“I think attending the Academy reinforced my understanding of where I can make a direct impact ("experience" part of the framework) while also planting a seed to start conversations with those who might be able to make an impact elsewhere.”
Why Our Work Matters
The Missing Millions
The world is calling, but are engineers able to answer the call? Recent numbers say no. Modern analysis shows that the United States of America are underproducing engineers by 30,000 projected needs each year. What does that mean? We lose our global competiveness and our bid for national security when 1 in 3 engineering jobs will go unfulfilled through 2030. Our project is dedicated to increasing graduation numbers through examining and acting on best practices that support our most underrepresented communities. What supports and helps these communities flourish, will help all students succeed and ensure our nation’s success.
Our Approach
To achieve transformative, systemic, and sustainable change, the Alliance PLUS team aims to recruit over 300 engineering institutions and community colleges into Regional Hubs, and train more than 200 stEm PEER change agents. We envision the potential for solutions to be strongly informed by national and regional advisory boards that include industry, federal and non-profit stakeholders. Through the strength and breadth of the Engineering PLUS network, the widespread adoption of high-impact practices proven to increase diversity in engineering education is possible and achievable. The Alliance conducts trainings; convenes working groups (Impact Working Groups) to discuss matters of workforce readiness, maths and academic readiness, retention, and resilience; community builds; shares research opportunities; and engages in the national conversation with academic and thought leaders within and about engineering workforce development.
Our Success
How will we know what success looks like? How will we know if we have been successful. Our organization has identified a few key indicators of large-scale success. Each year, our team receives updated graduation information from undergraduate and graduate institutions. Based on our hypothesis concerning broader participation as the tide that lifts the whole engineering community, we are hoping to see the graduation numbers of these underrepresented communities increase to 100K undergraduate and 30k graduate engineering and engineering technology degrees awarded annually by 2026. While this is our large-scale goal, we seek out further indications that our methods are successful in the forms of community engagement; number of students, staff, faculty, and community members impacted by our shared practices; and what our direct responses tell us.
Our Functional Areas
The Engineering PLUS Alliance consists of 6 Key Performance Strategies, or KPSs. These units function on individual efforts supporting the collective action. Each KPS team works to address issues facing the engineering community, fostering growth and retention of engineering students and graduate. Please explore each group’s members and activities.
KPS 1 Backbone
The Backbone of the Alliance serves as the central coordinating body that brings together our combined efforts and provides the structural support and facilitation needed to align activities, manage communication, and ensures that all the parts of the body are functioning together towards our common goal.
KPS 2 Partnerships
Our Alliance is made up of more than participating institutions, but professional societies and industry partners. Our largest and leading partnership is with the seminal organization with the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). Our partnerships do not stop there but continue with NACME, NAMEPA, AISES, the GEM Consortium, DiscoverE, WEPAN, SWE, and many more.
KPS 3 Regional Hubs
Regional Hubs that build on and expand NSF LSAMP Alliances. Our regional leaders are experts in supporting STEM students to B.S. and graduate degree completion. Members will learn about the high-impact practices that are successful in increasing broadening participation in engineering education and the value of data-driven decision-making.
KPS 4 stEm PEER Academy
Institutional Change Agents (PEERs). We train, empower, resource and support a national network of stEm* PEERs (Practitioners Enhancing Engineering Regionally), change agents who will accelerate the implementation of high-impact, evidence-based practices within their home institutions and beyond. *“E” emphasizes Engineering in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics.
>>2025 stEm PEER Academy Flyer<<
KPS 5 Sustainability
Sustainability team works to ensure the long-term vision and viability of the Engineering PLUS Alliance and its activities beyond the immediate NSF INCLUDES Alliance grant funding.
KPS 6 CIDER
Continuous Improvement through Data, Evaluation, and Research (CIDER). The CIDER team brings together a multidisciplinary effort to support the data-focused activities, research and evaluation of the Alliance. They are supporting the work by engaging their synergistic team of data scientists, researchers and evaluators (internal and external) and creating a foundational platform that supports capacity building at multiple levels.
What Participants Had to Say
We asked our participants what they had to say about their experience learning and being change agents in our community of practice. Here's what they had to say.
“I am constantly amazed by the level of support that stEm PEER Leadership is able to provide given the scope of this project …. They are remarkable leaders and have played a tremendous role in my development as an educator.”
“I have received more support navigating the tricky world of grant applications from this program than I have in my institution!”
“Being a part of STEM Peers has given me more name recognition with our school of engineering. Since they are seeing my name in association with Engineering Plus I have been able to get responses back from people who previously would have not responded.”
“stEm PEER Academy pushed me to the next level of my leadership”
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Meet our Leadership Team
Each member of the Engineering PLUS Leadership Team is responsible for providing direction and guidance for one of the Key Performance Strategy (KPS) groups created to achieve the overall projects goals. Learn more about each of the members below.
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