“Between 2001 and 2004, women have increased from 8.9 percent to 10.4 percent of total tenured and tenure-track faculty in engineering,” the ASEE reported. CSUN reflects this incline and maintains its progressiveness with an engineering faculty that is 17.2 percent female.

“Higher percentages of female faculty hopefully will lead to an increase of female students in a field of study that is predominately male,” said Bonita Campbell, chair of the department of Manufacturing Systems Engineering and Management.

“Of all the studies that have been done, one of the major things that brings female students in are female faculty members,” said Campbell. “For those female students who might feel out of place, looking around and seeing female faculty teaching classes sends a positive message.”

As women’s retention rates are considerably lower than men’s in engineering, Campbell said the “underlying reason has everything to do with feeling like you belong. That’s where female faculty just being on the roster sends a message.”

“It’s the general image from the outside world that engineering is a field in which women don’t actively engage and participate. If you can’t change that message from the outside, change it from the inside,” she said.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science at Northridge is home to several nationally recognized programs where students gain valuable hands-on experience working alongside faculty members and industry professionals on cutting-edge research. Most recently, the college is celebrating a $20 million renovation of its facilities, which feature 50 state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories that offer hands-on experience. By blending practical application of the professions with a strong foundation in theory, the college has maintained a consistent following by alumni and friends from the industry who value the career-oriented education that students receive throughout their course of study at the university.

For more information on CSUN’s College of Engineering, visit its Web site at www.csun.edu/~ecsdean/.