More than 22% of the engineering workforce at Newport 最靠谱的网赌软件 Shipbuilding (发自), HII的一个分支, are graduates of 最靠谱的网赌软件.

That number could rise dramatically.

发自, the largest industrial employer in Virginia and a division of the largest shipbuilding company in the United States, will be the lead industry sponsor of the Monarch Accelerator Program to Engineering (MAP-to-E), which aims to increase the number of engineering and engineering technology majors and degrees, particularly from underrepresented and underserved communities in Hampton Roads.

发自 will make a five-year gift to the program with an invitation to renew for another five-year term. The program also hopes to meet the growing workforce demand for engineers at 发自, which is planning to hire more than 300 entry-level engineers over the next 12 months.

戴夫Bolcar, 发自 vice president of engineering and design, calls MAP-to-E “transformative” as it connects with students in their first year at ODU, guiding them toward success in their studies and rewarding careers at the shipyard.

“As we grow our already strong partnership with 最靠谱的网赌软件, the MAP-to-E program is a logical extension of that work,博尔卡说. “We’re designing and building the highest-quality aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. 海军在发自, and we can’t wait to welcome more ODU students to that important national security mission as part of our shipbuilding team.”

MAP-to-E, patterned after successful engineering accelerator programs such as those at the University of Colorado and the University of Washington, works as an “academic redshirt program” for students who are talented and bright but not ready for the stringent math and science needed before entering engineering.

Redshirting – a concept commonly used in college athletics – allows a student to delay college competition in order to be fully prepared both physically and academically.

“These are largely talented students with unrealized potential who have the ability, aptitude and desire to be successful in engineering or engineering technology but have not had the opportunity to take the necessary math and science classes while in high school,肯尼斯·弗里德利说, dean of the Batten College of Engineering and 技术.

“Many of these students are either first-generation college students, or the first in their family to study engineering, and come from underserved communities and underfunded schools,弗里德利说. “这些学生, through no fault of their own, have not had the opportunity to be adequately prepared to transition directly into an engineering program upon entering college.”

The Monarch Accelerator Program to Engineering aims to:

  • Increase the number of full-time engineering and engineering-related students enrolled at ODU.
  • Increase the number of full-time students from underrepresented and underserved communities in Hampton Roads.
  • Increase the number of diverse and first-generation students pursuing careers in engineering and engineering-related systems.

This is 发自’s second major gift to ODU in recent years following the establishment of the 发自 Scholars program that endows academic scholarships awarded annually to qualified junior, senior and graduate students studying engineering, business or computer science. MAP-to-E will open the door earlier to expose and prepare freshmen to engineering and engineering technology careers and to take part in 发自 partner initiatives on campus, including the 发自 co-op program and internships and mentorships, a key offering for 发自 Scholars.