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Recruiting to Geosciences through

                                 Campus Partnerships





         Cinzia Cervato, Dept. of Geological & Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA


         INTRODUCTION                         AGI data (Wilson, 2019) show steady   most popular undergraduate geoscience
          Increasing reliance of U.S. colleges and   growth in geoscience undergraduates at   degree in the U.S. (66.6% of 2013–2017 grad-
         universities on student tuition makes recruit-  four-year institutions since 2009 and a   uates; Wilson, 2019).
         ment a high priority for geoscience depart-  slight rise in degrees awarded since 2013   The author has actively pursued STEM
         ments. In 2017, ~70% of geoscience grad-  that do not match recent concerns expressed   recruitment for more than a decade in collabo-
         uates did not enter university declaring   by departments about decreasing under-  ration with colleagues in other departments.
         geology as a major, up by 10% since 2013   graduate enrollments. Data from the   These efforts include the physics+ program,
         (Wilson, 2019). They discovered geology   Integrated Postsecondary Education Data   an alternative path to a double major inspired
         by taking an introductory geoscience course   System (IPEDS, 2021) show that, of 288   by the Engineering Physics program at the
         to fulfill general education or a previous   geology programs at U.S. doctoral-granting   University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
         major’s requirement (Stokes et al., 2015).   institutions,  128 (44%)  saw  a  decline in   It consists of core physics courses to which
         Thus, inspiring students to pursue a geosci-  graduates from 2013 to 2019. Almost 40%   additional physics courses can be added to
         ence career through general education courses   of these programs (112) had fewer than 10   create a traditional physics degree or courses
         is a critical recruitment tool. However, what   graduates in 2019, and 20 had none. Only   in other majors that could replace equivalent
         happens when these courses are taught   56 had ≥25 graduates. In the same period,   physics courses. These degrees, e.g., B.S.
         online because of a pandemic, budget cuts,   the number of graduates in half of the 123   physics with aerospace engineering empha-
         or to accommodate students’ need for flex-  geology/earth-science programs at B.S.-   sis, are considered double majors and intended
         ibility? It is not easy to be inspired through   and M.S.-granting institutions increased or   for students who do not plan to pursue gradu-
         a computer screen.                  stayed the same.                   ate studies in physics.
          This paper aims to describe two innovative                              Unlike physics, only a few programs
         pathways to recruit new undergraduate and   GEOLOGY AS SECONDARY       require a geology course. Thus, the author
         graduate students at a large public research   UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR     adopted a different approach to creating
         institution where, rather than focusing recruit-  Most science, technology, engineering,   “geology+” programs and focused instead
         ment efforts on incoming students, a program   and math (STEM) majors must complete one   on identifying majors with an affinity for
         recruits students who are already on campus   year of calculus and physics and one or two   geology to provide pathways to geology for
         and majoring in high-enrollment programs by   semesters (one to three quarters) of chemis-  students in select majors. Similar paths
         offering them a path to earn a geology degree   try. Some degrees require additional math   were created for meteorology and aerospace
         as a secondary major.               and physics courses, often enough to earn a   and electrical engineering.
                                             minor. On the other hand, a double major   The first step of the year-long process was
         GRADUATION RATES AND FUTURE         adds several more courses and typically at   producing a geology “core” program. By
         EMPLOYMENT TRENDS                   least one year to the undergraduate degree,   comparing our B.S. geology curriculum with
          The  American  Geosciences Institute   delaying students’ entrance into the work-  Drummond and Markin’s (2008) analysis of
         (AGI; Gonzales and Keane, 2020) projects   force and adding to their financial burden.  nearly 300 B.S. geology degrees offered in
         growth of >20,000 geoscience jobs by 2029,   The situation at Iowa State University   the U.S., as well as the degree requirements
         a 4.9% increase from 2019, higher than the   (ISU) is typical of many geoscience depart-  at ten peer land-grant institutions, we identi-
         projected growth in the U.S. workforce of   ments: More than half of the geology gradu-  fied 31 credits of core courses and labs
         3.7%.  By  comparing the  number  of  pro-  ates enrolled between 2004 and 2013 had   (introductory physical and historical geol-
         jected retirements and geoscience  gradu-  entered the university either as undeclared   ogy, mineralogy and optical mineralogy,
         ates, the expected shortfall is ~130,000 full-  (13%), engineering (11%), meteorology (4%),   petrology, sedimentology and stratigraphy,
         time geoscientists. While some of these   physics (4%), or one of 19 other majors. They   structural geology, and field camp) that
         positions will be covered by increased effi-  had discovered geology through an introduc-  include courses required by more than 60%
         ciency and use of technology, the expecta-  tory  course  or  the  learning  community   of the programs analyzed by Drummond and
         tion is that the demand will exceed the num-  (Cervato and Flory, 2015). Most enroll in the   Markin (2008), with the addition of optical
         ber of graduates and that programs will   B.S. geology, with smaller numbers pursuing   mineralogy. Although the department agreed
         need an intentional focus on attracting and   B.S./B.A. earth-science degrees. This paper   that these courses represent the foundation of
         training new students.              focuses on the B.S. geology program, the   geology, we also agreed that this reduced

         GSA Today, v. 31, https://doi.org/10.1130/GSATG503GW.1. CC-BY-NC.

         36  GSA Today  |  June 2021
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