For the past five years, Douglass Residential College has been fortunate to work closely with Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), New Jersey’s leading energy provider. The PSEG Foundation has taken an active interest in Douglass’ STEM living-learning communities over the years, providing financial support for the Reilly Douglass Engineering Living-Learning Community since 2014. The PSEG Foundation furthered its partnership with Douglass by adding funding in 2017 to the college’s Computer Science Living-Learning Community for Women (CS LLC).
Both living-learning communities (LLCs) are designed to increase the enrollment and retention of women in STEM through special academic, mentoring, and community networks. The supportive environment helps students succeed and thrive in demanding engineering and computer science programs.
“I am very grateful to PSEG and the PSEG Foundation for their strong commitment to Douglass’ goal of increasing the number of undergraduate women majoring in engineering and computer science, and going on to pursue successful careers in these fields,” said the Dean of Douglass, Dr. Jacquelyn Litt.
The financial support from the PSEG Foundation has been critical in providing the mentoring, academic, and program support that forms the core of these two LLCs.
Specifically, the PSEG Foundation’s funding has helped cover the cost of the LLCs’ graduate student mentors, provided summer stipends for students to conduct full-time research, and sent Douglass women to industry conferences, such as the Grace Hopper Conference for Women in Technology.
The funding has also supported the community service work of the CS LLC, which sends Douglass women into local middle schools to teach girls about computer coding and other computer applications.
“It is critically important, both for the energy industry and for New Jersey businesses, that we have a strong pipeline of engineers and scientists to meet the complex and technological challenges of the future,” said Barb Short, PSEG Chief Diversity Officer, Foundation President & Senior Director of Corporate Citizenship & Culture. “Through innovative programming such as the STEM living-learning communities, Douglass is helping to develop and encourage our industry’s next innovators who will work to make energy cleaner, more reliable and sustainable, and our communities safe and well.”
Not only does the PSEG Foundation support the two LLCs, it also provides a number of special opportunities for students—such as a highly regarded annual tour to the PSEG Energy & Environmental Resource Center in Salem County, N.J. PSEG also sponsored the 2017 Douglass Annual Career Conference that included a special presentation by PSEG women engineers, and many female professionals from PSEG have visited Rutgers and Douglass over the years to talk with students.
Founded seven years ago as a joint initiative of Douglass and the Rutgers School of Engineering, the Reilly Douglass Engineering Living-Learning Community implements research-based strategies that have supported 230 engineering women with an overall 95 percent retention rate. The CS LLC, which received initial funding from the National Science Foundation, utilizes Reilly DELLC as its model for student engagement and success. Currently in its third year of operation, the CS LLC is a partnership of Douglass, Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, and the Rutgers Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science. The CS LLC serves 59 students comprised of computer science and math majors.
