Women in Engineering at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign

The participation of women as students and as faculty members in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign is examined in this paper. The enrollment of undergraduate women in engineering and the awarding of engineering degrees to them is compared with nationwide averages. Recent efforts undertaken by the University of Illinois to attract more women into the engineering curriculum are discussed next, including the sponsorship of a two-day conference for high school girls to introduce them to engineering and the publication of an award winning guidance brochure. Finally, the low frequency of women on the teaching faculty in engineering departments is considered, and the potential effects of current affirmative action in the tight academic marketplace are evaluated.