Supporting Minority Students at Wayne State University
Jump Down To: Context | Keys to Success | Attracting New Students | Supporting Our Majors | Preparing Students for Careers | Additional Information
Wayne State University
Context
Support for our minority students is an integral part of both the Geology & the Environmental Science programs.
Keys to Success
- Undergraduate enrollment has increased from 8 in 2001 to more than 175 in 2013
- Fostering Active Learning Communities.
- I have organized Career Nights to educate students about possible careers options and have organized and run 3 Career Fairs where our students can meet representatives from industry or government agencies.
Attracting New Students
We use a multifaceted recruiting approach that includes, a Career Night, talks by faculty to introductory course students, fieldtrips, Thanksgiving potluck luncheons, Christmas parties, Academic Achievement awards, talks to high school teachers, a current program webpage with videos of faculty talking about their entry into the research field
Supporting Our Majors
We work very hard to foster an Active Learning Community starting in the first core course (Mineralogy) and support it with group projects, field trips and Geoscience Club activities. The Learning Community helps our students from both a Social and Academic approach. The Career Fairs, posting of job opportunites, scholarships and REUs are all done to try and get our students financial support as well as job experience.
Preparing Students for Careers
The majority of our students will end up working as Environmental Geologists or Environmental Scientists for Environmetal Consulting companies in Michigan, as well as government agencies. A significant number of students are also interested in working in the mining and mineral exploration industry.