Over the past several months, some outstanding women in college engineering programs have come to know Fluor in a very personal way. Three women at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) received Fluor-sponsored scholarships, and several women at Louisiana State University (LSU) participated in a mentoring event held in conjunction with the Society of Women
Engineers.
“Helping to develop a larger pool of capable engineering graduates, especially those from traditionally underrepresented groups, is important for our industry’s success. Investing in students through scholarships and supporting student organizations are ways for us to contribute,” said Torrence Robinson, senior director for Fluor Community Affairs.
“I had the distinct privilege of presenting the awards to this impressive group who were veryappreciative,” said Ron Stuff, assistant general counsel for Fluor in Greenville, Georgia Tech alumnus and member of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s External Advisory Board. “It’s great for Fluor because it gives us a chance to get to know some of the very best and brightest women engineers and an opportunity to make a positive impact in their education. Hugo Linares, Greenville’s general manager of engineering, serves as our executive sponsor for our partner program at Georgia Tech. He’s done a great job in working with the school to keep Fluor’s name in the forefront among
students.”
The Fluor Scholarship is part of Georgia Tech’s Women in Engineering program (WIE), which began over ten years ago. To compete for one of the scholarships at Georgia Tech, female engineering students must have a 3.55 grade point average or better, so those selected are among the best of the best. Today, Georgia Tech leads the nation in awarding undergraduate engineering degrees to women.
In an email to Ron Stuff, Catrice Cooper, Georgia Tech’s WIE program coordinator, stated, “Your company’s sponsorship is a concrete expression of your commitment to diversity and to increasing female representation in technical, engineering and scientific roles. We look forward to our continued
partnership in the future.”
Fluor also partners with several other universities in support of women in engineering. One of these is LSU, where LSU alumna and Fluor Director of Supplier Quality Tricia Thibodeaux actively participates through the local Society of Women Engineer (SWE) chapter.
Thibodeaux is a Fluor SWE sponsor and sits on the Diversity Advisory Board for the LSU College of Engineering. She has also been selected by SWE to deliver a professional seminar at the 2011 Conference and Career Fair.
“It’s a privilege for me to mentor women who want to become engineers,” said Thibodeaux. “I recently had an opportunity to deliver the keynote address at an event where LSU engineering students learned about the importance of developing soft skills and personal attributes to enhance their technical skills for entry into the workplace. I really enjoyed meeting these women who could potentially work for Fluor in the future. Our executive sponsor for LSU is Jim Lily, vice president of Sales and Marketing. He’s been instrumental in developing Fluor’s relationship with aspiring engineering students at the university.”
Through the diligent efforts of our college advisory board, executive sponsors, college recruiters and volunteers at our target and partner schools, we work with programs in many universities to raise awareness about Fluor to hundreds of college engineering students. These are just two examples.
SWE is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower women to succeed in engineering. Fluor supports SWE through an annual contribution. Also, Fluor HR representatives and professional engineers attend and staff the SWE National Conference and Career Fair each year in October.