Mentoring at the Center for Workforce DevelopmentMentoring supportMentorNetMentoring: A Berkeley Perspective

Mentoring: A Berkeley Perspective

Sheila Humphreys

The success of Berkeley's mentoring program is well demonstrated by databases on UCB women Ph.D.'s (http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Programs/grad/GradWomen/gradwomen.html) and its Website for Berkeley minority Ph.D.'s. The departmental mentoring efforts that have contributed to this success stem from a strong commitment on the part of faculty, students, and staff and an active effort for admissions and graduate recruitment. Grants have a strong diversity focus and alternative avenues into the graduate program are encouraged. An constant effort is made to ensure gender balance in colloquium speakers and student organizations are intimately involved. An important role in the program has been played by student organizations, which provide examples of how students can organize to help each other and bring needed improvements.

Women in Computer Science and Engineering (WICSE, http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Programs/grad/GradWomen/Wicse/wicse25th.htm), which recently celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary, has been influential on a variety of issues. WICSE provides a virtual community with weekly meetings, monthly mentoring lunches with undergraduate women, and good connections with alumnae. WICSE has initiated a new graduate recruitment program and a big sister program for attracting and keeping women. The organization has been an enthusiastic advocate for policy changes in the university and has actively participated in conferences dealing with issues of interest, including Hopper, CRA, and Tapia. WICSE has served as an official voice for its constituency at faculty retreats and on the EECS Student Organizations Council.
The Black Grad Students in Science and Engineering (BGESS), founded in 1987, serves as a minority cohort in science, engineering, and mathematics. Its efforts at building community and research mentoring resulted in the Chancellor's Outstanding Service Award in 2004. BGESS has supported recruiting efforts in several departments.

We have worked closely with industry to provide opportunities for and information on our diversity students. Industrial support for programs enhancing diversity opportunity is strong. For example, UCB senior women graduate students were invited to an IBM Academy meeting in 2003.

African-American 12%
Latino 10%
Chicano 2%
Native American 45%
Other 1%
Asian 10%
Caucasian 20%
*
SUPERB Statistics EECS was a partner in the creation of the Summer Undergraduate Program in Engineering Research (SUPERB), which has improved the minority and gender balance in the pipeline into graduate school. Of the program participants, 67% went to graduate school, six underrepresented minority participants received Ph.D.'s, and three went into academia. During the period 1990 - 2004, 36% of the participants were female and the ethnic makeup is shown in the table.

A major effort of the SUPERB program is the training of future mentors. The biggest challenges are defining a project scope and level, getting students up to speed, and calibrating supervision. Particularly rewarding aspects are encouraging academic excellence, coaching for talks including the final oral exam and initial professional presentations, and preserving a continuing relationship after the project.

A final activity of the department has been finding means to tap an alternative source of women and minorities in graduate school - those seeking to reenter academia after significant time outside of school. Successful efforts have been made to sensitize the faculty to reentry issues and the program has produced over 15 years 39 MS degrees and 12 Ph.D.'s. One former CS reentry student, Susan Eggers, is now Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington and an IEEE Fellow. There are currently twenty reentry students in the pipeline.

Robert M. Gray, September 12, 2004

Mentoring at the Center for Workforce DevelopmentMentoring supportMentorNetMentoring: A Berkeley Perspective