Community college students are often excluded from conversations around broadening participation in STEM, particularly in the fields of engineering and computer science (ECS). To better understand this issue and provide a solution, SWE conducted a phased research study of ECS transfer students to understand the success of women and minority students on this pathway towards a baccalaureate degree.
Findings from this research led to the development of SWE’s Community College Affiliate Support and Expansion (CCASE) Program. CCASE aims to increase support for Community College Affiliates across the United States with direct financial and membership incentives to help facilitate professional development and outreach activities.
Faculty advisors Ines Figueiras and Joseph Nitti shared with us how the CCASE Program helped to revitalize the SWE Essex County College Affiliate after recruitment and events ceased because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Keep reading to learn about the group’s journey, challenges, and plans for the future.
Please share a brief history of the Essex SWE Affiliate. When was it founded, and how many members do you have?
The Essex County College SWE Affiliate was founded in 2018 with approximately 10 members. The affiliate held bake sales to fundraise to attend a WE Local in Baltimore, Md. As a result, five students attended the WE Local in 2019.
The members who helped found the affiliate graduated between 2019 and 2020. However, recruitment and events ceased because of the pandemic. With funds provided by CCASE, a meeting was held in April 2023, called a SWE Meet & Greet, to see if there was student interest in restarting the SWE Affiliate.
Seventeen students attended the meeting, and officers were elected. Since that meeting, eight students are official SWE members, and approximately seventeen have expressed interest in participating in the SWE Affiliate.
How often do you meet? Can you describe a typical meeting?
Since the SWE Affiliate restarted in April 2023, the officers have met several times to discuss fundraising ideas, plans for a SWE Affiliate t-shirt, and recruitment ideas.
How do you attract new members and keep them engaged throughout the year?
New members are recruited at the College’s Club Fair, which typically takes place in October. T-shirts will be purchased for the affiliate officers to promote name recognition. New members are also recruited by sending emails to female STEM majors, and officers visit classrooms to promote the SWE Affiliate goal of creating an on-campus community to support women in STEM.
What are your goals for the Essex SWE Affiliate for the 2023-2024 school year?
For the 2023-2024 academic year, the goals are to recruit members into the SWE Affiliate, share information about the SWE organization, participate in college recruitment events for new students, and create a robotics project.
How does CCASE help the Essex SWE Affiliate accomplish these goals?
CCASE provided the SWE Affiliate at Essex County College with five free student SWE memberships, as well as $350 for recruitment events. The Essex SWE Affiliate used these funds to purchase snacks and beverages for SWE Affiliate meetings, support a raffle for a free SWE membership, and assist with purchasing SWE Affiliate t-shirts.
As a result of CCASE support, the SWE Affiliate was reinstated, and an enthusiastic group of members have planned activities for the 2023-2024 academic year, including meetings, fundraising activities, recruitment events, and a robotics project.
Are you an existing member of a Community College Affiliate? Utilize the CCASE Program to receive free Collegiate-to-Career (C2C) memberships for your group and up to $700 for professional development and outreach activities.
If you are a community college student or faculty member interested in starting a SWE Affiliate, please visit the Section & Affiliate Start Up page.
Ines Figueiras of Essex County College and Beth McGinnis-Cavanaugh of Springfield Technical Community College are co-leaders of the SWE Community Colleges Affinity Group. This AG aims to build membership and community and showcase the importance and impact of community colleges in the STEM landscape.
If you are interested in learning more, join their LinkedIn page and their Facebook page.
