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Dayton Engineer

Multi-Ethnic Engineers Program, a Remarkable Student Support Program

By Morgan Brewster, marketing communications intern

The Multi-Ethnic Engineers Program, formerly the Minority Engineering Program, changed its name this year. The name change was inspired by the Catholic and Marianist values at the University of Dayton and the chance to better celebrate and recognize the school's multi-ethnic engineering students.

The main goal of the MEP is to provide a community for multi-ethnic students in the School of Engineering. Through experiential learning, developmental workshops, professional exposure and more, the MEP provides students with the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally as engineers. 

"We encourage students to pursue research and other professional experiences while at UD, and a lot of what we do is focused around providing students with exposure to various companies and industries," said Gerica Brown, director of the MEP. "We are also promoting a sense of belonging for students and making sure they know they are supported in UD Engineering."

The first shift in the name change from "minority" to "multi-ethnic" was motivated by the need to honor students who come from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, instead of focusing on how they may be fewer in number. "Multi-ethnic" better aligns with the values at UD and provides for a better sense of belonging and community instead of "minority," which adds a negative and deficit tone. 

"We're wanting to celebrate the richness that these students bring with their various ethnicities," said Brown. "We want to highlight the fact that these students bring a lot of value in their experiences and backgrounds, and it is better aligned with our institutional values."

Secondly, the shift from the word "engineering" to "engineers" might not seem like a significant change, but the MEP faculty and staff also wanted to make sure to highlight the fact that the MEP is a student-centered program. The program was created with students in mind, and by changing the name to "engineers," the focus is shifted away from the program and to the community of multi-ethnic engineering scholars. 

Changing the name while also preserving the original acronym, the MEP is able to better celebrate the racially and ethnically diverse engineering students, while also honoring the rich history of the program since it was founded at the University of Dayton in 1996. 

In 2021, the Multi-Ethnic Engineers Program celebrates its 25th anniversary!

Congratulations to all who have supported and participated in making this remarkable program a long-standing success!

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