The SME Education Foundation’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiative is designed to fully integrate opportunities for underrepresented communities in every program and effort. Currently, only 21% of engineering bachelor’s degree recipients are women, while minorities account for just 12.5%. Similarly, in industry, women represent just 29% of the manufacturing workforce while minorities account for only 20%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The new Irving P. McPhail Scholarship Fund is a crucial component of the new initiative and will award scholarships in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and manufacturing education to minority and female students.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The SME Education Foundation’s renewed and focused commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) provides increased opportunities to underrepresented and disadvantaged communities across the country.
Why Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is Important
SME PRIME Educator Joins Foundation Board of Directors
Valerie Freeman, a manufacturing and robotics pathway teacher at Park High School, will join the SME Education Foundation Board of Directors in 2021.
Scholarship Success: The New Face of Engineering
Rachel Linder, recipient of a 2019 SME Education Foundation Family Scholarship, is studying mechanical engineering; a field more typically sought by men. The lack of women in her program could be daunting, but Rachel isn't intimated. She knows she can deliver.
SME PRIME: Underrepresented and Disadvantaged Community Engagement
SME PRIME's renewed focus includes working with Title 1 schools over the next five years, increasing the number of students who receive training and education that can lead to rewarding careers and economic opportunity.
New Scholarship Fund: Key Element of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy
The new Irving P. McPhail Scholarship Fund, named for the late president of the 2020 SME Education Foundation, was established to award scholarships in STEM and manufacturing education to minority and female students, with a goal of increasing awards in those groups over the next five years.
Donate to Irving P. McPhail Scholarship Fund
The new Irving P. McPhail Scholarship Fund was named for the late president of the 2020 SME Education Foundation. Your donation to this fund will help honor Irving P. MacPhail’s legacy and award scholarships in STEM and manufacturing education to minority and female students.