3M helps to cultivate diversity in the College of Science and Engineering
3M diversity scholarship allocates $400,000 to undergraduate CSE students
Increasing the number of students from underrepresented groups has been a goal of the College of Science and Engineering for many years. Numbers have grown steadily for the past few years, yet there is still room for improvement. The University of Minnesota’s goal is to more than double the number of students from underrepresented groups by 2020. Helping to achieve that goal is 3M, the College of Science and Engineering's largest corporate donor.
In 2015, 3M established a diversity scholarship that allocates $400,000 to cover tuition expenses for undergraduate students in CSE. The four-year renewable scholarship awards $10,000 each to 10 students from underrepresented groups who are majoring in chemistry, chemical engineering, or mechanical engineering. This past fall, 10 underrepresented students from locations across the country received the first scholarships. By fall 2016, 20 students each will be funded at $10,000 for four years.
“Many top students from underrepresented groups are recruited heavily by universities across the nation. These students have many options available when choosing a college,” said Susan Kubitschek, Assistant Dean, CSE Collegiate Life. “With these 3M scholarships, the university is able to recruit high achieving diverse students by offering them a very attractive financial package to attend CSE.”
Research has shown that diversity enriches the educational experience. Learning with students from a variety of backgrounds encourages collaboration and fosters innovation, which will benefit all students and eventually make for better employees.
As one of the most engaged companies on the University of Minnesota campus, 3M is consistently one of the top employers of CSE students. In 2015, 30 undergraduate alumni identified 3M as their employer, making them the number one employer of 2015 CSE graduates.
In addition, 3M holds more interviews at the College of Science and Engineering than any other company, recruits across every major, and draws a high number of applicants. The company has an active presence at CSE’s career fair and also helps out at events such as career panels, Practice Interview Days, and the college’s Resume Marathon.
Many programs and initiatives at the University of Minnesota would not be possible without 3M’s generous support. Over the past several decades, 3M has given more than $65 million to the University of Minnesota, and nearly $19 million to the College of Science and Engineering for student scholarships, leadership programs, hands-on experiential learning opportunities, K-12 outreach, state-of-the-art facilities, and more.
“Through our partnership with 3M and its generous contributions, we are able to deliver a world-class education for CSE students who will become the next generation of scientists and engineers,” said Steven Crouch, dean of the College of Science and Engineering. “We are grateful for their support.”