities and the chance to participate in philanthropic projects and experiences.

The College of Engineering also reports a high percentage of tenure-track faculty members who are women, Orbison said, and added that that number tripled during the past six years to 19 percent. “That shows we are serious about this,”  Orbison said. “We were ranked 16th in the nation in 2007 in terms of women engineering faculty on the tenure track.”

U.S. News & World Report currently ranks Bucknell’s College of Engineering eighth in the nation among the 179 engineering colleges not offering doctoral degrees. Five of Bucknell’s engineering programs are ranked from fourth to seventh nationally.

For details, contact Bucknell University.

Sources:  Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.