August 30, 2001

Contact: Robert Lowery (509-963-1487/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail loweryr@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - According to national trends, while their numbers have increased, the total enrollment of female and minority students in engineering-related college courses is still lower than those entering into non-science and non-engineering degree programs.

In an effort to increase the number of graduates eligible for employment from this population, The Boeing Co. has decided to assist Central Washington University's industrial and engineering technology department and College of Business with the establishment of a Minority Enhancement Program (MEP). Once in place, the MEP will provide annual scholarships, summer internships at The Boeing Co. and preferential consideration for employment following graduation to CWU engineering and business students.

"The Boeing Company is completely committed to this endeavor," says Dr. Gerard Woodlief, Boeing's Engineering Focal to CWU, who oversees Boeing's MEP-related funds. "Boeing has made similar commitments to very few schools."

"Central is a 'home school' to this company, a 'School of Interest' and is recognized as being a 'primary source' for the recruitment of engineering and business students for us, he adds. "Given that relationship, and the excellent students that are produced by Central and currently working at The Boeing Company, we decided to try and see if we could help CWU help itself in its efforts to increase the population of female and minority engineering and business graduates, because we'll both derive a great deal of benefit from such an act."

Woodlief, a recognized expert in the study of mentoring 'at-risk' students, states, "Increasing the number of minority Engineering and Business students who are seen by the young children in the communities in which they reside as being successful will ensure the success of Central's Minority Enhancement Program."

Modeling is possibly the most powerful way to affect the behavior of the learner, according to Woodlief, who adds, "Children in these targeted populations desperately need to see 'models,' especially one's that they have a personal relationship with. Once you firmly establish in the minds of these children that engineering and business management are career paths that are fully open to them, and that they are specifically open at Central Washington University, there's no telling where this effort could take us. I can specifically speak for the field of engineering, and say that, both locally as well as nationally, right now, the numbers show that we are not doing too well at getting the message out to minority children that engineering is a profession that, for them, is quite 'doable."

In addition to its long-standing support of CWU's College of Business, the Boeing Community Trust Fund has also granted Woodlief's proposal to establish an additional $3,000 Mechanical Engineering Technology Student Scholarship, $3,000 Electrical Engineering Technology Student Scholarship and $2,000 Senior Engineering Project grant.