2013-2014
News Release
REF NO.: 58
SUBJECT: Undergraduate female engineering enrolment at Memorial University highest in Canada
DATE: November 18, 2013
At 29 per cent, Memorial University’s percentage of female first-year undergraduate engineering students is the highest of any major Canadian engineering school.
Increasing female enrolment has been a longtime priority of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science; the most recent data indicates Memorial’s leadership in recruiting women to the field.
“One of our important ongoing goals in recruitment and retention is student diversity and women in engineering,” said Dr. Greg Naterer, dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. “We are pleased that our number of and proportion of female undergraduate students has been increasing, and we hope to continue improving as we move forward and expand our faculty. Engineering is an exciting, rewarding and fulfilling career choice.”
With a long-standing tradition of graduating exceptional engineers, a co-operative education model, a unique process engineering program and North America’s only undergraduate program in ocean and naval architectural engineering – it’s not surprising that Memorial is the top choice of female students who want to pursue an undergraduate engineering degree.
As part of its Vision 2020 strategic plan, the faculty plans to double over the next six years. It aims to increase the number of graduates from 155 to 250 by the year 2020, and a significant part of the growth plan is to increase female enrolment.
“We have several engineering scholarships and initiatives at the undergraduate level in support of female students,” said Dr. Naterer. “We support Women in Science and Engineering Newfoundland and Labrador (WISE NL) initiatives and encourage parents who have daughters exploring their options for post-secondary education to consider engineering. We’re hoping that engineering can become a more traditional career option for women.”
For Dr. Naterer, a welcoming and supportive environment for female students to study engineering is important. The faculty will continue building upon its existing initiatives and expanding to others in a multi-year action plan that aims to increase student diversity and women in engineering.
About Memorial University
Founded in 1925 as a memorial to Newfoundland’s war dead, Memorial University College was elevated to degree-granting status in 1949 as Memorial University of Newfoundland. With about 19,000 students, today Memorial provides excellent undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across a wide range of disciplines. With locations in St. John’s and Corner Brook in Newfoundland, Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Labrador, and Harlow in England, Memorial is committed to experiential learning.
Outstanding research and scholarship, extraordinary teaching and learning and a focus on public engagement are the university’s hallmarks. Many teaching and research activities reflect our mid-North Atlantic locations; these unique settings and our cultural heritage have led to the creation of highly-regarded academic programs and specialized facilities in areas such as business, music, linguistics, folklore and human genetics, as well as earth sciences, cold-ocean engineering, rural health care and archaeology. For more information about Memorial University of Newfoundland, please visit www.mun.ca.
REF NO.: 58
SUBJECT: Undergraduate female engineering enrolment at Memorial University highest in Canada
DATE: November 18, 2013
At 29 per cent, Memorial University’s percentage of female first-year undergraduate engineering students is the highest of any major Canadian engineering school.
Increasing female enrolment has been a longtime priority of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science; the most recent data indicates Memorial’s leadership in recruiting women to the field.
“One of our important ongoing goals in recruitment and retention is student diversity and women in engineering,” said Dr. Greg Naterer, dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. “We are pleased that our number of and proportion of female undergraduate students has been increasing, and we hope to continue improving as we move forward and expand our faculty. Engineering is an exciting, rewarding and fulfilling career choice.”
With a long-standing tradition of graduating exceptional engineers, a co-operative education model, a unique process engineering program and North America’s only undergraduate program in ocean and naval architectural engineering – it’s not surprising that Memorial is the top choice of female students who want to pursue an undergraduate engineering degree.
As part of its Vision 2020 strategic plan, the faculty plans to double over the next six years. It aims to increase the number of graduates from 155 to 250 by the year 2020, and a significant part of the growth plan is to increase female enrolment.
“We have several engineering scholarships and initiatives at the undergraduate level in support of female students,” said Dr. Naterer. “We support Women in Science and Engineering Newfoundland and Labrador (WISE NL) initiatives and encourage parents who have daughters exploring their options for post-secondary education to consider engineering. We’re hoping that engineering can become a more traditional career option for women.”
For Dr. Naterer, a welcoming and supportive environment for female students to study engineering is important. The faculty will continue building upon its existing initiatives and expanding to others in a multi-year action plan that aims to increase student diversity and women in engineering.
About Memorial University
Founded in 1925 as a memorial to Newfoundland’s war dead, Memorial University College was elevated to degree-granting status in 1949 as Memorial University of Newfoundland. With about 19,000 students, today Memorial provides excellent undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across a wide range of disciplines. With locations in St. John’s and Corner Brook in Newfoundland, Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Labrador, and Harlow in England, Memorial is committed to experiential learning.
Outstanding research and scholarship, extraordinary teaching and learning and a focus on public engagement are the university’s hallmarks. Many teaching and research activities reflect our mid-North Atlantic locations; these unique settings and our cultural heritage have led to the creation of highly-regarded academic programs and specialized facilities in areas such as business, music, linguistics, folklore and human genetics, as well as earth sciences, cold-ocean engineering, rural health care and archaeology. For more information about Memorial University of Newfoundland, please visit www.mun.ca.
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