IMPACTING THE SUCCESS OF UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES AT LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY: A DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP AND MENTORING PARTNERSHIP WITH EXXONMOBIL

摘要

The Louisiana State University (LSU) College of Engineering and ExxonMobil Corporation identified a need to encourage and assist talented minorities to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. Enrollment, retention and graduation rates for underrepresented minority engineering undergraduates at LSU were lagging behind the national averages. In 2003, ExxonMobil Corporation contributed $250,000 over five years to establish a scholarship fund at LSU, and this partnership was renewed in 2009 with a second, five-year phase. The initial goals of the program were to: recruit and retain minorities, fund ten scholars for four years each, develop a mentoring program with ExxonMobil Corporation employees, and increase the participant graduation rate. Scholars were selected from a pool of applicants based on proven superior academic background, i.e. class rank, ACT scores and high school GPA. The scholarship was initially awarded as an incentive to attend LSU, and as it evolved, the scholarship program was implemented as a retention element with the award made during the second semester of the freshmen year after contacting candidates during the first semester. Most scholars were initially awarded an amount equivalent to annual tuition and fees ($4,500) with performance based increases (up to $6,000). To remain in the program, scholars were required to maintain an overall 3.0 GPA. During Phase 1, 19 students were part of the program with eight scholars chosen as entering freshmen, and 11 participants lost financial support from the program due to low GPA or major change. During the two years of Phase 2, 13 scholars participated with seven chosen as second semester freshmen and six chosen as second semester sophomores.