OU ranks 11th in the country for percentage of women faculty in engineering

Oakland University is ranked 11th in the country for the percentage of women tenured/ tenure-track faculty in engineering.

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 11th out of 246 schools in the nation for the percentage of women tenured/tenure-track faculty in engineering. Oakland also was listed 32nd out of 171 schools for the number of undergraduate computer science degrees awarded within an engineering program.

“These rankings by the ASEE reflect two statistics we are very proud of at Oakland,” said Louay Chamra, 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, 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.”