BAE Alumni Home
Information Form
Focus on Recruiting
Recruiting students is always a challenge for Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering. We can provide a great educational experience and excellent job opportunities. But getting visibility for our program is not as easy for us as for some engineering disciplines. We have twelve great students in our Senior Design class this year--and would like to double that. We’ve been intensifing our recruiting and would like to share our efforts with you.
A Part-Time Recruiter
 |
Stacey (Madsen) Jenkins has been appointed to spend 25% of her time recruiting for the department. Although not a graduate of BAE, her biology degree from De Pauw helps her to relate to the increased emphasis on biology in our curriculum, and in addition, she is the daughter of Murray Madsen (BAE 1973), so she is no stranger to the discipline. When not recruiting, Stacey is an Extension Educator with the University of Minnesota Farm Safety and Health Program.
Stacey spends time each week at the Institute of Technology (IT) advising lower division BAE and Biomedical Engineering students and also any undeclared students who have an interest in biology. In addition, she works with the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Orientation course (see more about this course further on). Stacey attends each session of the class (held weekly) and provides a friendly face and someone else for new students to come to for help or friendship.
 |
Revised Brochures
On the advice of Ben Sharpe, IT Director of Admissions, the department has published three new brochures--one for each of our emphases. These brochures put the emphasis name front and center, because that conveys more immediate information to students. The anecdotal evidence is that when displayed on a table at a recruiting event, these brochures move many times more quickly than the old two-color brochure, or even the recently revised color brochure. Each brochure contains the curriculum for that emphasis, suggested engineering and biology electives to fulfil requirements and enhance the student’s academic plan, a list of recent employers of graduates in the emphasis, and salary targets.
The Orientation Course
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Orientation (BAE 1011) is taught both semesters—in the fall by Vance Morey, and in the spring on the Minneapolis campus by John Nieber. The purpose of this one credit discovery course is to introduce freshmen and transfer students to the career opportunities offered by the profession. The course includes discussion about the curriculum and emphases as well as opportunities in internships, undergraduate research experiences, and honors.
|
Leo Holm (BAE 1970) took the fall Orientation students on a field trip to Nine Mile Creek in Bloomington, Minnesota, to introduce them to bioengineering for water resources. |
 |
A key component of the course is the presentations by alumni and current students. Alumni speak about their careers, choices they made during school, what they liked and what they didn’t like, and what they wish they would have done. Thus far this fall Leo Holm (BAE 1970; Minnesota Department of Transportation), Mitch Voehl (BAE 1983, MS 1986; Summit Analysis), Elizabeth (Burt) Oolman (BBAE 1996, MS 1999; NRCS), and Ed Funk (BAE 1994; The Toro Company), have all spoken to the class.
It is also important to let our prospective students know about what current students are doing while they pursue their degrees. Seniors Jeff Stern, Nate Carlson, Aaron Peter, Sara Hendrickson, and Erin Krueger, and junior Nate Hemming visited to describe internships and international study tours.
Not all of the students who register for BAE 1011 go on to pursue their degree in our program, but we want to retain more of the students who are exploring BAE through this course. Because Stacey Jenkins has met many of these students through her advising work in IT, she hopes that by working closely with the class she can help give our program the personal touch that is sometimes difficult to find in larger programs.
Faculty and Staff Involvement
 |
As Director of Undergraduate Studies, Roger Ruan meets with prospective students (and sometimes their parents), signs off on their forms, and generally tries to be there for them to handle their academic problems. He also spends time actively recruiting by being available to staff IT booths at career fairs, the State Fair, and other venues where the University looks for students.
John Nieber advises a lower division student team in IT. Students are assigned to teams when they enter IT to help provide them with some stability and peer support in their college experience. Students in the same team attend the same math, physics, and chemistry classes and work with the same group of faculty and peer advisors. In addition, John and Stacey have made presentations to groups such as pre-engineering students from community colleges and biomedical engineering students who may find their niche in our bioprocessing and food emphasis.
Vance Morey continues to be active in recruiting through the orientation course and by working with Stacey to provide general information sessions to interested students in IT.
And Kathy Younie provides friendly support and help to students who come in looking for their advisor, registration permission, forms, or just a sympathetic ear.
Women in BAE
Stacey and Sara (Heger) Christopherson (BBAE 1998), have started a social suport group for women students. The group has met several times this fall—to eat, talk, and generally just have a good time. Stacey and Sara hope that when the students have the opportunity to get to know each other better, they will build mutual support structures that make college a less scary place and will enhance their college experience.
How Can You Help?
You can help by speaking about your experiences to the orientation courses, providing projects for our senior design course, working with the IT mentoring program (www.technology.umn.edu/mentor), and by telling prospective students about us. Our recruitment materials are on the web at www.bae.umn.edu/teaching. If you can help or want some of our brochures, call us at 612-625-7733 or email bae@gaia.bae.umn.edu and we will get you in touch with the right person.
Charles and Janet Otis Scholarship
Murray Madsen Wins Engineering Safety Award
|
by webmaster@gaia.bae.umn.edu © Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. This page is part of the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering web at http://www.bae.umn.edu/ Privacy Statement |