White House honors SEAS mentor Ingrum

Under her guidance, a host of minority students have earned Engineering doctorates and more than 350 undergraduate students have received scholarships -- including the first African-American woman to attain a Mechanical Engineering degree at the University. And now Cora Ingrum, the School of Engineering and Applied Science's assistant to the dean for minority programs and director of academic and support programs, has received national recognition for her mentoring efforts. Last Thursday, she attended a ceremony at the White House's Old Executive Office Building to accept the 1997 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. "It was awesome and overwhelming," Ingrum said. "It was truly a blessing that was received." Ingrum was one of 10 individuals and nine institutions honored with the award, which recognizes "outstanding mentoring efforts and programs that increase the participation of underrepresented groups in science, mathematics and engineering," according to a White House press release. The award presentation came as part of a two-day symposium entitled "Mentoring for the 21st Century Workforce," which featured an address by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater. Additionally, the 1996 award recipients spoke about their mentoring projects over the past year during the symposium. "We discussed the work toward increasing the presence of underrepresented students in the fields of science and engineering," Ingrum said. "I felt a great camaraderie in meeting the other distinguished people," she added. Ingrum, who has been mentoring the University's Engineering students for the last 25 years, currently runs the SEAS Freshman Coaching Program, a system of collaborative study groups in which a team of four to eight students is grouped with an upper-class "coach." "It is very important for all students to have a cohesive group working together," Ingrum said. She also promotes interaction between undergraduate and graduate Engineering students. "It is a nurturing process for undergraduates and graduates to mix and mingle," she said. "When students come in as freshmen and see candidates for Ph.D.s, they say 'I can do that'." In the last three years alone, Ingrum encouraged 12 minority students to pursue doctorates through the Engineering School. "Cora's role as a mentor is almost legendary," Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington said. "This award shows that she really has touched quite a few students' lives over the years." Nominated for the Presidential Award by a fellow faculty member, Ingrum credits the entire Engineering faculty for the success of the School's mentoring program. "When one wins an award, it is not an individual award," she said. "I think it takes a team of people to make things happen." And Farrington said he is proud of what Ingrum's award means for the Engineering School. "It reflects what I intend the school to have -- a very strongly student- centered environment," he said. "The award shows that we have succeeded."