Developing retention strategies for women that promote student success in engineering and the applied sciences

The Women in Applied Science and Engineering (WISE) Student Success Program was designed as a comprehensive approach to increase the retention of female undergraduate students in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) at Arizona State University (ASU). Goals of the program include establishing contact with at-risk female engineering students, providing information on college and university resources, improving students' GPA for current and future semesters, and ensuring that the students achieve semester goals by maintaining personal contact. Initially, sixteen female engineering students were involved in the Spring 1999 pilot program. The pilot cohort consisted of eight different engineering disciplines with Fall 1998 cumulative GPA ranging from 1.72 to 2.69. After individual interviews, students expressed three main concerns: financial aid/scholarships, tutoring resources, and the formation of effective contacts with other engineering students and professors. Overall program results indicate that 64% of the students showed an increase in their Spring 1999 semester GPA and 79% improved their cumulative GPA. Although results are preliminary, data received from the pilot program indicate that the student success program was effective. An overview of the WISE Student Success Program will be presented and will include a discussion of the need for and impact of retention programs specifically geared toward female engineering students. In addition, future projections of implementation and direction of WISE student retention programs will be discussed.