OU ranks 4th in the country for percentage of women faculty in engineering

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According to recent data from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Oakland University is among national leaders in categories related to women faculty in engineering and the number of undergraduate computer science degrees awarded to students.

The ASEE's latest "By the Numbers" survey ranked Oakland fourth out of 246 schools in the nation for the percentage of women tenured/tenure-track faculty in engineering with 29.6 percent in fall 2012. Oakland also was listed 42^nd out of 171 schools for the number of undergraduate computer science degrees awarded within an engineering program. Tied with Princeton University, OU awarded 52 such degrees during the 2011-2012 academic year.

"We take great pride in the strength and diversity our women faculty members provide our students, and we are proud of our continually growing undergraduate computer science program."  — Louay M. Chamra, Ph.D., professor and dean of Oakland University's School of Engineering and Computer Science

 "These latest rankings by the ASEE reflect two statistics we are very proud of at Oakland," said Louay M. Chamra, Ph.D., professor and dean of Oakland University's School of Engineering and Computer Science. "We take great pride in the strength and diversity our women faculty members provide our students, and we are proud of our continually growing undergraduate computer science program."

To offer perspective, the survey showed that in fall 2012 the national percentage of women tenured/tenure-track faculty in engineering was about 14 percent. In 2001, it was just 8.9 percent. Laila Guessous, Ph.D., associate professor in OU's Department of Mechanical Engineering, recalls a distinct lack of diversity in engineering classes during her undergraduate years.

"I didn't have a single female engineering professor for any of my classes and was often the lone female engineering student in my class," she said. "I believe that as women represent a higher percentage of engineering faculty, it will help make the School of Engineering and Computer Science more welcoming to women engineering students who, unfortunately, continue to be underrepresented in engineering programs across the country—especially in mechanical engineering."

Oakland University's School of Engineering and Computer Science offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, which are administered through four departments: Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Along with top-notch programs, the school also features outstanding faculty dedicated to preparing learners for the 21st-century workplace.