$300,000 Grant from Walmart Foundation Supports Recruitment of Underrepresented Students

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ECAP students benefit from scholarship support, a living-learning community and internship opportunities.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Engineering Career Awareness Program in the College of Engineering at the University of Arkansas proves that, for some students, there truly is strength in numbers. The college’s recruitment-to-graduation initiative was designed to help grow the undergraduate student body in terms of quantity, diversity and overall quality by combining several proven recruitment and retention strategies into one cohesive program.

The program, greatly dependent on private gift support, was recently awarded a $300,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation.

“The Walmart Foundation is proud to provide the opportunity for more students to participate in the Engineering Career Awareness Program,” said Margaret McKenna, president of the Walmart Foundation. “At Walmart, we understand education is critical to the lives and well-being of all Americans.”

“The Engineering Career Awareness Program has, in many ways, already exceeded every expectation I had,” said Ashok Saxena, dean of the College of Engineering, “but now that we are aware of the possibilities, the sky is the limit. This support from the Walmart Foundation means even more students can feel the impact of ECAP and can pursue successful careers in the field. I am grateful to the foundation, and I hope they will watch with excitement as ECAP students continue to thrive in the classroom and accomplish great things as alumni.”

Since the inception of ECAP, data consistently shows that, on average, ECAP students are more successful than the engineering freshman class as a whole, with statistically significant differences in both retention and grade point average.

“It is invigorating to watch a student who never considered an engineering education discover all the possibilities of this career path,” said Saxena. “We watch students fresh out of high school become incredible thinkers and accomplished researchers. With each gift to the program, more students become a part of this effort. Through ECAP, I hope every student who wishes to pursue an engineering education will have the opportunity to do so.”

ECAP recruitment strategies include community-focused outreach efforts to educate students and their families about the professional and personal opportunities made available through an engineering education. Alumni ambassadors help with recruitment in their respective communities, and scholarship and financial aid information is disseminated to students from underrepresented groups to help them navigate the world of college applications and admissions.

Once students are accepted to the university and become a part of the program, they benefit from a retention plan that includes summer bridge programming, a living-learning community, need-based scholarship support and real-life experiences through paid co-op positions and targeted internships. Scholarship dollars are provided to ECAP students to supplement their existing financial aid packages.