Cincinnati Magazine's Realm highlights UC partnership

Realm, Cincinnati Magazine's journal for Cincinnati CEOs, highlighted a new partnership between the University of Cincinnati and GE to improve diversity in engineering.

GE selected Cincinnati as one of four inaugural locations, aiming to inspire more than 3,500 local students ages 13 to 18, provide firsthand experiences of engineering and award financial support to pursue education in engineering. GE launched similar initiatives in South Africa, England and South Carolina as part of its goal to reach 85,000 students in 25 cities around the world over the next decade.

GE Foundation in 2021 announced the $100 million program to reach out to middle school and high school girls and students of color through its Next Engineers program.

"If students from those backgrounds aren't exposed to engineering before college, it can be really discouraging to step into a college classroom and not feel ready for that challenge," GE Aviation chief diversity officer Joe Allen told Realm.

UC will serve as GE's local partner.

UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Dean John Weidner told Cincinnati Magazine's Realm that the Next Engineers program is just one of many ways UC is addressing inclusion, including its Marian Spencer Scholars Program for high-achieving students in Cincinnati Public Schools.

"The bottom line for GE and for us as well is we need more engineers," Weidner told Realm. "We have to connect with students early to get them excited about engineering."

Read the Realm story.

Featured image at top: GE Aviation engineer Alisha Kent-Davis talks about her experience as a young engineer during GE's announcement of Next Engineers. Photo/GE