Jordan Burns with CEAT Summer Bridge students.

CEAT’s new Women’s Advisory Board hopes to make engineering more inclusive

Monday, January 10, 2022

Media Contact: Kristi Wheeler | Manager, CEAT Marketing and Communications | 405-744-5831 | kristi.wheeler@okstate.edu

The College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology wasted no time during the restrictions brought on by the COVID- 19 pandemic to begin meeting virtually about new initiatives to encourage the attraction and retention of female students and faculty within CEAT.

In 2020, the Women’s Advisory Board was created by Dr. Paul Tikalsky, dean of CEAT.

Headed by alumna Jordan Burns, the board consists of members of CEAT’s administration and CEAT alumnae and focuses on understanding the barriers that might discourage female students and faculty to come to OSU, as well as any factors that might affect retaining them.

GETTING INVOLVED

One of the best ways to get involved in CEAT’s diversity and inclusion efforts is to donate to the Multicultural Engineering Program Fund No. 26-91030.

The Multicultural Engineering Fund was created to provide support to recruit, retain and graduate women and underrepresented CEAT students majoring in engineering, architecture or technology. These funds provide support for student engagement events, mentorship programming, the diversity, equity and inclusion living learning community, national and regional conferences, outreach and scholarships.

For more information on how you can make a difference, contact CEAT’s Coordinator of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs, Yokolanda Speight, at yokolan@okstate.edu or Maddie Pierce at mpierce@osugiving.com from the OSU Foundation.

Burns, who currently serves as a refinery unit process engineer for Phillips 66, knew that something needed to change to alleviate the worry that prospective female students had about studying engineering.

“During my time at OSU, I was highly involved in student affairs and philanthropy,” Burns said. “I served as a CEAT Ambassador and really enjoyed giving tours to prospective female students, and often during our discussions the fear of being one of few women studying engineering would come up.”

When the Women’s Advisory Board was created, Burns wanted to make an impact on student’s lives and determined that the board was a good effort worth dedicating her time toward.

“The Women’s Advisory Board is important because it helps to share the perspective of graduates over a broad range of time and brings to light some of the challenges that we face moving forward,” Burns said. “It takes ideas and meaningful discussion to develop solutions that further our cause and the women on the advisory board share a passion for increasing women’s presence in STEM and are willing to work to do so.”

The Women’s Advisory Board is currently comprised of only women; however, the board understands the importance of gaining support for their initiatives from everyone.

“It’s equally important for men and women to be supportive of this,” Burns said. “In order for diversity and inclusion to become deeply ingrained in the culture of CEAT, we must educate decision makers and faculty that are both male and female about how to create a continually supportive environment. When this happens, we are able to remove some of the roadblocks for women which will allow for higher attraction and retention rates.”

Burns added that if female alumnae, students and faculty are the only ones advocating for female representation, the goals of the board would be unable to be accomplished.

While they know it will take time, the Women’s Advisory Board members are persistent and dedicated to forming creative approaches to supporting students and transforming a culture, Burns said.

“Together, we are able to work with the college to share our stories, ideas and enthusiasm for helping women students and faculty feel advocated and welcomed within CEAT,” Burns said.

Tikalsky commended the results of the efforts of the board’s first year.

“OSU is committed to increasing the pipeline of women in engineering,” Tikalsky said. “The Women’s Advisory Board has provided initial ideas for recruiting and mentoring young women that help them see the amazing opportunities that they have to change the world. CEAT is just getting started with this initiative and we have already produced the largest class of female engineering freshman in OSU history. We expect to exceed that every year for the next 5 years with the help of the Women’s Advisory Board.”

Group of students — Jordan Burns, head of the CEAT Woman’s Advisory Board, speaks with a group of freshman CEAT students about her experiences as a woman studying engineering.

CEAT Students in the classroom — Jordan Burns speaks to Summer Bridge students, as a representative of her employer Phillips 66, about the keys to being a successful college student.

Photos by: Dakota Keith

Story by: Dakota Keith | IMPACT Magazine