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The Daily OrangeEngineering Equality
First female dean strives to tackle college's unbalanced gender ratio
By Rachel Eldridge
Posted: 9/7/08, 11:20 PM EST Section: News
Working as a woman in the male-dominated world of engineering schools might seem like a challenge, but after living through four hurricanes, Laura Steinberg is prepared to handle a little turbulence.
Steinberg became the first female dean of the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science Aug. 1, following a yearlong search.
The opportunity to work alongside Syracuse University's faculty and staff, and interact directly with the students drew Steinberg to Syracuse, she said. Before accepting the position, she had served for two years as a professor and chair of the Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Steinberg is the first external candidate given deanship at L.C. Smith in more than a century. She is the fourth woman to serve as dean of an engineering and computer science school in the Association of American Universities, a group of 62 research colleges.
"It is indeed rare to be a woman in this position," she said.
Danielle Sutton, a sophomore civil engineer major, said the dynamics involved in the program's high male-to-female ratio can be overwhelming.
"When I first got to Syracuse, I was surprised to see how many girls were in my engineering class, but now it seems as if more girls have dropped out since freshman year," she said. "I have only had one female TA, and all my other professors have been males."
Steinberg has goals to tackle that unbalanced ratio by recruiting female faculty members and graduate students, as well as encouraging women in high school to study engineering and computer science, in hopes that they continue on to receive doctoral degrees in the field.
"Colleges had 27 percent women in engineering when I was in college," she said. "Women have certainly increased their numbers in the engineering field. One of the challenges is guiding women through their undergraduate experience into their graduate education so that they stay in the program and are excited about the prospect of being an engineer."
Steinberg became the first female dean of the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science Aug. 1, following a yearlong search.
The opportunity to work alongside Syracuse University's faculty and staff, and interact directly with the students drew Steinberg to Syracuse, she said. Before accepting the position, she had served for two years as a professor and chair of the Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Steinberg is the first external candidate given deanship at L.C. Smith in more than a century. She is the fourth woman to serve as dean of an engineering and computer science school in the Association of American Universities, a group of 62 research colleges.
"It is indeed rare to be a woman in this position," she said.
Danielle Sutton, a sophomore civil engineer major, said the dynamics involved in the program's high male-to-female ratio can be overwhelming.
"When I first got to Syracuse, I was surprised to see how many girls were in my engineering class, but now it seems as if more girls have dropped out since freshman year," she said. "I have only had one female TA, and all my other professors have been males."
Steinberg has goals to tackle that unbalanced ratio by recruiting female faculty members and graduate students, as well as encouraging women in high school to study engineering and computer science, in hopes that they continue on to receive doctoral degrees in the field.
"Colleges had 27 percent women in engineering when I was in college," she said. "Women have certainly increased their numbers in the engineering field. One of the challenges is guiding women through their undergraduate experience into their graduate education so that they stay in the program and are excited about the prospect of being an engineer."
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