Minority Engineering Program leader retires

Minnie M. McGee, assistant dean of the Minority Engineering Program (MEP), retired at the end of March, following 40 years of dedicated service at The Ohio State University College of Engineering.

During her career, McGee developed numerous programs and strategies to increase the retention of minority engineering students. She designed and implemented the academic component of PREFACE, the Pre-Freshman and Cooperative Education program, which was chosen by the National Governors Association as the premier bridge program in the nation. She launched Project 18, a research program exploring the discrepancies between the performance of minority students with outstanding school records and their performance as Ohio State engineering students. She also secured a major grant from BP America totaling more than $600,000 over a six-year period.

“Minnie lives and works with a single focus in mind and that is helping young people reach their full potential, especially students aspiring to be engineers,” said David Tomasko, associate dean of undergraduate education and student services. “She understands students because she takes the time to get to know them and their families intimately.”

McGee also identified and implemented numerous initiatives to increase support for the Minority Engineering Program and student engagement. These include establishing the MEP Advisory Board, developing the Council of Hispanics in Engineering and Architecture (now known as the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and launching the Minority Engineering Awards Banquet. She also supported students’ development of an Ohio State chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, and conceived and helped implement Lambda Psi, a minority engineering student honorary.

“The students and their families that I have worked with during my tenure here have enriched my life beyond measure,” said McGee.

As a tribute to McGee, the MEP Advisory Board has planned an Engineering Gala and Fundraiser Extraordinaire October 23-24, 2015, to celebrate her service and to fund an endowment for MEP scholarships in her honor.

“Assistant Dean McGee’s unyielding dedication to the academic success of MEP students will define her legacy,” said Felicia Sawyer, an academic advisor and staff assistant for MEP. “She has had a positive influence on numerous engineering students at Ohio State and will be deeply missed.”

McGee graduated from Rust College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics/chemistry and received her master’s in mathematics at Ohio State.