Wake Forest’s engineering program builds upon a culture of inclusivity

As its first group of engineering students declared their major this year, Wake Forest University achieved something that few, if any, programs have anywhere a student body that more accurately represents the U.S. population. And thats vital to creating an engineering industry that seeks solutions to the problems of all people as a matter of course, said Olga Pierrakos, founding department chair of Wake Forest’s engineering program. Engineering really has not been a profession that has been accessible to everyone, Pierrakos said. Two years after the engineering program opened its doors at Wake Downtown, 46 students have declared engineering as a major. The founding cohort had 54 students when they enrolled as first-year students, and there were 90 new first-year students this past academic year. First-year to second-year retention is at 80 percent – well above the 40-60 percent average at universities nationwide.